SPOT Gen3 Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)

SPOT Gen3 Discussion and Review: Decided to post up a video discussing my recent purchase and first use of a SPOT Gen3 Tracker / PLB (Personal Location Beacon). I ride alone ALOT and finally decided to take the plunge on this device for peace of mind for everybody involved. Hope this video helps any of you on the fence about buying this or a product like this. I highly recommend this product or a similar product if you are one that bikes, hikes, kayaks, motorcycles, or does any activity which finds you without cell service in the middle of nowhere.

If you have any questions, Ill do my best to answer. Hope this video helps!

[video=youtube_share;5jGn6DBjNec]https://youtu.be/5jGn6DBjNec[/video]

I have an older Spot 2 and I'll vouch for the safety and utility of the device and service. I have also heard or read of poor reviews but that has not been my experience or the experience of others I know with them. I first saw one work in a remote area of Arkansas when a friend crashed on a mountain road. We activated the SOS on his Spot and in 20 minutes he was flying away in a helicopter to a trauma center 110 miles away. A first responder on scene told me an ambulance would have taken 30 minutes to get there much less time to triage and summon the helicopter. There was no cell signal there and when we finally moved on down the mountain to small town nearby my phone rang and Spot support had left a phone message asking me if I had possession of my friend's Spot and if so to turn it off as they had seen it begin moving after the helicopter had left.

Sorry I did not take the time to watch the entire video. Did you address the question - to wear it on my person or mount it on the bike? I do it both ways at different times and wonder which is best. If I crash and cannot reach the Spot to activate it that's not good but if I crash with it on my person and I cannot physically activate it or I'm unconscious and lying on top of it that's not good either. Either way I'm at peace knowing if something happens there will be an electronic trail of my movements until there aren't any if I go overdue on a solo ride. At least there is a starting point for a search.

I have the 2 and bought it for use with the DS bikes. I use it now with the street bikes and send ok messages to family. The family can also see where we are on my spot page. I mount mine on the bike but the other rider can press the SOS if I can't.

@dduelin ~ First, thanks for good comments and reassurance with first hand experience. I briefly discuss the whole "attached to you" vs "attached to the bike" BUT I think its a super big point to make. Having it period is good...but for MAXIMUM efficiency, one should have it attached on their person in case of a bad off and the bike is far away from you and you cant reach it.

For those of you who can't afford a spot, you can use the Glympse app available on both IOS and Android. It isn't as good... but it definitely better than nothing!

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.glympse.android.glympse&hl=en

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/glympse-share-gps-location/id330316698?mt=8

I have a 1st gen spot, my subscription has lapsed. I'm debating getting it up and going again for a trip to the boundary waters canoe area me and my wife are taking this fall.

The subscription service gets kind of pricy, so I've looked into other options.

Smart phone can track me any where there is cell service and GPS signal and send that back to my wife, and it can also be used to call for help, but cell service isn't universal, not even close. And technically a cell phone plan costs a lot more than the spot.

APRS beaconing works over a fairly large swath of the US (better than cell service in lots of places) it requires a Ham license. It's still not universal, but there is no subscription fee. If you do need to call for help you can use APRS messaging to do so, but the only people who will receive your message are other hams, so no really guarantee of them being able to do anything about your situation (they may be able to call 911 for you, but they might be out of service range also).

The spot system is talked about above, it's universal in that it should work anywhere that you can see a good amount of sky, but there is the service fee.

Along the same vain as the spot is DeLorme which is a subscription service on a different satellite network (better coverage at the poles and in sub saharan africa).

There are also personal locator beacons (PLB), unlike the spot these run a military satellite network, there is no subscription, but there is also no tracking, they can't be used to send an "I'm OK" message only in an emergency when self rescue is no longer an option. Hardware costs about as much as a spot and 1 year of spot subscription.
I don't have an actual PLB. I've never actually used one.


There are other subscription options out there too... some of them can be hardwired into the bike, some of them use satellites, some of them use cell towers.

i just renewed my Spot (first gen) service. even though I don't use it as much as I used to, its a small price to pay for the peace of mind.
I do use it when I do my day trips here, mostly for fun, and I can always track myself when I get home. esp if there was just a really cool spot I want to remember to go back to.
it did pay for itself when i was out in cali a few yrs back and came across a bad situation.
two thumbs up here.

miss demeaner said:

i just renewed my Spot (first gen) service. even though I don't use it as much as I used to, its a small price to pay for the peace of mind.
I do use it when I do my day trips here, mostly for fun, and I can always track myself when I get home. esp if there was just a really cool spot I want to remember to go back to.
it did pay for itself when i was out in cali a few yrs back and came across a bad situation.
two thumbs up here.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input and another reassuring story. It is def one of those things that you hope you never use but glad you have.

