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Spot or InReach ??



 
 
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  #11  
Old May 8th 18, 04:57 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
[email protected]
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Posts: 463
Default Spot or InReach ??

On Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at 10:32:52 AM UTC-5, Tango Eight wrote:
On Monday, May 7, 2018 at 7:14:08 PM UTC-4, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
My Spot renewal has come up, but not charged. Called Spot tried to get some info on their new device. Couldn't even find out if one would need a different data plan to access the two-way features. Tried a google search for information on the next gen two-way spot but could not find anything!

Question: if one was to purchase a new tracker which one would you choose and why? I am temped to renew my Spot and run with the Gen3 until the new two-way is released. I like that it (new Spot) has it's own keyboard and screen, but the features are not known. My other option would be to get the InReach mini. However, the InReach plans are set for 10 minute tracking intervals unless you pay $79.95 per month on an annual plan. With the spot plan for $214.95 a year I have 2 minute interval tracking.


It's hard to make an argument in favor of Spot. I cancelled my subscription moments ago (15 minutes elapsed time, one threat to call my credit card company, full refund issued for an automatic renewal (I never authorized automatic renewal)).

With inReach, if you fly 100 hours during 6 months a year, you can do this: Freedom / Safety plan @ $15 a mo + $25 a year + $0.10 per point, ten minute tracking, $60 for 100 hours of flying, total $175 (plus some miscellaneous fees) per year. You get unlimited use of preset messages (similar to old style Spot except you get confirmation that the message was sent) plus you have two way txt capability, 10 a month, $0.50 per msg beyond that. I'll use Inreach tracking if I am doing something, er, ambitious. Else I'll use cell tracking in areas with known good service and use inReach to send the landed safely, landed out / bring trailer & beer msgs.

I bought the old style Delorme Explorer because it's available at Cabela's for $200. It works fine, it should work fine on my parachute. The mini, announced literal hours after I ordered the DeLorme, *is* really cool, small is beautiful. The upside of the older/larger unit is more battery, maps (maybe handy if I end up in some really remote area), compass and a screen just big enough I can use without glasses (bail out scenario).

I'm not going to miss Spot.

Side note, if you are inclined to stick with Spot, Spot 2 service plan is still about $165 a year. You can have my Spot 2 for beer money (email me if anyone actually wants it).

best,
Evan Ludeman / T8


Great minds think alike, Evan. I also ordered the Explorer from Cabelas yesterday and tried to cancel my Spot subscription this morning. No luck since the rep could not find one of the "special" agents available who can take cancellations. She promised to call me back, that was 3 hours ago. Not holding my breath.. Now that's 'customer service'.
Herb
  #12  
Old May 8th 18, 05:18 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Tango Eight
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Posts: 962
Default Spot or InReach ??

On Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at 11:57:32 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at 10:32:52 AM UTC-5, Tango Eight wrote:
On Monday, May 7, 2018 at 7:14:08 PM UTC-4, Jonathan St. Cloud wrote:
My Spot renewal has come up, but not charged. Called Spot tried to get some info on their new device. Couldn't even find out if one would need a different data plan to access the two-way features. Tried a google search for information on the next gen two-way spot but could not find anything!

Question: if one was to purchase a new tracker which one would you choose and why? I am temped to renew my Spot and run with the Gen3 until the new two-way is released. I like that it (new Spot) has it's own keyboard and screen, but the features are not known. My other option would be to get the InReach mini. However, the InReach plans are set for 10 minute tracking intervals unless you pay $79.95 per month on an annual plan. With the spot plan for $214.95 a year I have 2 minute interval tracking.


It's hard to make an argument in favor of Spot. I cancelled my subscription moments ago (15 minutes elapsed time, one threat to call my credit card company, full refund issued for an automatic renewal (I never authorized automatic renewal)).

