SPOT / sattelite trackers for safety

Help this befuddled old man understand please

I am going to be traveling into places with no mobile signal on my own and have strongly been advised to get one of these for emergencies.  I’m a bit of a tight fisted luddite so have no idea of what they are and how they work and resent spending the money.  Help me out please.

We have a SPOT tracker. I can’t remember the costs (maybe £18/month for the subscription?), but you buy it, and then you need a subscription to activate it. We start and stop the subscription to suit, eg if Mrs Yak has a bikepacking race then it’s activated just for that month. You can choose how often it sends your location. Eg every 5mins, or much longer internals and then that will appear on the map that someone is following you on. There is a SOS button for emergencies too.

Garmin inreach is the other option, similarly needs a subscription.

Satellite tracking is coming to mobile phone,perhaps already for a few phones. I assume the cost is included in your contract. So if you can hold out for a while…

I had one a few years ago when I did a solo Munro round.

Then, it was limited to preconfigured ‘I’m OK’ messages to a preset list of contacts or a ‘call the cavalry, I’m in the sh1t’!’ message to Spot HQ. You pay for the unit and a subscription for monitoring. Tracking was an extra then and is similar to Garmin Livetrack but by satellite. IIRC, Spot is/was based in Houston and they contact the emergency services of the appropriate country on receipt of an alert.

Garmin have since released their In Reach products which are similar but reading the bumf, allow real time SMS if that’s important to you. Big plus on the Spot I had was it took AA batteries which lasted an age. I’d imagine the In Reach is rechargeable.

If you don’t need SMS or Tracking, look for an EPIRB instead. No subscription required and it’ll scramble the equivalent of the big yellow taxi if you get in the doo doo.

I have the Spot X supplied by my employer for DOC on remote sites with no mobile signal. Also told I can use it outwith work.

The one I have is rechargeable and allows texts to be sent to any number.

It’s not the most compact unit but I ain’t gonna complain as it’s free.

Yep, as @Yak says, you need a device and a subscription.firva tracker. You could buy a PLB which will work without but I guess you’d need to ensure it would work in the Antipodes. (Same us true of a tracker).

I have a, currently unused, Spot which you are welcome to borrow. It’s a V3 so is configured with 4 buttons, 3 of which van send pre-programmed messages (such as “I’m fine) and the 4th is the SOS button that will alert the authorities.

A Tracking subscription is more expensive than a “messages only” subscription if you feel you want folk to know where you are without sending a message (all messages have GPS coordinates attached).Tracking also uses more battery.

My Spot uses 4 x AAAs. If not tracking, then when you want to send a message you’d need to power it on, wait for a satellite lock, and press the relevant button. If you’re using tracking, that will consume battery power but you’ll already have a satellite lock, so.less waiting time.

Oh, and you usually need clear line of sight to the sky/satellites. If you fall down a hole, are in a steep cleft or are being eaten by a tiger under jungle canopy,  it might not connect, just like GPS…

Hmmm – ta folks.  so you have to activate them if you are injured? No use if you are unconscious?  Or I guess if they are tracking then someone could check and tell if you were not moving?

I don’t particularly want or need the tracking – just a way of alerting the rescue services if I am stuck with no mobile reception

Garmin inReach Mini owner here. It won’t trigger automatically if you fall (even though Garmin watches can set off their own alert via phone), but if you do pair it with a Fenix or Forerunner you will be able to manually activate it from the watch. Only situation I can think of where this might be useful is if your bag gets separated in an accident but is still within Bluetooth range.

I just use the belt clip, but it also has a carabiner attachment. I’ve come close to needing it once while running in a mountainous area. Depending on where you go it may be worth considering supplementary rescue insurance because I suspect the first thing to be lowered out of the helicopter in the USA will be a credit card machine.

It’s a very useful thing to own, although not cheap from a subscription perspective. You’re welcome to borrow mine if you only need it for a short period.

Epirb sounds like the cheapest option if you only want to issue a cry for help. But, sounds like tracking might be important if there’s any chance you are if the sh1t and unconscious. Guess it depends who is tracking your activity and how well you communicate your routing if you don’t have live tracking and anyone would know ish where to come looking

You can hire these, for example Track Trail will hire you a Garmin InReach for £45 a week.  I’ve never actually used them but I looked into this a while back when planning a multi-day trip.  The trip never happened as I twisted my knee while walking the dog.

