SPOT tracker partners with Lockheed Martin Flight Service

German guy

German guy

Cleared for Takeoff
Joined
Dec 7, 2009
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Novi, MI
Display Name
Oliver
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This sounds like a great idea and will make it a lot easier for SAR to find a plane if it went down outside of radar coverage and if the pilot is incapable of activating a PLB or SPOT manually. I however don't know, whether a flight plan must be filed in order to actually make them track a SPOT and to trigger a rescue if the signal comes to an unexpected halt in the middle of nowhere: http://findmespot.com/en/index.php?...m_medium=emailer&utm_campaign=LMFSIntegration

It is of course also a nice tool which allows friends, family or somebody waiting to track the status of the flight. It can of course also be used for all kinds of other outdoor activities.

I think I will finally get one... :yes:
 
German guy said:
This sounds like a great idea and will make it a lot easier for SAR to find a plane if it went down outside of radar coverage and if the pilot is incapable of activating a PLB or SPOT manually. I however don't know, whether a flight plan must be filed in order to actually make them track a SPOT and to trigger a rescue if the signal comes to an unexpected halt in the middle of nowhere: http://findmespot.com/en/index.php?...m_medium=emailer&utm_campaign=LMFSIntegration

It is of course also a nice tool which allows friends, family or somebody waiting to track the status of the flight. It can of course also be used for all kinds of other outdoor activities.

I think I will finally get one... :yes:
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I love mine.
 
It HAS to require a flight plan. Otherwise, they would have to call us out every time you landed. And we thought ELTs had a high false alarm rate....

It can only make sense if it's a reaction to a left-open flight plan. Even then, if you go down near your destination, it may take a while for folks to figure that out.
 
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MAKG1 said:
[...] It can only make sense if it's a reaction to a left-open flight plan. Even then, if you go down near your destination, it may take a while for folks to figure that out.
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True. It will still help to significantly narrow down the search area.

I was always interested in the SPOT, but was too cheap to spend $150 / year for something which would mainly be a toy: My wife and I usually enjoy the outdoors and flying together, for emergency situations we carry a PLB with us. This would have limited the use of the SPOT to few occasions, when one of use is alone on a longer road trip, flying, in the outdoors or if somebody is waiting for us, while we are enroute with the plane.

I also think that friends would quickly lose interest in tracking us and even if they did, it would be difficult for them to tell whether something went wrong and to take appropriate action.

This new collaboration between SPOT and FSS will however add enough ultility to justifiy the costs, even for a cheap bastard like me.... :D
 
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Spots are junk compared to Spidertracks units in Alaska. There's no comparison between Globalstar and Iridium service. I wasted too much time and money on Spot before I got better equipment. In Alaska you can link a Spot, InReach, or Spider to a Master Flight Plan for Enhanced Services in the event you're overdue. For my needs I don't file. My Spider does everything I need in contacting the ones who care where I am. My Spider texts and emails my selected users that I've departed and landed. They can pull the locations up on a satellite map to make sure it makes sense with my plans. Wife loves it.
 
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At $1k for the unit and $400-$1k /year service, I would sure hope that Spider is better.

FWIW, SPOT and Trace units are on sale (50% off), through mid-Sept. That means you could get a unit and 1 years service for $150 (Trace). A Gen3 SPOT and a years service would be $225.

I've used my SPOT for years, and it has worked great. Family and friends like it, too!
 
Toy versus tool. It all depends what a guy wants. And your service estimates are way, way high. Several years ago I lent one of my Spiders to a Texas guy for his trip to Alaska in a PA-11. He also used a SPOT. That side by side comparison was fun to watch. These days the DeLorme InReach is the go-to for guys I know who want a tracker with text capability. It isn't up to par with a Spider but it's better than SPOT.
 
CT4ME said:
At $1k for the unit and $400-$1k /year service, I would sure hope that Spider is better.

FWIW, SPOT and Trace units are on sale (50% off), through mid-Sept. That means you could get a unit and 1 years service for $150 (Trace). A Gen3 SPOT and a years service would be $225.

I've used my SPOT for years, and it has worked great. Family and friends like it, too!
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InReach is, like Spider, also on Iridium, is two way and is more comparably priced to spot. For SAR, Iridium or 406 PLB/ELT are the best solutions. Globalstar just isn't in the same league.
 
@Stewart: Your perspective is shared by quite a few pilots flying the backcountry.

Spider Tracks however seems to depend on an external power supply and is pretty expensive. I understand that it can therefore not be used for other outdoor activities like hunting or kayaking.

DeLorme seems to be the next best solution, the annual subscription is however twice of that of a SPOT. If I would live in Alaska or spend a lot of time in the outdoors, this would be the solution I'd get.

In the lower 48, SPOT however seems to work really well, from what I heard and the costs are also within the range of what I'm willing to spend for something I mainly see as a toy, as I will still carry my PLB with me in case of an emergency.
 
Part of the beauty is the external power. Mine's hard wired. Every time I turn the master on a new flight is initiated. Every time I turn the master off that flight leg is closed. Accelerating or decelerating through 30mph the unit texts and/or emails (my choice) whomever I elect to notify that I've departed or landed and provides a pinpoint location. I don't even call my wife to tell her I'm going flying any more. The Spider does it for me. If I want to go bounce around sandbars for a few hours I can really annoy her with the constant texts for takeoff/landing. Sometimes that's fun, too. By the way, I have a pocket cell phone aux battery that powers the Spider just fine for when I want to wander. I never use it.