With inReach, if you fly 100 hours during 6 months a year, you can do this: Freedom / Safety plan @ $15 a mo + $25 a year + $0.10 per point, ten minute tracking, $60 for 100 hours of flying, total $175 (plus some miscellaneous fees) per year. You get unlimited use of preset messages (similar to old style Spot except you get confirmation that the message was sent) plus you have two way txt capability, 10 a month, $0.50 per msg beyond that. I'll use Inreach tracking if I am doing something, er, ambitious. Else I'll use cell tracking in areas with known good service and use inReach to send the landed safely, landed out / bring trailer & beer msgs.

I bought the old style Delorme Explorer because it's available at Cabela's for $200. It works fine, it should work fine on my parachute. The mini, announced literal hours after I ordered the DeLorme, *is* really cool, small is beautiful. The upside of the older/larger unit is more battery, maps (maybe handy if I end up in some really remote area), compass and a screen just big enough I can use without glasses (bail out scenario).

I'm not going to miss Spot.

Side note, if you are inclined to stick with Spot, Spot 2 service plan is still about $165 a year. You can have my Spot 2 for beer money (email me if anyone actually wants it).

best,
Evan Ludeman / T8


Great minds think alike, Evan. I also ordered the Explorer from Cabelas yesterday and tried to cancel my Spot subscription this morning. No luck since the rep could not find one of the "special" agents available who can take cancellations. She promised to call me back, that was 3 hours ago. Not holding my breath.. Now that's 'customer service'.
Herb


The special agent in charge evidently needed a coffee break/safe space/PTSD counselling after dealing with T8. Sorry about that.

:-)

Correction to above... it looks like I was wrong about map functions on the DeLorme Explorer... there's a "map", but it's just ground track and waypoints on white background... I thought being able to load this thing with topo maps was the whole point of the Explorer vs SE. Hmmmm. Maybe I've confused that with the updated Garmin Explorer+. Anyone know different... please chime in.

-Evan
  #13  
Old May 8th 18, 05:38 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
kirk.stant
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Posts: 1,260
Default Spot or InReach ??

Just to be different - I stick with Spot.

My Gen 1 Spot is reliable, easy to use, less expensive than Inreach (for the same 10 min tracking).

What it doesn't have (altitude, messaging) I don't care about.

That being said, if I was starting from scratch, the Inreach sounds like a better deal.

Kirk
66
  #14  
Old May 8th 18, 08:35 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
John Carlyle
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Posts: 324
Default Spot or InReach ??

Evan, thanks for posting your thoughts. I joined you and Herb in buying an inReach Explorer from Cabellas. The inReach plan and usage approach you outlined sounds good, as well.

I, too, was disappointed with the performance of Spot. Not only was it flaky in posting my position, their "automatic renewal" was outrageous. My Spot went free to another home. Too bad, Spot was a great idea, but was very poorly implemented.

-John, Q3

On Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at 11:32:52 AM UTC-4, Tango Eight wrote:
It's hard to make an argument in favor of Spot. I cancelled my subscription moments ago (15 minutes elapsed time, one threat to call my credit card company, full refund issued for an automatic renewal (I never authorized automatic renewal)).

With inReach, if you fly 100 hours during 6 months a year, you can do this: Freedom / Safety plan @ $15 a mo + $25 a year + $0.10 per point, ten minute tracking, $60 for 100 hours of flying, total $175 (plus some miscellaneous fees) per year. You get unlimited use of preset messages (similar to old style Spot except you get confirmation that the message was sent) plus you have two way txt capability, 10 a month, $0.50 per msg beyond that. I'll use Inreach tracking if I am doing something, er, ambitious. Else I'll use cell tracking in areas with known good service and use inReach to send the landed safely, landed out / bring trailer & beer msgs.

I bought the old style Delorme Explorer because it's available at Cabela's for $200. It works fine, it should work fine on my parachute. The mini, announced literal hours after I ordered the DeLorme, *is* really cool, small is beautiful. The upside of the older/larger unit is more battery, maps (maybe handy if I end up in some really remote area), compass and a screen just big enough I can use without glasses (bail out scenario).

I'm not going to miss Spot.

Side note, if you are inclined to stick with Spot, Spot 2 service plan is still about $165 a year. You can have my Spot 2 for beer money (email me if anyone actually wants it).

best,
Evan Ludeman / T8


  #15  
Old May 8th 18, 10:07 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
kirk.stant
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Posts: 1,260
Default Spot or InReach ??

