SPOT pricing going up again...

On Monday, April 3, 2017 at 10:25:47 PM UTC-6, wrote:
So Renny, you say you switched 2 years ago, what exactly are your costs, up front and yearly? I tried to look at cost comparisons and totally get confused with how they represent it: 19.99/month plus .30/fix for tracking seems pretty high if I fly 40+ 4 hour flights per year or more. Inquiring minds want to know😀 Even with the increase it's still less than 15/month. Or am I missing something?

Cliff - I am guessing you are in the US, so here are my costs:
Delorme Plan 3 (unlimited tracking every 10 minutes) the cost including taxes and fees = $38.72/month
When service is suspended the cost = $5.51/mo

I typically suspend service for 4 months each year and pay the $38.72/month for the other 8 months. Depending on your requirements and the weather in you area, you may only need the service for 6 months each year while others may want to use it 12 months per year. If you want more frequent tracking than every 10 minutes, it will obviously cost more each month....

Finally, Garmin has introduced new inReach SE and Explorer models whcih are now available, so you can check with the various soaring suppliers on equipment pricing. The previous models are still out there, so you may be able to get a break in the price. Also, on occasion there are rebates which would also help lower the price. I have the inReach Explorer version with some very nice navigation features which I really like and use for hiking...Thx - Renny

I have the recreation plan and that costs me $24.95/mo. That provides unlimited tracking and 40 texts a month.

Last year I upgraded to the SE from the older unit, so I also have the safety plan ($11.95/mo) on the older unit for my wife to use on retrieves. That allows 10 texts a month and will be invaluable if we're both in the boonies trying to get connected.

Renny, you might want to update your plan because that extra $14/mo might not be getting you anything. :-)

-Tom

On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 6:32:25 AM UTC-7, Renny wrote:
Delorme Plan 3 (unlimited tracking every 10 minutes) the cost including taxes and fees = $38.72/month

On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 10:09:05 AM UTC-6, wrote:
I have the recreation plan and that costs me $24.95/mo. That provides unlimited tracking and 40 texts a month.

Last year I upgraded to the SE from the older unit, so I also have the safety plan ($11.95/mo) on the older unit for my wife to use on retrieves. That allows 10 texts a month and will be invaluable if we're both in the boonies trying to get connected.

Renny, you might want to update your plan because that extra $14/mo might not be getting you anything. :-)

-Tom

On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 6:32:25 AM UTC-7, Renny wrote:
Delorme Plan 3 (unlimited tracking every 10 minutes) the cost including taxes and fees = $38.72/month

Tom,
I will definitely take a good look!
Thanks for the heads-up!
Renny

On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 11:18:49 AM UTC-6, Renny wrote:
On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 10:09:05 AM UTC-6, wrote:
I have the recreation plan and that costs me $24.95/mo. That provides unlimited tracking and 40 texts a month.

Last year I upgraded to the SE from the older unit, so I also have the safety plan ($11.95/mo) on the older unit for my wife to use on retrieves. That allows 10 texts a month and will be invaluable if we're both in the boonies trying to get connected.

Renny, you might want to update your plan because that extra $14/mo might not be getting you anything. :-)

-Tom

On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 6:32:25 AM UTC-7, Renny wrote:
Delorme Plan 3 (unlimited tracking every 10 minutes) the cost including taxes and fees = $38.72/month

Tom,
I will definitely take a good look!
Thanks for the heads-up!
Renny

OK..As we continue to beat this wonderful subject to death, let me recommend this URL from Cumulus Soaring whichcontains a lot of plan info...

http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/garmin.htm

Here is another URL from Paul Rende with contract info...

http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/delor...tractPlans.pdf

Now, one clarification regarding the plan I have been using...I do not actually have unlimited tracking with the Delorme 3 "Plan," but based on 10 minute tracking I would have to fly more than 102.6 hours in one month before I would go over my 8,000 bytes/mo that I am allowed (before having to pay extra), so at least for me, it is essentially unlimited. For those who fly more hours each month, or want a more frequent tracking interval, a different plan might be more appropriate.

Again, Paul's excellent charts at Cumulus Soaring have all of the details.
Thx - Renny

The Cumulus Soaring charts omit the plans that charge for every tracking point, but for those who fly less often, these are the least expensive plans, and can be less than $250 per year.

I use the InReach plan with the lowest monthly fee. With taxes added in, it is $12.20 each month plus $0.10 per tracking point.

5 hours of tracking costs $3, if the tracking interval is 10 minutes. If I could fly 30 weeks a year and had tracking turned on 5 hours each week, the total bill would be $237. That is slightly less than any of the plans with free tracking.

With this plan, the monthly fees can't be turned off, but even if you could, it would only save $6 per month. My actual charges for the last 12 months were $215, which includes some non-soaring tracking fees (winter hiking). The high month was July (R1 contest) at $27.

...david 8D

On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 1:52:27 PM UTC-4, Renny wrote:
On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 11:18:49 AM UTC-6, Renny wrote:
On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 10:09:05 AM UTC-6, wrote:
I have the recreation plan and that costs me $24.95/mo. That provides unlimited tracking and 40 texts a month.

