SPOT Tracker

[Bengt_Phorqs]

Does anyone have any experience with one of these gadgets?  There is a current thread on the local BMW club website about a lost rider in Idaho, " http://www.st-owners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=72221".  Apparently many of us ride solo a great deal of the time.  I used to and still take the occasional trip by myself.  

These are one way black boxes that take a satellite reading every 10 minutes or so and send it to a website you set up.  That way your wife/husband/kids/friends could tell where you are when you're out.  Hmmm, upside to that if you're in trouble  ; downside if you're not where you're supposed to be .  Any thoughts on this gizmo?

[Lucky_Lou]

Would it be possible to trace him via mobile phone...i dont know what coverage they have out there but if he had one they could trace it
hope he turns up safe and well.
Lou.

[Bob_Roller]

There's a substantial amount of area out here in the western US, where there is no cell phone service coverage .

There are even a lot more isolated paved roads, where, if you did go off of the road and no one saw you, unless your bike started on fire and left a smoke column, no one would come looking for you .

It can be a bit on the dangerous side to ride by yourself in those situations .

I think it would be a good idea to carry some kind of tracking device like that, if you do travel alone, even if you're in a 'cage' .  

[Semper Gumby]

I think it's a great idea.  If I do the Alaska trip I will use this on the bike.  If its the one I'm thinking of there is an option in an emergency for you to press a button and it would call the nearst LEO.

That would be really handy.

Here is the link.  http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=102

I think Davo was using this when he had his accident in the 2009 IBR.  There was a person or two that "knew" something was up when his tracking data "halted" in a remote spot.

This kind of equipment is probably optional on BMWs but should be manditory on Brit bikes.  

[dav]

There are even a lot more isolated paved roads, where, if you did go off of the road and no one saw you, unless your bike started on fire and left a smoke column, no one would come looking for you .
 .  

gezzzzz iam going on a 2 week solo ride (as of next monday & not on the R65), & after reading that you have me bloody worried ....but yeah its a great idea to have one while touring

[montmil]

Until we USA peeps abandon cell phone towers and begin using satellite phones, items such as the SPOT and similar can saves lives... hikers, hunters, bikers, boats. Cell phones are fine as long as you tip over in an area that has service.  I have flown numerous SAR missions where an ELT was the only link to the downed aircraft and crew.

Monte

[Ed Miller]

I bet they cost more than I'm willing to pay.  I'm not even interested in getting a cell phone.

Hmmph.  Brit bike or BMW.

[Bob_Roller]

Basic unit is $170US, not overly costly, if you got into trouble in the middle of nowhere, it would look like a bargain .

[DeeG]

They are coming out with a new and improved model, will be getting one, possibly by the end of the year.

I've personally dealt with two SAR's (Search And Rescues) where the victim had the units.   Both times they were groups of climbers/hikers up in the Cascade Range on a glacier. Zero cell coverage.   SPOT had their exact location.  We had SAR teams paged and personnel headed in their direction within 15 minutes of getting the call from the SPOT people.   Both times, victims ended up being air lifted to Seattle with injuries from falls.  

The unit is fairly cheap (about $150 US) and service packages vary, depending on what you want.  They just ended a promo where if you signed up for two years (~200$) you get the unit for free.  

If he had one, he'd probably be found by now.   I have been thinking about getting one for over a year, this probably will cement the deal.

We spend a lot of time in areas with no coverage.  

I've also spent a lot of time in the area of Montana where this rider was last seen.  Cell coverage is piss poor at best, and there are miles of roadway he could have covered, most of which, if you leave the roadway, you aren't going to be found unless someone steps on you or the buzzards start circling.   Curvy roads, steep cliffs, rivers, big horn sheep, deer, bear, cougars, etc.  Unless this guy is holed up somewhere paying for everything in cash, they better find him fairly quickly, or there isn't going to be much to find.  

Both pics are of the road he was last seen on.  Can you see the wildlife?  They are fearless and many times are on the road. To the right side is the river, and no guardrail.  This is about 20 miles south of Darby, MT, where he was last seen (on traffic cam).

Second pic is one of the curves going up the pass.  Sorry its blurry.... again, no guardrail and about 300' drop off to the right, if you happen to miss the trees.......
 Â 

[Bengt_Phorqs]

Thanks for the pics Dee.  That's about what I thought it would look like.  I read the thread again yesterday and he either met with foul play (not likely) or ran off the road somewhere.  I'm not big on farkles by any stretch but this seems like a device that could sure get you out of trouble or at the least tell the cavalry where to look.

[Bob_Roller]

Not looking particularly hopeful for this lost rider, 16 days, cold temperatures at night..........

Had an employee here at Southwest Airlines, based in the Raleigh-Durham area, took his Gold Wing out for a week's ride in the Appalachian mountains over the July fourth holiday 2005, never came home, didn't leave a route map, the family had no idea where to even start looking for him .

The bike was spotted in the bottom of a 500 foot ravine in the last week of November, after the vegetation died back in the fall, the remnants of a deer carcass, still wrapped around the front of the bike .

Only human remains found at the site, were a few pieces of bone  .

[Lucky_Lou]

Hi DeeG
 I once spent the day driving round Mt Rainier is that the area you work in??. Stunning area and still shows signs of the St Helen's blast, plenty of places to come to grief on 4 wheels let alone 2 when riding on roads like that even staying on the main routes.
Lou

[DeeG]

Not too close to Rainier, but have driven those roads many many times.

We are about 120 miles north east of there, in a little place called Cashmere.  Right next door to the city of Leavenworth; Washington's barbarian....... opps, BAVARIAN Village.  hehehe

We have a Moto Guzzi campout every year, just north of Mt St Helens, outside a little spot on the road called Randle.  The roads around there are bad.  Frost heaves, potholes, cracks, washouts, etc.  There is a road up to one of the viewpoints called Windy Ridge.  At least once a year, someone on a bike launches themselves over the edge when they hit one of them frost heaves while going around a twistie just a little bit too fast.  

[TXRider60]

For $170, I'm definitely planning on getting a SPOT Tracker... In fact, with surgery scheduled in December, I may even look into (!) getting one implanted... Seriously, I just checked and apparently there's an annual service fee of about $100, and the tracking is good for ten days or so (so those concerned would have to expedite their search).

[DeeG]

If anyone is interested, Cabelas is extending the SPOT offer from two months ago.  Buy the unit, sign up for two years of service and you get the purchase price refunded.

Not too shabby, get the thing for free!!!

SPOT Unit:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0051330518244a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntt=spot&Ntk=Products&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&_D%3Asort=+&Nty=1&hasJS=true&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form1&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

Rebate Coupon:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/content/community/product_features/pdf/images/camping/pf_518244_spot_cabelas_rebate_123109.pdf