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#21
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SPOT messenger
On May 15, 9:05*am, Eric Greenwell wrote:
Robert M. Gary wrote: I did and I love it! I'm just waiting for them to create a public side to findmespot.com so I can share my tracks. Right now you have to give out the admin password to your account (which includes your credit card on file, etc) for people to see your tracks. They've done that already, and it works well. Take another look at the site to see how you can create public pages. Thanks to all for posting. I'm gathering responses to several posts here. First, on the sharing option, they say it's a beta and in my experience (and that of three people who tried it on various computers) it does not work. While it may work some of the time, that's not good enough for the S&R application, so I've had to share my account password with my backup people. Second on Eric's post re zipper on top vs. the bottom (#13 in this thread), I emailed Allen Silver and, not surprisingly, there is a logic to the zipper location. Here's his response: "There actually is a reason why I mounted it on the bottom. One is to protect it from getting snagged and accidentally opened and the other is about gravity. If you left the snap that secures the zipper to the pack undone and you had to bailout the zipper could unzip during the g forces of opening. Not likely to occur, but you know about Murphy's Law." Thanks for the posts on vertical vs. horizontal. I'll have to try it in the SMAK PAK and see what happens. Martin WT |
#22
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SPOT messenger
On May 24, 8:43*am, wrote:
On May 15, 9:05*am, Eric Greenwell wrote: Robert M. Gary wrote: I did and I love it! I'm just waiting for them to create a public side to findmespot.com so I can share my tracks. Right now you have to give out the admin password to your account (which includes your credit card on file, etc) for people to see your tracks. They've done that already, and it works well. Take another look at the site to see how you can create public pages. Thanks to all for posting. I'm gathering responses to several posts here. First, on the sharing option, they say it's a beta and in my experience (and that of three people who tried it on various computers) it does not work. While it may work some of the time, that's not good enough for the S&R application, so I've had to share my account password with my backup people. Second on Eric's post re zipper on top vs. the bottom (#13 in this thread), I emailed Allen Silver and, not surprisingly, there is a logic to the zipper location. Here's his response: "There actually is a reason why I mounted it on the bottom. One is to protect it from getting snagged and accidentally opened and the other is about gravity. If you left the snap that secures the zipper to the pack undone and you had to bailout the zipper could unzip during the g forces of opening. Not likely to occur, but you know about Murphy's Law." Thanks for the posts on vertical vs. horizontal. I'll have to try it in the SMAK PAK and see what happens. Martin WT I don't have any problems with the share page, it is working the same as the account page, and much more intuitive. the only issue with it is that currently it only displays the last 24 hours, so if you need to track someone longer you need to logon to their account. Ramy |
#23
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SPOT messenger
Hi,
I've been selling a lot of SPOT units and I'm very curious about the SMAK pak from Allen Silver. Can you please send me contact information. Does he have a web site? Thank you, Paul Remde wrote in message ... On May 15, 9:05 am, Eric Greenwell wrote: Robert M. Gary wrote: I did and I love it! I'm just waiting for them to create a public side to findmespot.com so I can share my tracks. Right now you have to give out the admin password to your account (which includes your credit card on file, etc) for people to see your tracks. They've done that already, and it works well. Take another look at the site to see how you can create public pages. Thanks to all for posting. I'm gathering responses to several posts here. First, on the sharing option, they say it's a beta and in my experience (and that of three people who tried it on various computers) it does not work. While it may work some of the time, that's not good enough for the S&R application, so I've had to share my account password with my backup people. Second on Eric's post re zipper on top vs. the bottom (#13 in this thread), I emailed Allen Silver and, not surprisingly, there is a logic to the zipper location. Here's his response: "There actually is a reason why I mounted it on the bottom. One is to protect it from getting snagged and accidentally opened and the other is about gravity. If you left the snap that secures the zipper to the pack undone and you had to bailout the zipper could unzip during the g forces of opening. Not likely to occur, but you know about Murphy's Law." Thanks for the posts on vertical vs. horizontal. I'll have to try it in the SMAK PAK and see what happens. Martin WT |
#24
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SPOT messenger
On May 31, 9:28 pm, "Paul Remde" wrote:
Hi, I've been selling a lot of SPOT units and I'm very curious about the SMAK pak from Allen Silver. Can you please send me contact information. Does he have a web site? Thank you, Paul Remde http://www.silverparachutes.com/ |
#25
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SPOT messenger
Hi,