Last year I upgraded to the SE from the older unit, so I also have the safety plan ($11.95/mo) on the older unit for my wife to use on retrieves.. That allows 10 texts a month and will be invaluable if we're both in the boonies trying to get connected.

Renny, you might want to update your plan because that extra $14/mo might not be getting you anything. :-)

-Tom

On Tuesday, April 4, 2017 at 6:32:25 AM UTC-7, Renny wrote:
Delorme Plan 3 (unlimited tracking every 10 minutes) the cost including taxes and fees = $38.72/month

Tom,
I will definitely take a good look!
Thanks for the heads-up!
Renny

OK..As we continue to beat this wonderful subject to death, let me recommend this URL from Cumulus Soaring whichcontains a lot of plan info...

http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/garmin.htm

Here is another URL from Paul Rende with contract info...

http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/delor...tractPlans.pdf

Now, one clarification regarding the plan I have been using...I do not actually have unlimited tracking with the Delorme 3 "Plan," but based on 10 minute tracking I would have to fly more than 102.6 hours in one month before I would go over my 8,000 bytes/mo that I am allowed (before having to pay extra), so at least for me, it is essentially unlimited. For those who fly more hours each month, or want a more frequent tracking interval, a different plan might be more appropriate.

Again, Paul's excellent charts at Cumulus Soaring have all of the details..
Thx - Renny

Spot's business practices do leave a little to be desired! My service renewed 4/27, I still haven't been billed, there is absolutely no indication anywhere I can find on my Spot Account page that tells me what the bill will be for 2017.

So I called the customer support number and this is what they told me: Gen 2 Spot users can expect 12 month renewal with tracking to be $164.98, a $5 increase over 2016 prices. Gen 3 users get socked with a much larger increase discussed at the beginning of the thread.

Grudgingly, I will allow the renewal to proceed, but I think this is my last season on Spot. The *only* things I like about it is that the Gen 2 unit fits perfectly on a parachute cross strap (my rigger approves) and it works where cell service doesn't (and that's quite a lot of my XC flying).

Evan Ludeman / T8

Does SPOT provide duplex text messaging with preset or newly composed messages?
Does the latest SPOT device provide altitude information?
Does SPOT offer Adverse Condition Alerting Service? (for a current flight plan)
Does SPOT offer Flight Aware flight tracking? (with or without a flight plan)
Will SPOT report on the operational status of their system? For example:
https://status.inreach.garmin.com/
Time to shop?
Jim

Thanks Renny, yes I'm in Prescott Az and fly alot at Moriarty each year. So to summarize for me to use the 10 min tracking with Delorme/ Garmin, it will cost 300+ a year. Granted I will get text msg I don't have with spot. With spot, I get the same 10 min tracking, and just pre set txt for 200/yr and no up front costs for equipment(I got my spot for free with sign up). Just trying to check actual costs.

You also get (with Delorme/Garmin) altitude, speed and heading as part of the tracking for those following you. With Spot, those following don't know if you are circling at 500 ft. AGL or cruising at 17.5 MSL. You also have the option of increasing your tracking interval to 5,2, or even 1 minute with InReach/Garmin. Finally there are enterprise pricing plans that allow for much more data and less texting, encouraging 1 minute tracking in the main flying months. This can be rolled down to $5 per month maintenance plans when not flying.

Sean

On Wednesday, April 5, 2017 at 6:12:56 AM UTC-6, Sean Fidler wrote:
You also get (with Delorme/Garmin) altitude, speed and heading as part of the tracking for those following you. With Spot, those following don't know if you are circling at 500 ft. AGL or cruising at 17.5 MSL. You also have the option of increasing your tracking interval to 5,2, or even 1 minute with InReach/Garmin. Finally there are enterprise pricing plans that allow for much more data and less texting, encouraging 1 minute tracking in the main flying months. This can be rolled down to $5 per month maintenance plans when not flying.

Sean

First....what Sean said....

Also, over the years I have found that the tracking with the inReach has been more reliable than with the SPOT. I flew with both units for a season and often noticed that it was not uncommon for the SPOT to miss a 10 minute update and sometimes it missed tracking hits for as long as 20 or 30 minutes before a "hit" registered. I am sure that it is possible, but I do not believe I have ever seen the inReach miss a 10 min tracking hit. At the end of the day it all depends on "what" you really want a device to "do," what level of reliability is acceptable and of course, how much you want to spend.

Whatever you decide to do, always be sure you carry your device and turn it on. A few years ago we had a missing pilot (this was a different incident than Mark's earlier post) and we had no hits from SPOT or inReach or any other device. It turns out he had bailed out in a remote area (with no cell service) and fortunately, although injured, was able to walk to a road and was found. The reason we could not track him......his SPOT had been left in the hangar...

Now, be safe out there and ALWAYS carry your "device" of choice, your survival kit, a cell phone, etc, etc, etc. Thx - Renny