[pct-l] Anyone have experience with SPOT-2 satellite messengers? Any alternative options?

[Ed Jarrett]

I forget which light it is, but one of them on the SPOT flashes while the message is transferring from the phone to to the SPOT.  Once it quits you can turn off the phone.  Another light will flash as long as the SPOT is trying to send the message to Global Star.  When it quits you can turn off SPOT.  The third light flashes periodically just to show that it is on.  If any flash red you have a warning, either a low battery or a communication problem.

Ed Jarretthttp://aclayjar.blogspot.com/

Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 19:33:08 -0800
From: danengleman at yahoo.com
Subject: Re: [pct-l] Anyone have experience with SPOT-2 satellite messengers? Any alternative options?
To: edjarrett at msn.com; pct-l at backcountry.net

that is good to know ... I thought I was supposed to leave both the spot and the phone on for 15-20 minutes ... my Spot batteries lasted for quite a long time, it was my smartphone batteries that got drained ... thanks for the info ... 
        From: Ed Jarrett <edjarrett at msn.com>
 To: PCT List
 <pct-l at backcountry.net> 
 Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2013 2:00 PM
 Subject: Re: [pct-l] Anyone have experience with SPOT-2 satellite messengers? Any alternative options?
   


It is true that using the SPOT Connect requires a SmartPhone, except for sending a 911 message.  So if your phone is dead, you cannot initiate an OK message with SPOT.  But the battery usage is pretty minimum.  If you are just going to send a periodic OK, your phone only needs to be on for a couple of minutes and the SPOT needs to be on for about 15-20 minutes.  Batteries will last a long time if you are just sending out an OK or two a day.  If you choose to use the tracking feature, the SPOT would be on all day, but your phone still only needs to be on long enough to initiate the track and then you can turn it off.  I used the tracking feature last year and SPOT lasted over a week on a set of batteries.