With the Spot Connect Today's smartphones provide a level of social connection far beyond what we imagined just a few years ago. But when you go beyond the reach of the grid, your smartphone needs the help of SPOT Connect to keep you in touch with friends, family, and emergency personnel. Simply pair your smartphone with SPOT Connect, and get connected to a global satellite network that lets you send messages and GPS coordinates from virtually anywhere on the planet. Update Twitter and Facebook. Send email and text messages. Request non-emergency help from professional service providers. And in the case of a critical emergency, send an SOS message requesting emergency assistance.
Going somewhere you don't have cell service? You can rent either the Spot 2 or the Spot Connect for your next adventure or hunt.
How to rent.
Spot 2 - Simple unit that can track you, get you help and get you emergency help.
Spot Connect- All the same as the Spot 2 plus, you can use to send text messages (but not receive)
Its simple
1) Read below for the differences in the 2.
2) Then pick the one you want.
3) email us for the date you want to see if available sales@SantanaOutdoors.com
4) sign agreement
5) then rent!
Its $60 per week. We ship you the unit, you use, then ship back when done. If you need more time, let us know in advance.
For your families peace of mind, the SPOT 2 Personal Satellite Messenger is perfect to stay in touch in those places with no cell service. Biking, canoeing, adventure racing, kayaks, sailing, rallies, and hang gliding as examples.
SPOT uses the GPS satellite network to acquire your current latitude and longitude coordinates, and then sends its location with a link to Google Maps that can be viewed by your designated friends and family. SPOT also lets you send pre-programmed messages via a commercial satellite network to any email or text message recipient you setup before you leave. SPOT can identify and relay your location and programmed messages from nearly anywhere in the world (see a coverage map
here).
SPOT is much more flexible than so-called Personal Locator Beacons, and works even when cell phone coverage is long-lost. See our video above, but note that is for an older model. This one we rent now is faster and smaller. From the trail or other adventure:
You can send a simple periodic
"Check in/OK" message to a list of SMS and email contacts at any time of your choosing.
You can have it automatically send
"Track progress" position updates every ten minutes that can be viewed on a map through any Web browser.
You can send a
"Help" message for less than life-threatening situations to a second list of SMS and email contacts, perhaps requesting them to contact you or send less urgent assistance.
You can send a
"Custom" message of whatever nature to keep friends and family at home abreast of your situation or just notify them there's been a change of plans.
And if your life is threatened, there's a
"911" feature that will call a Emergency Response Center. The GEOS International Emergency Response Center alerts the appropriate agencies worldwide – for example contacting 9-1-1 responders in North America and 1-1-2 responders in Europe. Once a distress message is activated on SPOT, emergency responders are notified which may include local police, highway patrol, the Coast Guard, our country’s embassy or consulate, or other emergency response or search and rescue teams – as well as notifying your emergency contact person(s) about the receipt of a distress signal.
The basic rescue service and optional tracking services are already registered with each unit so
those services are included with your rental. The services would cost you about $150 if you were to buy one, so consider that in your decision to rent-or-buy. There are no other fees or nothing else you need to buy when you rent from us, except for some lithium AAA batteries. Once rented, we walk you through the online setup to establish your messages, contact list and the page for auto tracking monitoring - it only takes a few minutes.
We think it's a great idea and nifty little device, but there are a couple of important considerations before you go out with it:
Since it works off of satellite signals, reception and transmission can be affected by terrain, heavy overhead foliage, and the then-location of satellites. Fall in a mine or cave, for example, and SPOT probably won't be much help. It will keep trying however. SPOT will not protect you from risky or stupid choices. To keep folks at home happy, you should send multiple OK messages a day AS THE PRACTICAL REALITY IS THAT WHILE NEARLY ALL MESSAGES WILL GO THRU EVERY TIME, "NEARLY" MEANS "NOT LIKELY 100%". SPOT is no substitute for careful planning, common sense, and a good map and compass.
It runs off of 3 AAA lithium batteries, that we don't supply - we want you to buy your own to make sure you have the best you want to buy. For most trips, one set is enough - it's relatively easy on battery juice.
If you push the 911 button just to see what happens (not so smart), or to be legitimately rescued (very wise), you are responsible for all related costs of that effort. There are various type of travel and evacuation insurances available if you want more protection against unexpected costs. One such company is GEOS; see
their "MediVac Plan"to learn more.
For more information, see
the manufacturer's web site, and we have compiled a series of articles on detailed pieces of its operation:
More Spot 2 info (Spot Connect half way down page)
The SPOT 2 Satellite GPS Messenger provides a vital line of communication with friends and family when you want it, and emergency assistance when you need it. Using 100% satellite technology, SPOT works virtually anywhere in the world, even where cell phones don’t – all with the push of a button.
