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Equipment Reviews:
               SPOT II GPS SATELLITE MESSENGER


As seen in JPFreek Adventure Magazine -
                      Review by Mike Fissel, Contributing Editor - www.jpfreek.com

Image One thing I have learned over my many years of Jeeping is that you can’t do enough to be prepared for anything. You’ve seen those things that have gone bad on the trail and if you haven’t, then you’ve heard or read about them. The same things that 3 years ago made my decision to buy a SPOT Personal Tracker and carry it anytime I go off road.

Don’t know what a SPOT is? Simply stated the SPOT is a hand held device that works where cell phones don’t. With SPOT you can have friends and family view your “tracks” on their PC using Google Earth or you can send out an “OK” message to let loved ones know you are well. Most importantly, in the event of a life threatening emergency, you can press the “911” button and SPOTs “911” center will send search and rescue to your location. My original SPOT has served me well and is an important emergency tool for my Jeep adventures.

Recently SPOT announced availability of the next generation SPOT, the SPOT GPS Satellite Messenger or SPOT II. The SPOT II is not only smaller and lighter than its predecessor but it features advanced GPS performance for faster location acquisition. The folks at SPOT have also listened to their customers and have built in a number of new features to make the SPOT II much easier to use like a dedicated button for GPS tracking and LED lights to confirm message sending and GPS acquisition. In addition, the 911/SOS and help buttons both have safety covers to prevent accidental activation.

I tested the new SPOT II at the Canyon De Chelly Jeep Jamboree recently and compared the tracking to the tracking of my original SPOT. Canyon De Chelly has high walls and sometimes even challenges my high end GPS units when it comes to signal acquisition. Weak signals are directly attributed to the narrowness of the canyon and sheer walls that tower up to 1200 feet high. I made use of the new RAM Mounts, one to attach my new SPOT II to the windshield to keep it both safe and giving it a clear view of the sky and the belt clip model to keep it close when not in the Jeep.

How did the new SPOT II perform? Every message that I sent out made it to the pre-determined emails I set up for the unit. Each “OK” message was checked for location and time against a waypoint set on my GPS at the time that it was sent. Had there been a life threatening emergency at any of those locations and the SOS feature activated, I can be pretty certain that the SPOT “911” center would have gotten the signal. This makes me pretty confident that if the message function works in a place like Canyon De Chelly, that it will pretty much work anywhere else that I travel. The tracking feature as shown by the Google Earth representation was satisfactory. Not as perfect or precise as my $800 GPS unit but still good enough that the people at home could easily see my progress and where I was within say 50 yards.

In conclusion, I didn’t get the SPOT II for its tracking feature but is a bonus. My fiancee no longer has to worry where I am or if I am ok with the SPOT II. She can go to the link I've given here and see the tracks of my route and where I am in almost real time. I can send her an "OK" message at any time to let her know all is well. BUT, the main reason you should own a SPOT II is its ability to summon Search and Rescue in the event of a life threatening emergency and it does the job. The new SPOT II is easier to use and is well worth the cost to buy and maintain or to upgrade from your old SPOT I . Your SPOT will cost $99 a year for the minimum service level but considering that your $99 annual investment could save a life, possibly yours, it’s well worth it. For more information check it out at www.findmespot.com .

Here is what comes with your New SPOT II:




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*The opinions expressed in this product review are the opinions of the writer and are based on the writers tastes and preferences. The writer may have and in most cases invited other people to participate in this review. Despite the review (favorable/unfavorable) you are encouraged to try out any product that you might be interested in.

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