Thanks for the link to the SMAK Pak. It looks very nice. If pilots want a simpler option for holding the SPOT only. I just placed an order to Para-Phernalia (makers of Softie parachutes) for a batch of their "Pocket for PLB" (personal locator beacon) pouches - made to match the dimensions of the spot. I will stock them in the orange color (to match the SPOT) but I can also get them in colors to match your parachute. They sell for $50. Good Soaring, Paul Remde Cumulus Soaring, Inc. http://www.cumulus-soaring.com "sisu1a" wrote in message ... On May 31, 9:28 pm, "Paul Remde" wrote: Hi, I've been selling a lot of SPOT units and I'm very curious about the SMAK pak from Allen Silver. Can you please send me contact information. Does he have a web site? Thank you, Paul Remde http://www.silverparachutes.com/ |
#26
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SPOT messenger
I had a 7 hours flight last Saturday in Nevada, during which my spot
was tracking normally, with the occasional missing transmissions here and there. However there was a period of one hour with no track reports. The only thing I can tell which was different from tthe rest of the flight is that I was flying under solid overcast and OD during this period, once I got back to the sun the tracking resumed. Any thoughts if this was just coincidence or the clouds blocked the transmissions? In any case, I'f affraid that currently it is not safe to assume that a glider will be within 10 minutes distance of the last track, can be much longer. Ramy On Jun 1, 5:55*am, "Paul Remde" wrote: Hi, Thanks for the link to the SMAK Pak. *It looks very nice. If pilots want a simpler option for holding theSPOTonly. *I just placed an order to Para-Phernalia (makers of Softie parachutes) for a batch of their "Pocket for PLB" (personal locator beacon) pouches - made to match the dimensions of thespot. *I will stock them in the orange color (to match theSPOT) but I can also get them in colors to match your parachute. *They sell for $50. Good Soaring, Paul Remde Cumulus Soaring, Inc.http://www.cumulus-soaring.com "sisu1a" wrote in message ... On May 31, 9:28 pm, "Paul Remde" wrote: Hi, I've been selling a lot ofSPOTunits and I'm very curious about the SMAK pak from Allen Silver. Can you please send me contact information. *Does he have a web site? Thank you, Paul Remde http://www.silverparachutes.com/- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
#27
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SPOT messenger
Hi Paul
Spot does not attach to glider straps because the Spot clip is too small and I thank you Paul for making available the pouch. I have had a Spot for about a month now and have used it on most flights. It mostly works well but as with most items not designed for aviation it is not perfect for that application. Soaring from Parowan to Minden today the girls were monitoring my flight using the tracking mode and well into the flight the received tracks, instead of being close to real time, stopped coming for an hour and the girls started to worry. About 1 hour later the system caught up and the missing tracks appeared. Regardless the Spot is a very useful device and I will not fly without it. I am sure the bugs will be worked out. Dave |
#28
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SPOT messenger
On Jun 16, 3:36*pm, Ramy wrote:
I had a 7 hours flight last Saturday in Nevada, during which my spot was tracking normally, with the occasional missing transmissions here and there. However there was a period of one hour with no track reports. The only thing I can tell which was different from tthe rest of the flight is that I was flying under solid overcast and OD during this period, once I got back to the sun the tracking resumed. Any thoughts if this was just coincidence or the clouds blocked the transmissions? In any case, I'f affraid that currently it is not safe to assume that a glider will be within 10 minutes distance of the last track, can be much longer. Ramy On Jun 1, 5:55*am, "Paul Remde" wrote: Hi, Thanks for the link to the SMAK Pak. *It looks very nice. If pilots want a simpler option for holding theSPOTonly. *I just placed an order to Para-Phernalia (makers of Softie parachutes) for a batch of their "Pocket for PLB" (personal locator beacon) pouches - made to match the dimensions of thespot. *I will stock them in the orange color (to match theSPOT) but I can also get them in colors to match your parachute. *They sell for $50. Good Soaring, Paul Remde Cumulus Soaring, Inc.http://www.cumulus-soaring.com "sisu1a" wrote in message ... On May 31, 9:28 pm, "Paul Remde" wrote: Hi, I've been selling a lot ofSPOTunits and I'm very curious about the SMAK pak from Allen Silver. Can you please send me contact information. *Does he have a web site? Thank you, Paul Remde http://www.silverparachutes.com/-Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - Ramy Spot uses the Globalstar L-Band simplex links. L-band is relatively immune to rain attenuation, rain/water droplets suspended in storm clouds are likely the worse case scenario. A guess for bad rain attenuation might be something like only a dB or so at L-band. The GPS signals are in the same frequency bands and will have similar attenuation. So my first guess is clouds, even storm clouds are not likely to be the issue. So the next question is did anybody else flying in the genral area have the same problem? I was flying in the Mendocinos at the same time and had no SPOT problems but that is probably far enough away to not count, except to exclude more systemic problems. The next question is did the unit have a full view of the sky or are you still mounting it on your parachute harness? I'm not sure if this is on your shoulder - in which case your head (hopefully opaque at L-band :-) ), RF opaque parts of the fuselage/canopy frame area, etc. will be obscuring lots of the sky, or vertical on your harness in which case far more of the sky will likely be obscured. Both of these will affect coverage as Global star satellites fly into and out of the now fairly restricted sky view or as you turn the direction of the obscured antenna to bring Globalstar or GPS satellites into view. I think SPOT is fantastic, fly with one all the time in SPOTcast mode, but I'm not giving up on my 406MHz PLB on my parachute harness. Darryl |
