Questions on using SPOT

[Mike05]

Does this sound right to you?

 

Turn the SPOT unit on:

 

You can bypass the 20 minute "warmup" by holding both the on/off & OK buttons down for several seconds simultaneously.

 

This means you can begin sending pre-programmed "OK" email messages right away by pressing down the "OK" button for just one second. Or, you hold the "OK" button down for several seconds (vs. just one second for emails) to send "bread crumbs" so folks can go to the SPOT website & see your route.

 

But you can't do both; it's either email mode or tracking mode.

 

Lastly, do you even have to press a button to send tracking info. or does it do that automatically? If I do have the SPOT on tracking mode, how can I send an email?

 

I know this is all over the place but I'm more then a little confused. Planning to use on an upcoming trip & would like to both show where I am & the route so the granddaughters can follow me on the computer as well as be able to send the "I'm OK" message home.

 

Have I got this even remotely correct?

[SageRider]

Bypassing the "warmup" will allow sending of OK or Help messages without a GPS fix. Tracking message will not be sent until GPS has acquired a fix.

 

To enter tracking mode, turn unit on, wait a few seconds, then press and hold the OK button until both ON and OK leds flash in unison.

 

Pressing either OK or Help while in tracking mode will send the OK/Help message and terminate tracking.

[Paul In Australia]

Hi

 

Pressing either OK or Help while in tracking mode will send the OK/Help message and terminate tracking.

 

Does the tracking then automatically turn back on, or do you have to reactivate?

regards

PCH

[smiller]

There is no 'bypass' function. The SPOT unit will send a message as soon as it has acquired a GPS fix, which could be within 15-30 seconds if the unit has been operated recently (has a current GPS ephemeris and has not moved more than a few hundred miles since its last fix) and as long as 20 minutes if the unit has not been operated for many weeks or has moved a significant distance since its last fix (even in this case typical acquisition will be considerably less than 20 minutes, probably less than half that, but just to be safe...)

 

If a fix cannot be obtained within x minutes (not sure what the exact value is) then the SPOT unit will send a help message (either canned 'Help' message or 911) without coordinates, and of course will continue to try to acquire a fix and transmit it when established. SPOT will not send a 'Check In' message without a GPS fix.

 

No email messages are sent while in tracking mode. Instead your locations are displayed on your SPOT personal web page.

 

Edit: If you terminate tracking mode with any other message then you will have to re-enable tracking mode after your message has been sent.

[SageRider]

Paul,

You would have to turn tracking back on.

[SageRider]

Smiller,

Per the SPOT FAQ, an OK message will be sent without a GPS fix. Only tracking messages will not be sent without a GPS fix.

I misread...

Help and 911 will send without fix. OK & Tracking will not.

[Nice n Easy Rider]

Bypassing the "warmup" will allow sending of OK or Help messages without a GPS fix. Tracking message will not be sent until GPS has acquired a fix.

 

To enter tracking mode, turn unit on, wait a few seconds (3-5) , then press and hold the OK button until OK LED light goes off (approx. 5 sec) (both ON and OK leds will then flash in unison).

 

Pressing either OK or Help while in tracking mode will send the OK/Help message and terminate tracking.

 

I've made a couple of modifications to SageRider's instructions based on my experience. Hope this helps.

[Mike05]

Thanks everyone; starting to make sense.

 

Couple more questions/clarifications:

 

So the tracking mode automatically sends out "bread crumbs", or a history of my route on a given day? How often does that happen? I gather I can't subjectively pick a moment in the route to send a marker.

 

If, say I want to send an email, I just hold down the "OK" button for a few seconds; that both sends the email & takes it out of automatic tracking mode. Turn it off, turn it back on & hold both buttons down & when they blink together I'm back in tracking mode.

 

That about right?

 

 

 

[smiller]

In tracking mode a message is sent every ten minutes. You will thus see a location update on the web page every ten minutes, unless a message is missed due to obstructions which can happen occasionially since in tracking mode a message is sent only once (vs. multiple times for the other modes.)

 

You have the 'I'm in tracking mode and I want to send an email' sequence correct, except when you turn the unit back on you hold down only the OK button for five seconds (not both buttons) to re-initiate tracking mode.

 

When you send the OK/Check-In message be sure to give the unit a few minutes to send the message before going back to tracking mode (should happen pretty quickly since the GPS data will be very current since you were just in tracking mode.) BTW the new GenII unit due out next month adds a 'Message Sent' light so you can know for sure precisely when the OK message is sent, but the current unit works fine if you just wait a few minutes.

 

[Nice n Easy Rider]

BTW the new GenII unit due out next month adds a 'Message Sent' light so you can know for sure precisely when the OK message is sent, but the current unit works fine if you just wait a few minutes.

I believe the new version that is coming out is also supposed to be 30% smaller which would make these units even nicer. I saw an ad saying they were going to have some sort of trade-in deal for existing owners as well.

[skinny_tom (aka boney)]

1: turn unit on.

2: hold okay button for 2- 3 second for okay message. Assign your phone to be texted when message goes through. If you're within cell range, you know when message is sent and can switch to tracking mode without waiting for full okay cycle.

3: hold okay button until okay light goes out. You're now in tracking mode which looks like okay mode but lasts for 24 hours. Lights flashing together is good. Light staying on longer than flash means you looked at it while it was trasmitting. Lights alternating means it doesn't have a sat location. To fix this STOP moving or continue out of the narrow canyon you're in. One or the other works- I know this because I've tested mine extensively.

 

You're better off ALWAYS using okay before going to tracking. The track is ALWAYS better at the beginning of the day's ride if you do. Don't expect every tracking signal to get through. Mount your unit face up on your bike where it isn't obstructed by stuff for best results. For worst results put it in your pocket or somewhere else where it won't stay pointing the right direction.

 

To stop tracking at the end of the day, turn it off. Turn it back on to send an okay. The spot apparently remebers it's last location, as the okay message sends much faster if you start in the morning where you stopped last night.

 

[Mike05]

 

Thanks again everybody; (finally! ) understand it enough to use it more efficiently.

 

I like having the SPOT along on solo riding days. Now I can both send Joyce the "OK" emails & she & the "little ladies" (granddaughters Sammie & Maisie, ages 6 & 9 - live next door) can track my route on the computer.