Staying in contact with the SPOT Gen3

Story & photos by Budd Stanley

If there is one thing we all have in common, it is that we love being outdoors and in the warm embrace of Mother Nature. Some of us aren’t truly happy until we are well off the grid, far from any social distraction, where Mother Nature’s embrace might not be so warm, but most importantly, well away from any cell coverage.

Being “out of range” has its therapeutic benefits and some very real dangers. Without the proper equipment – usually expensive equipment – you are very much on your own if you are going solo. That means that if an unplanned fall or rollover leaves you stranded or injured, no one is going to know about it until you fail to show up at the arrival time. In Canada’s harsh environments, you could be in some real trouble.

As I become more adventurous, a simple day trip into the local mountains just isn’t cutting it anymore. At least once a year I love to take an “Epic Adventure” that will have me deep in the wilderness anywhere from a week to three months. However, while I’m challenging myself in the wilderness, family and friends are likely losing sleep worried about my wellbeing.

This is where the Spot Gen3 comes into play. As a communications device that uses satellites to get messages from the backcountry back to civilization, the Spot Gen3 is the perfect in-between device that allows you to leave all the networking and social distractions of a smartphone back in town, but still communicate your location, status or call for an emergency rescue.

Activation of the Spot Gen3 can be a little difficult for those not tech savvy, and there is a monthly plan that you will have to subscribe to for service. Globalstar, the company that operates the system, offers the service for $14.99 per month with service plan upgrades such as Enhanced Tracking for an added cost. Once users are connected, they can upload contacts email and cell phone data, as well as connect to social media (Facebook, Twitter and Spots own Spot Adventures).

When getting into the functions, you will read “predetermined” and “preprogrammed” quite often. This is in reference to the programing you will need to do to the Spot Gen3 before you head out on your adventure. With the Spot plugged into your computer, you can choose which contacts will receive messages from which service, what each message will say and whether you would like to post to social media. It is a great system as long as you know what you want to say, or what a possible problem could be, because once you unplug, your Spot is set.

There are only six buttons on the Spot Gen3, each with a corresponding LED light that will illuminate green when the service has been activated, or red when canceled. Once you get to know the device, it all becomes quite simple, there is a power button on the top left hand side to power up the device, an S.O.S. button, Help button, Check-in button, Track button and a Message button. All the basics you need in the backcountry and no other distractions.

Lets run down the features. Of primary concern is the S.O.S. button, which when pressed for three seconds will send an S.O.S. signal to GEOS, an International Emergency Response Coordination Center, with the exact coordinates of the Spot Gen3 device. They in turn will alert local Search and Rescue (SAR) with this information, who will come find you… and possibly invoice you for a very expensive medical evacuation. Just the thought of this made me look at that button as though it was the pin in a hand grenade, but thankfully Spot have two failsafe’s. First there is a protective cover over the S.O.S. button so you don’t have to worry about pocket dialing GEOS. Two, Spot have the Help button in case you need help, but don’t need to call in SAR. Also with a protective cover, pushing this button sends a prewritten help message to designated contacts alerting them of your coordinates and that you are in need of assistance – not a helicopter.

To keep friends and family in the know, the Check-in button will send selected contacts a preprogrammed email and/or text informing them that you are all right. When your contacts get this message, they will also receive a link to a Google map showing your current location.

The Tracking button when pushed will begin tracking your GPS coordinates at predetermined intervals (pinging every 2.5, 5, 10, 30, or 60 minutes) for as long as you have the system running. This is great for keeping people updated on social media of your location and journey, however it doesn’t work like a GPS mapping system that records trails, it only pings your GPS location at certain intervals. So it won’t replace a mapping GPS but does save battery life.

The Message button when pushed will send your selected contacts a preprogrammed text and/or email as well as your GPS coordinates. If this sounds a lot like the Check-in button, you’d be right, this just allows you to send an alternate message, say if you are planning to meet someone along the way, or if you want to update social media of a predicted milestone or event.

In the box you get the Spot Gen3 device, strap, carabiner, USB cable, four rechargeable lithium-ion batteries and a quick reference guide. The Spot itself is built ruggedly with a rubber outer shell and weather resistant construction. Testing each function, other than the S.O.S., relayed texts, emails and my position to all the applicable contacts within seconds of pushing the button. My locations were relayed back with accuracy within one metre. Downfalls include having to keep the logo of the Spot facing upwards, so it is best placed on a dash or on top of a backpack. This makes getting to it difficult, but luckily there is an app that will connect to the Spot allowing you to operate it remotely. Also, reception was hindered slightly in thick forests or deep canyon areas, as it is easy to lose sight of the satellites.

There really wasn’t anything I didn’t like about the Spot Gen3. It’s built well, simple to program and use, and it gives you the ability to communicate with the world when you are off the grid. It did have a couple performance issues when a clear view of the sky was not possible, but the greatest characteristic of the Spot is the piece of mind it gives you the adventurer. The relief the Spot gave my wife when I sent her a Check-in from 100 km out in the backcountry makes this a no-brainer must have.

Price: $169.99 - www.findmespot.ca