#29
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SPOT messenger
Ramy Spot uses the Globalstar L-Band simplex links. L-band is relatively immune to rain attenuation, rain/water droplets suspended in storm clouds are likely the worse case scenario. A guess for bad rain attenuation might be something like only a dB or so at L-band. The GPS signals are in the same frequency bands and will have similar attenuation. So my first guess is clouds, even storm clouds are not likely to be the issue. So the next question is did anybody else flying in the genral area have the same problem? I was flying in the Mendocinos at the same time and had no SPOT problems but that is probably far enough away to not count, except to exclude more systemic problems. The next question is did the unit have a full view of the sky or are you still mounting it on your parachute harness? I'm not sure if this is on your shoulder - in which case your head (hopefully opaque at L-band :-) ), RF opaque parts of the fuselage/canopy frame area, etc. will be obscuring lots of the sky, or vertical on your harness in which case far more of the sky will likely be obscured. Both of these will affect coverage as Global star satellites fly into and out of the now fairly restricted sky view or as you turn the direction of the obscured antenna to bring Globalstar or GPS satellites into view. I think SPOT is fantastic, fly with one all the time in SPOTcast mode, but I'm not giving up on my 406MHz PLB on my parachute harness. Darryl I have a SPOT on order. Where is the best place to mount it so it has a full view of the sky (excluding the top of the glare shield)? Will it work under a fiberglass glare shield? |
#30
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SPOT messenger
On Jun 17, 9:14*am, Greg Arnold wrote:
Ramy Spot uses the Globalstar L-Band simplex links. L-band *is relatively immune to rain attenuation, rain/water droplets suspended in storm clouds are likely the worse case scenario. A guess for bad rain attenuation might be something like only a dB or so at L-band. The GPS signals are in the same frequency bands and will have similar attenuation. So my first guess is clouds, even storm clouds are not likely to be the issue. So the next question is did anybody else flying in the genral area have the same problem? I was flying in the Mendocinos at the same time and had no SPOT problems but that is probably far enough away to not count, except to exclude more systemic problems. The next question is did the unit have a full view of the sky or are you still mounting it on your parachute harness? *I'm not sure if this is on your shoulder - in which case your head (hopefully opaque at L-band :-) ), RF opaque parts of the fuselage/canopy frame area, etc. will be obscuring lots of the sky, or vertical on your harness in which case far more of the sky will likely be obscured. Both of these will affect coverage as Global star satellites fly into and out of the now fairly restricted sky view or as you turn the direction of the obscured antenna to bring Globalstar or GPS satellites into view. I think SPOT is fantastic, fly with one all the time in SPOTcast mode, but I'm not giving up on my 406MHz PLB on my parachute harness. Darryl I have a SPOT on order. *Where is the best place to mount it so it has a full view of the sky (excluding the top of the glare shield)? * Will it work under a fiberglass glare shield? Greg People are mounting them on their harnesses and apparently getting them to work, but the problems that Ramy reports may show this is not as reliable as a less obscured location. I'll remind people of Allen Silvers' (experienced parachutist/parachute rigger) warning against mounting them on the shoulder area of a parachute. Ideally you just want it mostly flat and not obscured. I mount mine on the right canopy rail of my ASH-26E using 3M dual-lock tape. You can see it here http://www.flickr.com/photos/darrylramm/2082630811 The glareshield should not present a problem for RF signals but you need to unit where you can press buttons, check LEDs (flat batteries etc.). On the canopy rail I have to pop the unit off to check the LEDs etc. This may not work on all gliders but even on my DG-303 with a thin rail I would have just installed a mounting plate on the narrower canopy rail. If you do need to end up mounting on the glareshield area the bright orange color/reflections are likely to be a distraction. A black cloth covering could work. SPOT also make a sturdy looking black nylon bag/ holster for the SPOT (purchased separately, does not come with it). I saw a Holster for sale at at Williams Soaring but have not seen them elsewhere, I think they had a SPOT logo on them. You might be able to mount that holster on the glareshield and slip the spot unit into it for use. Hopefully it won't get too hot in the sun. Braver people could disassemble the SPOT (disassembly is easy) and paint it with Krylon Fusion flat black paint, but I'd be worried of the paint scratching off over time or the unit getting too hot in the Sun. This all assumes you care mostly about use in flight, I do, and thing the SPOTcasting/tracking feature is the best thing. If you mostly care about the "911" feature and the SPOT unit going with you in a bailout, then put it on your parachute harness with a Silver Parachute SMAK pack (the large size, see http://www.silverparachutes.com/smak_pak.html ) or similar. Darryl |
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