I don't have an agenda against SPOT. Guys who are considering any tracker should look at what's available, figure out their costs over 2-3 years, choose the features that are important to them, and then decide what makes the best sense for them. Iridium's 9575 phone also has tracking so if a guy wants a sat phone and a tracker that's a good option, too. Personally I'd much rather have a sat phone than a PLB. Since you PLB fans believe your rescue beacon should depend on you to activate it? You may as well have a phone so you can describe the problem and tailor the solution rather than send a blind SOS.
 
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German guy said:
This sounds like a great idea and will make it a lot easier for SAR to find a plane if it went down outside of radar coverage and if the pilot is incapable of activating a PLB or SPOT manually. I however don't know, whether a flight plan must be filed in order to actually make them track a SPOT and to trigger a rescue if the signal comes to an unexpected halt in the middle of nowhere: http://findmespot.com/en/index.php?...m_medium=emailer&utm_campaign=LMFSIntegration

It is of course also a nice tool which allows friends, family or somebody waiting to track the status of the flight. It can of course also be used for all kinds of other outdoor activities.

I think I will finally get one... :yes:
Click to expand...

If you want to be found and rescued, you want a 406 device, even if just a PLB. Neither LM/FSS nor ATC operate, or activate SAR reliably, only COPAS/SARSAT does that, and they only do it through 406.
 
I'm happy with the inReach. We're testing them in an organization I volunteer with. Hook them to switched power(usually via a lighter) and they turn on and off with the master. We have our own in-house portal to track and message all the devices.
 
Stewartb said:
Spots are junk compared to Spidertracks units in Alaska. There's no comparison between Globalstar and Iridium service. I wasted too much time and money on Spot before I got better equipment. In Alaska you can link a Spot, InReach, or Spider to a Master Flight Plan for Enhanced Services in the event you're overdue. For my needs I don't file. My Spider does everything I need in contacting the ones who care where I am. My Spider texts and emails my selected users that I've departed and landed. They can pull the locations up on a satellite map to make sure it makes sense with my plans. Wife loves it.
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Boy, ain't that the truth. Last piece of Globalstar equipment I had is on the bottom of the ocean now. For the most part I use VSAT anymore, but Imdont think they make a portable. Typically we'll have Irridium hand held as back up. INMARSAT also has a pocket phone, but there is no coverage above or below the 70°N&S parallels, Iridium works all the way to the poles. Does Bill Gates still own Iridium?
 
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SPOT, InReach, Iridium's 9575 phone, and other devices have SOS buttons that alert a contractor monitoring service that has connections to MCC. It isn't 406 exactly but it achieves the same result. You guys who are considering buying a PLB really ought to look at an InReach as an alternative. SOS capability and worldwide text coverage.

http://www.geosalliance.com/iercc/supported-devices/
 
Stewartb said:
SPOT, InReach, Iridium's 9575 phone, and other devices have SOS buttons that alert a contractor monitoring service that has connections to MCC. It isn't 406 exactly but it achieves the same result. You guys who are considering buying a PLB really ought to look at an InReach as an alternative. SOS capability and worldwide text coverage.

http://www.geosalliance.com/iercc/supported-devices/
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It does NOT achieve the same result, not close.:nono: There is one system for SAR globally now, COPASS/SARSAT, and the only way YOU know it has been activated is when you activate it with your 406 device, NOTHING else does the same thing, nothing. A year or so ago a guy on FF went into a Great Lake and ATC sent SAR to the wrong lake.
 
You don't KNOW that your 406 signal is received. I'm as big a 406 advocate as there is and I'd bet I know a bit more than the average guy about how it works, too, and for all practical purposes the SOS function on the popular devices triggers the same action and the same result. GEOS transmits your info to MCC and the wheels on the bus go round and round just as if MCC received the 406 beacon themselves. The key is to make sure your device is worthy of trusting your life to. If it doesn't send out a signal, nobody will come to your assistance. Like what'll happen when you're unconscious and your PLB sits quietly in your pocket because you didn't activate it!

I'm a 406 ELT fan. I wouldn't give a nickel for a PLB for airplane use. In modern times I think active tracking makes more sense than event-triggered beacons. And with that we're full circle back to Spidertracks.
 
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I'd activate it on the way down, but yeah, an ELT is nice as well, but if you start hiking out, or fly rentals, not as good. PLBs will take a lot more Gs than your body.
 
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Sometimes airplane accidents come as a surprise. In fact I'd wager most of them do. You can argue your position til the cows come home. I hope it works out for you. I've shared what I do and why. Maybe the discussion will help somebody make their own decisions for their own reasons.
 
Stewartb said:
Sometimes airplane accidents come as a surprise. In fact I'd wager most of them do. You can argue your position til the cows come home. I hope it works out for you. I've shared what I do and why. Maybe the discussion will help somebody make their own decisions for their own reasons.
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How does your device offer an advantage over a PLB with regards to activation? Don't you need to push a button?:dunno:
 
The Spider? No. it pings position reports every 2 minutes that include altitude, location, heading, and speed. When I slow below 30 mph, whether intentionally or accidentally, it texts my wife that I've landed and she can view the pinpoint location. if it's my cabin, all's good. if it's the side of a mountain? She'll call my RCC friends and give them the info. No pilot action required. Given the choice I'm equipped with a 406 ELT and don't own a PLB. With the InReach's performance history I'd buy that before I considered a PLB but for now i have no need for one. My own AOG history has been to wait out weather and communication beats the heck out of a rescue beacon. If I didn't carry a sat phone I'd have an InReach.
 
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