SOS: Use this function In the event of a life threatening or other critical emergency to notify emergency services of your GPS location and that you need assistance. The GEOS International Emergency Response Center alerts the appropriate agencies worldwide – for example contacting 9-1-1 responders in North America and 1-1-2 responders in Europe.
Read more
HOW IT WORKS:
Once activated, SPOT will acquire its exact coordinates from the GPS network, and send that location along with a distress message to the GEOS International Emergency Response Center every five minutes until cancelled or until the batteries are depleted. The Emergency Response Center notifies the appropriate emergency responders based on your GPS location and personal information – which may include local police, highway patrol, the Coast Guard, our country’s embassy or consulate, or other emergency search and rescue teams – as well as notifying your emergency contacts about the receipt of a distress signal.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Even if SPOT cannot acquire its location from the GPS network it will still attempt to send a distress signal – without exact location – to GEOS, which will still notify your contacts of the signal and continue to monitor the network for further messages.
9-1-1 EMERGENCY SERVICES POWERED BY GEOS Search and Rescue
Help: In the event of a non-life threatening emergency, you can use this function to notify your personal contacts that you need assistance. Additional SPOT Assist services can be purchased and programmed to your Help button as well. When activated with SPOT Assist, the Help button will notify professional services either on the land or water. SPOT has partnered with national service providers to offer non-life threatening assistance.
Read more
HOW IT WORKS:
Once activated, SPOT acquires your location from the GPS network and routes it along with the HELP message through the SPOT satellite network every five minutes for one hour or until cancelled. Your contacts will receive an SMS text message including coordinates, or an email with a link to Google Maps™ showing your location.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Even if SPOT cannot acquire its location from the GPS network it will still attempt to send a HELP message – without exact location – to your personal contacts.
Check-in/OK: This feature allows you to let your friends and family know that all is OK with a pre-programmed message along with your GPS location. With a push of a button a message is sent via email or SMS to up to 10 pre-determined contacts and your waypoint is stored in your SPOT account for later reference. Your stored waypoints can be easily integrated into a SPOT Shared Page or SPOT Adventure account.
Read more
HOW IT WORKS:
Once you have activated your SPOT Messenger and set up your account, you can change your contacts and customize your message at any time. When you push the Check-in/OK button, you send one pre-programmed message to your contacts. Your contacts will receive an SMS text message including coordinates, or an email with a link to Google Maps™ showing your location.
Custom Message: This feature allows you to let your friends and family now receive a custom message along with your GPS location with a push of a button. Use this feature as a secondary OK message or transfer your personal help alert to this message function if you are using a SPOT Assist service on your Help button.
Read more
The Custom Message functions exactly like your Check-in/OK message You can also have access to your waypoints in your SPOT account so you can review your route at a later date. Or link your SPOT account to SPOT Adventures and save a map of your adventures using your SPOT waypoints, and enhance the story with photos and a blog.
HOW IT WORKS:
Once you have activated your SPOT Messenger and set up your account, you can change your contacts and customize your message at any time. When you push the Check-in/OK button, you send one pre-programmed message to your contacts. Your contacts will receive an SMS text message including coordinates, or an email with a link to Google Maps™ showing your location.
Track Progress: This feature allows you to send and save your location and allow contacts to track your progress in near real time using Google Maps. With your SPOT account you have the ability to set up a SPOT Shared Page which allows you to show your SPOT GPS locations to others on a Google Map.
Read more
HOW IT WORKS:
Once activated, SPOT acquires and sends your GPS coordinates to your SPOT account automatically every 10 minutes for 24 hours or until canceled. SPOT tracking must be reengaged to continue. Creating a SPOT Shared Page allows you to share your GPS route with your friends and family easily in near real time on the web through a personal link. You can make your Shared Page private or public. Your choice! Just share that url with your friends and family and they can easily track your adventures. You can also link your SPOT Messenger to SPOT Adventures, a social portal, where you can set up a profile and blog with others sharing their SPOT adventures.
Power: To turn SPOT on simply press and hold the ON/OFF button until the button blinks green. SPOT performs a self-diagnostic test. When power is ON, the button will blink green every 3 seconds. This is helpful for making SPOT more visible in the dark. To turn SPOT off, press and hold the ON/OFF button until the light stops blinking.
Self Test: SPOT performs a self-test when you initially turn on your SPOT. If all visible lights flash red, the SPOT self-test has found a failure, and SPOT will not send a message. If the On/Off light, GPS light and Message Sending light all blink red, SPOT has a GPS failure, but SPOT may still be able to transmit an SOS or HELP message without your GPS location.
Visit www.spotwarranty.com.
SPOT Message Schedule: SPOT is designed to provide outstanding quality and reliability. With a perfect view of the entire sky, the SPOT Messenger is designed to transmit virtually every message. In everyday conditions, the view of the sky is often blocked due to hills, buildings, or other obstructions so it is normal for some messages to be blocked. That is why the SPOT Messenger automatically sends multiple messages in every mode, giving you excellent overall reliability. In some modes this means multiple attempts to send the same message, while in other modes it means regularly updating GPS coordinates and sending a new message. Placement of your SPOT unit can make a difference. Experiment with placement until you are familiar with the reliability of your operating environment.