Interesting how much you guys are willing to pay for altitude and the ability to message. At the 10 minute rate Spot is $175/year (or a bit more, but still less that $200) - a lot less than a full year of InReach tracking. My Gen 1 has been reliable, easy to use, and my wife has no trouble tracking me and finding me when I land out (or make it back to the field). I've loaned it to friends who flew it all over the Caribbean In their RV-6 and it tracked them perfectly. Ditto a friend on a motorcycle trip.

So if you need the messaging features and altitude, definitely go for the InReach, but if you just need a simple tracker, you might try spot and be surprised.

Guess I just got a good one...

Kirk
66
  #16  
Old May 9th 18, 12:02 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Posts: 317
Default Spot or InReach ??

Im with Kirk on this one I too have a gen1 spot and I hook it over my parachute strap from inside out so my neck collar keeps it on if I should bail. Its basically just over half the cost of Inreach and I use the OK button to announce to my better half that I have taken off and also when I return. I use the help button if I land out as that also sends a gps location with my pretyped msg of I have landed out safely at the following location please initiate a retrieve. The Batteries last more than 400 flying hours. but I change them yearly (about 250hrs). In over 10 years of using it I can count on one hand how many missed fixes

CH ASW27
  #17  
Old May 9th 18, 03:09 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
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Posts: 25
Default Spot or InReach ??

On Wednesday, 9 May 2018 09:08:00 UTC+12, kirk.stant wrote:
Interesting how much you guys are willing to pay for altitude and the ability to message. At the 10 minute rate Spot is $175/year (or a bit more, but still less that $200) - a lot less than a full year of InReach tracking. My Gen 1 has been reliable, easy to use, and my wife has no trouble tracking me and finding me when I land out (or make it back to the field). I've loaned it to friends who flew it all over the Caribbean In their RV-6 and it tracked them perfectly. Ditto a friend on a motorcycle trip.

So if you need the messaging features and altitude, definitely go for the InReach, but if you just need a simple tracker, you might try spot and be surprised.

Guess I just got a good one...

Kirk
66



We get altitude with Spot Gen3 downunder.
  #18  
Old May 9th 18, 04:11 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Ramy[_2_]
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Posts: 601
Default Spot or InReach ??

Kirk, $300 per year instead of $175 is not a lot more expensive. For the price of couple of tows per year you get a much better system. And the ability to text from a landout or to your crew when there is no cel signal is well worth it.
Regarding syncing contacts to inreach, I am not sure why bother. The earthmate app lets you send and receive messages from anyone in your phone contact list. You don’t need to import those contacts.

Ramy
  #19  
Old May 9th 18, 05:33 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
Darryl Ramm
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Posts: 2,403
Default Spot or InReach ??

On Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at 7:09:12 PM UTC-7, wrote:
On Wednesday, 9 May 2018 09:08:00 UTC+12, kirk.stant wrote:
Interesting how much you guys are willing to pay for altitude and the ability to message. At the 10 minute rate Spot is $175/year (or a bit more, but still less that $200) - a lot less than a full year of InReach tracking. My Gen 1 has been reliable, easy to use, and my wife has no trouble tracking me and finding me when I land out (or make it back to the field). I've loaned it to friends who flew it all over the Caribbean In their RV-6 and it tracked them perfectly. Ditto a friend on a motorcycle trip.

So if you need the messaging features and altitude, definitely go for the InReach, but if you just need a simple tracker, you might try spot and be surprised.

Guess I just got a good one...

Kirk
66



We get altitude with Spot Gen3 downunder.


Do you have a link to flight traces showing that?

Spot seemed to test doing this at least in North America before but it was very unreliable, besides that the "altitude data" displayed is just the ground elevation.


  #20  
Old May 9th 18, 08:08 AM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
krasw
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Posts: 668
Default Spot or InReach ??

Why not install OGN receivers for tracking? Just one good installation at home airfield covers most of your cross country flights. We get 100 km range with one good antenna.
 




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