Not quite the same, but newer iPhones can use the satphone network for messaging when out of tower range. I’d guess that combined with apple watch or garmin it could be set to auto alert if sudden stop detected.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/120930

Yes, you need to activate manually unless being tracked. I’d be careful of false alarms here. You lost your Spot, broken it, lost signal, forgot to turn it off etc and someone tracking you has a fit and calls in International Rescue…

If you just want manually triggered emergency services activation at least cost, get an EPIRB (having made sure the satellites cover where you’re going). If you want that plus bells, whistles, the ability to message all your friends ( 🙂 ) and tracking, get a free Spot on loan or an InReach if it has features important to you. Depending on trip length, the loan Spot plus sub may be cheaper than an EPIRB (£200-£300 last I looked). Of course you’ll still have tge EPIRB at the end of the trip to sell on or keep come the Zombie apocalypse in Edinburgh… 🙂

I’ve been looking at this recently for my solo kayaking exploits off the west coast:

I had a Spot Gen3 for a few years until I gave up on Spot price-gouging me every year with the renewal – you have to phone them in the US threatening to shut your account before they offer a reasonable price. Subscription price is from £18/month. Used devices can be bought for £50.

Garmin offer the Inreach, some with better features but ‘usable’ subscriptions are about £32/month ie with decent tracking. Devices are better, some with built in GPS and mapping.

EPIRBs only work for emergencies, don’t offer tracking – cost about £300 and are sealed so expire when the battery runs out. No subscription needed.

iPhone from 14 onwards offer a sat phone connection capability through a subscription but not sure about availability in the UK

There are other devices but only available to US providers

You can hire devices from Globaltelsat but they cost about £9/day

Its a five month trip – 2 in NZ and 3 in Aus

Ta folks – I understand a bit more now – there is a possibility of hiring one in NZ I believe.  Might be the best option as its the NZ leg that I really need it for – but only a few days / section of my trip

A few days? Yes, definitely hire one then. Will save lots of faff and cost. Have a good trip! 5months in NZ/Aus sounds great.

Ah – I am doing an 8 wk tour – but there are only a few sections each of only a day or twothat will be out of mobile reception but i would need to hire it for the full 8 weeks

Probably best/cheapest to borrow one then and pay for 2months subscription. Eg, take up Scotroutes offer and then it’s from £16 for the 2 months.

Spot is standard for adventure moto riders. My in-laws have used them for over a decade on trips all over the world. Just back from Oman.

@tjagain, ohh where are you off to ? Enjoyed your last travel ‘blog’.

NZ for a bike ride then on to Aus

2nd hand Spots are £35 on ebay, just need a subscription plan on top

ta folks.  I think I grasp what they are now

This Outdoor Gear Lab review might be helpful

https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/camping-and-hiking/best-personal-locator-beacon

Yes, you need to activate manually unless being tracked. I’d be careful of false alarms here. You lost your Spot, broken it, lost signal, forgot to turn it off etc and someone tracking you has a fit and calls in International Rescue…

I know someone who left one in a hostel in the middle of nowhere as he wasn’t going to be doing anything risky when an earthquake struck.  His contact back home was extremely concerned and he was so busy trying to help the locals he never even considered trying to get back to the hostel to send an “ok” message.    A bit of an extreme example but NZ does get quakes, and they are the sort of thing that make traditional comms to say “tracking not moved is everything ok” impossible.

Arnt you going to new Zealand?

Where you going without signal. They had widespread signal 20 years ago.

We have a RescueMe Plb1

Paid about £180 although I am aware they have gone up since we got ours around 2020

It is tiny. It could be in your pocket and I doubt you’d really notice. It is easy to operate and test.

It’s emergency only, no messaging. Madame and I discussed the options and concluded we didn’t need messaging.

When it expires after 10 years I would buy another assuming nothing better has come along.

Garmin have recently made substantial changes to their Inreach subscription rates. It’s now possible to get Inreach subscriptions from companies other than Garmin; you still use the Garmin Inreach device but pay the subs to the other company. I’m still investigating it but it may be more cost effective for occasional use.

This was a random YouTube video which popped into my feed which may be relevant to some. Near the end, he mentions that some of Garmin’s cheaper subscriptions options are not published so require some clicking around to get the lower rates (though he is, I assume, US-based…)

Depending on what you are doing in NZ, I am not sure you will really need one, a bit of prior planning and informing accomodation in advance of route and expected arrival and you should be fine imo. You know, old school. If you are planning an unsupported week long trek then yes it would be good, otherwise, well I suppose it depends on your attitude to risk.