What part of GA you in?

I had the first SPOT device. I used to do a lot of solo remote riding so I got it after realizing there were many areas in my travels with no cell coverage. When I discussed it with my wife she was luke-warm on the idea until I explained to her that if I met my demise while riding, she could collect my life insurance much more quickly if they found my body rather than waiting for whatever the period of time was that they finally considered me dead instead just missing. She was much more enthusiastic after that. Now that she rides too, I am rarely out alone so I cancelled the service.

In all seriousness though it worked pretty well in tracking mode and there were only a few times it missed a check-in. Never could figure out exactly why. It wasn't always in areas without a clear view of the sky. Once I left it on while the bike was parked in the garage and it kept successfully signaling throughout the night. I would probably either reinstate the service or get a new one if I were planning any solo-remote rides again. It does provide good peace of mind.

I run a spot gen3. I have it attached to my jacket. I got a bike mount for it but feel better having it attached to me. Thankfully I haven't had to use it beyond sending out the I'm OK message. The only down side I've seen is the signal is spotty in heavy tree covered valleys. I like that they have different levels/costs of subscription plans. I went with the lowest one which I think is ~$100 a year. Not a bad price for the peace of mind it gives.

silverhound said:

I had the first SPOT device. I used to do a lot of solo remote riding so I got it after realizing there were many areas in my travels with no cell coverage. When I discussed it with my wife she was luke-warm on the idea until I explained to her that if I met my demise while riding, she could collect my life insurance much more quickly if they found my body rather than waiting for whatever the period of time was that they finally considered me dead instead just missing. She was much more enthusiastic after that. Now that she rides too, I am rarely out alone so I cancelled the service.

Click to expand...

No kids to collect insurance?

Fuzzy said:

No kids to collect insurance?

Click to expand...

Well sure, three of them but I feel the risk of both of us crashing and disappearing off the road simultaneously where there is no cell service is minimal.

I use one, primarily for the peace of mind for my wife. She can see where I am and I can send "I'm OK" messages. I bike mount mine, but probably need to look for a good way to mount it on my person.

silverhound said:

. Now that she rides too, I am rarely out alone so I cancelled the service.

. I would probably either reinstate the service or get a new one if I were planning any solo-remote rides again. It does provide good peace of mind.

Click to expand...

rarely out alone, hmmmm, so if something happened to you or her (God forbid), and you had no cell service what would you/she do? honestly its a small price to pay for peace of mind.

vman1313 said:

Thanks for the input and another reassuring story. It is def one of those things that you hope you never use but glad you have.

What part of GA you in?

Click to expand...

I live just south east of atl., but I'm currently in Alaska.

Those who have it on their person, where do you have it? I have a Klim Latitude Misano Jacket (and pants) and wonder if putting it in one of the pockets is good enough, or if I should mount it somewhere else? Pictures would help.

I just ordered the Spot Gen 3, and am looking at the different pricing schemes for the services. Is the lowest good enough if I am sticking mostly to pavement rather than going full dual sport in gravel and mud off roads? Or is there a huge benefit to upgrading to the unlimited service?

I have been trying to figure out how to put the SPOT Gen3 on my person but cant really figure out where. When I ride my CRF250L I usually wear a Camel Back for water and the documentation on the SPOT Gen3 says that on a back pack is a good place to keep it. Since I have the FRUNK on the NC, I just attach the SPOT Gen3 on the bike somewhere because the documentation also says that the SPOT Gen3 should be placed somewhere that the top of it faces the clear sky. A pocket on a jacket I dont think is a good place for it BUT maybe I should try it out and see.

My 2 came with a vinyl slip-on cover that incorporates an adjustable elastic strap so it can be strapped to the forearm. Aerostich sells a Velcro backed envelope a Spot fits in and this attaches to the left lower sleeve of their jackets or riding suits. I never used the envelope accessory but have used the elastic strap.

Edit: The Spot store sells this as a Carry Case in accessories.

dduelin said:

My 2 came with a vinyl slip-on cover that incorporates an adjustable elastic strap so it can be strapped to the forearm. Aerostich sells a Velcro backed envelope a Spot fits in and this attaches to the left lower sleeve of their jackets or riding suits. I never used the envelope accessory but have used the elastic strap.

Click to expand...

Good to know...will check it out!

A pocket shouldn't interfere with the spot. Several clothing manufacturers have spot pockets on their jackets or the thigh on the pants. It is supposed to work best when flat hence the pocket on the thigh. My jacket happened to have a loop on the shoulder so I hook it on the loop with a carabineer.