I'm planning a two week solo bike packing trip in & around West coast of Scotland / the islands in May. I expect both phone reception to be fairly poor and ability to frequently recharge the phone unlikely.
Has anyone used a spot tracker / similar satellite tracker to good effect?
Whilst the upfront cost of them is fairly reasonable, the £130 annual service charge feels quite steep - similar in cost to my mobile cost... They are arguably good "value" for family back home...
I have one.
I use it rarely, but it works well when I do.
I just get Mrs Dubs to pay for the yearly fees - it's mostly for her anyway!
I've one primarily for solo ITTs. You can hire them which for a couple of weeks' usage is probably the best option. Be aware that the HT550 starts at the end of May so there could be some rental units taken for that.
Yes, got one, very good to keep family at home minds at ease
Expensive to buy and run though.
You can hire them - http://www.spottrackerrental.co.uk
I own/use one. I'm often out solo in the Scottish Highlands where phone signal is limited/non-existent. The service charge sounds expensive for occasional use but over a year for ongoing 'insurance' it's pretty reasonable.
I know someone who bought one and is looking to recoup some of the service charge by loaning it out. Let me know if you want me to put you in touch.
Very temped but as you say - the £130 per year is quite a lot.
Are there any decent alternatives out there???
There's a new Garmin which uses a similar (Delorme Inreach) system. I'm guessing there's also a service charge. Personally, I prefer to keep the devices separate. That way, I know the batteries in the tracker will not be run down whilst acting as a GPS.
If you're going to be somewhere with a phone signal then there are all sorts of trackers you can install as an app - but again see my comments on battery life. A decent set of Lithums in a Spot tracker will last months for most folks usage.
I have one, recently used on the Rovaniemi 300 where it's mandatory gear - worked fine until the last day where overnight temperatures of -27C and snow made for some weird atmospherics and false signals giving the impression I was lost and going the wrong way to the extent them came to 'rescue' me!
My wife likes the fact she can track me online, even it's to the extent of knowing when to unlock the back gate as I'm sometimes rubbish at saying when I'll be back.
I prefer to keep GPS and tracker separate - GPS is too power hungry. Likewise, keeping a phone running it's GPS for 5 days would need a powerpack bigger/heavier than the Spot.
One of the other racers had the Delorme - tiny screen that makes navigation tricky. Hopefully we'll see some new tech in the next few years.
I have a Spot Trace in the motorbike. Works well. Batteries last about 10 weeks of standby and whatever time is spent riding 13000 miles a year.
But I'm on way to Morocco and wanted something 2 way. Got an inReach Explorer for £130 on eBay. It's *really* good. I can even tweet! Also, inReach coverage is worldwide. Spot is a lot less.
Rachel
What sort of service charge do you pay for the in reach?
Freedom plan. I've fgot the expedition one right now as that means I can text and tweet as much as I like (a lot) whilst I am on ferry to Santander and back and in Seville this week and Morocco next.
Will then go to zero next month until I need it again.
So, £25 for the year and £60 for the month I'm using it. Yes, not cheap but it works *really* well.
Rachel