Report on DeLorme PN-60w SPOT

[Jet Pilot]

The latest satellite tracking device is the DeLorme PN-60w which can
do text messages along with position data via SPOT. It does this but
it is not user friendly. The text entry process is not easy (although
you can put in 14 preselected messages and send the one that is
appropriate like "Task complete."). SPOT charges extra for texting.
(50 cents a message or 100 messages for $29.99 or 500 for $49.99).
SPOT will let you upgrade a SPOT 1 to a SPOT 2 but requires new
service for the DeLorme. Out of the box the DeLorme needed a firmware
upgrade and the user needs to download data from a computer to the
DeLorme so computer-challenged pilots might get frustrated setting it
up.
Position data still do not include altitude although now the pilot
could manualy put it in.
The SPOT device is separate from the DeLorme. The two communicate via
bluetooth so the SPOT could be placed somewhere with a good view of
the sky out of the pilot's reach.
Once up and running the DeLorme has status information that gives
insight into when the last message went out and how many meassages
have been sent.
Think wave,
JP

[Matt Herron Jr.]

On Nov 27, 9:25*pm, Jet Pilot > wrote:
> The latest satellite tracking device is the DeLorme PN-60w which can
> do text messages along with position data via SPOT. *It does this but
> it is not user friendly. *The text entry process is not easy (although
> you can put in 14 preselected messages and send the one that is
> appropriate like "Task complete."). *SPOT charges extra for texting.
> (50 cents a message or 100 messages for $29.99 or 500 for $49.99).
> SPOT will let you upgrade a SPOT 1 to a SPOT 2 but requires new
> service for the DeLorme. *Out of the box the DeLorme needed a firmware
> upgrade and the user needs to download data from a computer to the
> DeLorme so computer-challenged pilots might get frustrated setting it
> up.
> Position data still do not include altitude although now the pilot
> could manualy put it in.
> The SPOT device is separate from the DeLorme. *The two communicate via
> bluetooth so the SPOT could be placed somewhere with a good view of
> the sky out of the pilot's reach.
> Once up and running the DeLorme has status information that gives
> insight into when the last message went out and how many meassages
> have been sent.
> Think wave,
> JP

So Spot 2 has Bluetooth built in? Perhaps that means it is
technically feasible to have the iphone (or other phones...) connect
to the spot for transmission of text messages. Someone get to work!

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

On 11/28/2010 12:51 AM, Matt Herron Jr. wrote:
> On Nov 27, 9:25 pm, Jet > wrote:
>> The latest satellite tracking device is the DeLorme PN-60w which can
>> do text messages along with position data via SPOT. It does this but
>> it is not user friendly. The text entry process is not easy (although
>> you can put in 14 preselected messages and send the one that is
>> appropriate like "Task complete."). SPOT charges extra for texting.
>> (50 cents a message or 100 messages for $29.99 or 500 for $49.99).
>> SPOT will let you upgrade a SPOT 1 to a SPOT 2 but requires new
>> service for the DeLorme.

snip

>
> So Spot 2 has Bluetooth built in? Perhaps that means it is
> technically feasible to have the iphone (or other phones...) connect
> to the spot for transmission of text messages. Someone get to work!

I'm going to wait for SPOT 3, which will have a 12 button phone style
keypad and an 8 character LCD entry display for outgoing texting. SPOT 4
will be able to receive text messages. SPOT 5 will be a rebranded
satellite phone with the Android OS, look like an iPhone, and we'll use
it as our flight computer, too.

Concurrent with the release of the SPOT 6, they will discover a way to
show daily tracks on the "share" pages.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl
- "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane Operation Mar/2004" Much of what
you need to know tinyurl.com/yfs7tnz

[SoaringXCellence]

Eric,

You're so twisted!

Mike

[Darryl Ramm]

On Nov 28, 12:51*am, "Matt Herron Jr." > wrote:
> On Nov 27, 9:25*pm, Jet Pilot > wrote:
>
>
>
> > The latest satellite tracking device is the DeLorme PN-60w which can
> > do text messages along with position data via SPOT. *It does this but
> > it is not user friendly. *The text entry process is not easy (although
> > you can put in 14 preselected messages and send the one that is
> > appropriate like "Task complete."). *SPOT charges extra for texting.
> > (50 cents a message or 100 messages for $29.99 or 500 for $49.99).
> > SPOT will let you upgrade a SPOT 1 to a SPOT 2 but requires new
> > service for the DeLorme. *Out of the box the DeLorme needed a firmware
> > upgrade and the user needs to download data from a computer to the
> > DeLorme so computer-challenged pilots might get frustrated setting it
> > up.
> > Position data still do not include altitude although now the pilot
> > could manualy put it in.
> > The SPOT device is separate from the DeLorme. *The two communicate via
> > bluetooth so the SPOT could be placed somewhere with a good view of
> > the sky out of the pilot's reach.
> > Once up and running the DeLorme has status information that gives
> > insight into when the last message went out and how many meassages
> > have been sent.
> > Think wave,
> > JP
>
> So Spot 2 has Bluetooth built in? *Perhaps that means it is
> technically feasible to have the iphone (or other phones...) connect
> to the spot for transmission of text messages. *Someone get to work!

No. Please read carefully, the OP was talking about a service upgrade
path from Spot 1 to Spot 2 and comparing that to the lack of upgrade
path from Spot 1 to the DeLorme PN-60w.

And actually AFAIK the DeLorme PN-60w handset communicates to the Spot
unit using IEEE 802.15.4 (aka Zigbee) not IEEE 802.15.1 (Bluetooth).
DeLorme are clear that only their handset will communicate with the
Spot device. And I don't know how much of the Zigbee stack this link
actually implements. We'll see is any Zigbee hackers manage to change
get access to the Spot device. DeLorme seemed to have grand plans for
short range (< 1km line of site?) "meshes" of handsets communication
with each other - hence their interest in Zigbee, but they describe
having problems with FCC certification and have dropped that "mesh"
support at least for now. You would have thought it was an obviously
interesting/compelling approach to support sending text messages over
Bluetooth from apps on smart phones. Maybe there is a chance that Spot
or another licensee will develop a similar device with Bluetooth
support. As with many products one critical decision can make the
difference between success and failure and the IEEE 802.15.4 vs.
Bluetooth decision may well be the death of this product.

And also just to be clear, before anybody else reads too much into the
original post, the Globalstar L-band data service that SPOT uses is
simplex only, so the DeLorme PN-60w (or any other Spot device) cannot
tell if a SPOT message was successfully transmitted or even if there
was a satellite in sight when the message was sent. It will need to
use multiple attempts on text messages to try to get them out,
although I don't know what retry attempts it makes for these messages.

Darryl