Might be the best option as its the NZ leg that I really need it for – but only a few days / section of my trip

One of the lads i used to work with if from that neck of the woods and does multi day enduro mx rides. Some of the stories of the weather and the environment (and the helicopter rides!) makes me think that a SPOT tracker for that bit would be a very, very good idea. Especially as he was riding ‘local’ trails.

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/nov/23/leg-amputated-tasmania-rafting-franklin-river

I read this story and wonder how the smart watch made the call…not sufficiently up on what a smart watch can do these days……..presumably his phone was nearby and it did the calling, triggered by the watch. And did the poor guy manually press something on the watch or did something about his movement (or lack of) initiate the call…

Whatever…..pretty grim story – trapped in the rapids for 20hrs and finally being freed minus your leg. Remarkable resilience though.

Another spot owner, but I went for annual sub to monthly recently and not had cause to trigger paying for a month (though there is an annual fee for having it in this dormant state). I’ve now gone to a RescueME plb1 for a daily carry on the surfski and inland WW or in the hills. Probably only flash the Spot up again when on multi days where its useful to be able send basic comms back home that every thing is fine…..or not. The ability to send non emergency service level ’emergency’ messages to friends in the are who could come and help me or a message back that says I’m find but running late on schedule so don’t panic messages is very useful.

Has anyone actually used one of the Smart Phone options? (just iPhone and Pixel options as far as I can tell)

I have an aging PLB, and a phone that got dropped badly, I really I just want something for single day runs, occasional overnight trips. Kinda feels like a basic in-phone option is a better choice if the risk of a dead battery is minimal.

Not sure I’d want to rely on random third party companies to monitor my emergency calls and act accordingly. At least SPOT and Garmin are well known in this area and have (apparently) good reputations.

I’d also not want to rely on phones. I also don’t rely on them for nav or pics in the hills. I know it’s probly a bit Grandad but I want to be able to navigate/photograph/talk/text without potentially compromising the other elements especially nav.

I’ve also no idea of how that man’s smartwatch called the cavalry but the whole thing reminded me if 127 hours… Imagine being battered by white water for 20hrs then having your leg lopped off… Grim indeed.

Well, some valid points.

Although I dont use my phone for nav, it’s just a phone and a camera, and phones are so good at dealing with water these days, a waterproof phone in a dry bag is nothing I’m concerned about.

And im certainly not replacing my PLB or buying a Spot tracker. I cant even remember the last time I bothered to pack it.

Might go take a look at how the software works and the data flows.

FWIW as I was planning to upgrade my Pixel 6 anyway, I considered the Pixel 9 Pro and having access to satellite comms was a potential benefit. However, it still requires a subscription (after a couple of months trial) and then there was still a question regarding the robustness of the phone.

I saved enough money by buying the Pixel 8 Pro instead that I could, should I wish, splash out on a subscription for the Spot I already own. I’d certainly be less worried about that coming to grief in a fall, river, etc. Not only is it a lot cheaper, it’s also built to take a bit more rough handling.

My other option is to buy an Inreach Mini with the money I saved on the phone.

Stupid question – does location sharing via satellite on an e.g. iPhone 16 cost? And if so, how much?

I got an InReach mini in 2021 and use it about two weeks a year. I pay an annual subscription of not much (I’d have to look it up) and then Garmin enables the monthly subscription to stopped and started at will.So I fire it up every year as required and then cancel it when back from my trip, just paying for the one month.

So far only used it for basic tracking sharing and a preset morning/evening message.

Stupid question – does location sharing via satellite on an e.g. iPhone 16 cost? And if so, how much?

I’m not entirely sure, it looks like they give you two years for free on an iPhone if it is an option on that model, and appears to be Apple software rather than 3rd party.

@Davy90

Garmin enables the monthly subscription to stopped and started at will.So I fire it up every year as required and then cancel it when back from my trip, just paying for the one month

Sadly, Garmin have discontinued that (the ‘Freedom plan’) for new activations and from the next annual renewal for existing plans. You can still deactivate when you’re not using it, but it’s £40 to re-activate it.

See https://www.garmin.com/en-GB/p/837461

You can also get subscriptions for using an Inreach from non-Garmin sources, such as https://www.protegear.de/en-gb which may be better value.