Today's smartphones provide a level of social connection far beyond what we imagined just a few years ago. But when you go beyond the reach of the grid, your smartphone needs the help of SPOT Connect to keep you in touch with friends, family, and emergency personnel. Simply pair your smartphone with SPOT Connect, and get connected to a global satellite network that lets you send messages and GPS coordinates from virtually anywhere on the planet. Update Twitter and Facebook. Send email and text messages. Request non-emergency help from professional service providers. And in the case of a critical emergency, send an SOS message requesting emergency assistance.
SOS: Activate the SOS mode to begin sending your GPS location to the GEOS International Emergency Response Coordination Center (IERCC). Add a custom message to update responders of your condition. The IERCC alerts the appropriate agencies worldwide – for example contacting 9-1-1 responders in North America and 1-1-2 responders in Europe.
Read more
HOW IT WORKS:
In critical and life threatening emergencies, send an SOS message for help. You can send an SOS alert by selecting SOS in the SPOT Connect App and if you choose, even provide additional information by sending a custom Type & Send SOS message. In addition, SPOT Connect has an on device SOS button for standalone emergency operation. Once activated, SPOT Connect will acquire its GPS coordinates from the GPS network, and send that location with your SOS message to the IERCC every 5 minutes until cancelled or until the batteries are depleted. The Emergency Response Center notifies the appropriate emergency responders based on your GPS location and personal information – which may include local police, highway patrol, US Coast Guard, our country's embassy or consulate, or other emergency search and rescue teams – as well as notifying your emergency contacts about the receipt of a distress signal.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Even if SPOT cannot acquire its location from the GPS network it will still attempt to send a distress signal – without exact location – to GEOS, which will still notify your contacts of the signal and continue to monitor the network for further messages.
9-1-1 EMERGENCY SERVICES POWERED BY GEOS Search and Rescue
Help: Use the Help mode to send either custom Type & Send or Predefined messages to recipients in your contact list for non-life threatening assistance.
Read more
HOW IT WORKS:
In order for Help to transmit appropriately, you must set up your Predefined messages and Contact list. Configure up to 14 Predefined messages of up to 120 characters each to choose from or custom type up to 41 character Type & Send messages on the go. Choose from up to 10 Contact Groups to send a Help message. Each Contact Group can have up to 50 email or SMS addresses. Once Help is activated, SPOT acquires your location from the GPS network and routes it along with the Help message you choose through the SPOT satellite network every 5 minutes for 1 hour or until cancelled. Your contacts will receive an SMS text message including coordinates, or an email with a link to Google Maps™ showing your location.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Even if SPOT cannot acquire its location from the GPS network, it will still attempt to send a HELP message – without exact location – to your personal contacts.
Check-in/OK: Use Check-in/OK mode to send your messages and your location to friends and family. These messages can also be simultaneously sent to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. Your waypoint is stored in your SPOT account for later reference. Your stored waypoints can be easily integrated into a SPOT Shared Page or SPOT Adventures account.
Read more
HOW IT WORKS:
In order for Check-in/OK to transmit appropriately, you must set up your Predefined messages and Contact list. Configure up to 14 Predefined messages of up to 120 characters each to choose from or custom type up to 41 character Type & Send messages on the go. Choose from up to 10 Contact Groups to send a Check-in/OK message. Each Contact Group can have up to 50 email or SMS addresses. Once Check-in/OK is activated, SPOT acquires your location from the GPS network and routes it along with the Check-in/OK message you choose through the SPOT satellite network 3 times over 20 minutes (or until canceled) for maximum reliability (only one email or SMS/text message will actually be sent to your contacts). If SPOT cannot get a GPS signal, it will not send your Check-in/OK message. Your contacts will receive an SMS text message including coordinates, or an email with a link to Google Maps™ showing your location.
Track Progress: Start/stop tracking at any time using the SPOT Connect App. (Additional service required). You can also mark a Reference Point or send Check-in/OK messages from specific locations while in Track Progress mode.
Read more
HOW IT WORKS:
Once activated, SPOT acquires and sends your GPS coordinates to your SPOT account and, if you choose, Shared Pages and SPOT Adventures Live Maps, automatically every 10 minutes for 24 hours or until canceled. Track Progress must be reengaged to continue beyond a 24 hour tracking session. Creating a SPOT Shared Page allows you to share your GPS route with your friends and family easily in near real time on the web through a personal link. You can make your Shared Page private or public. Your choice! Just share that URL with your friends and family and they can easily track your adventures. You can also link your SPOT Messenger to SPOT Adventures, a social portal, where you can set up a profile and blog with others sharing their SPOT Adventures. On SPOT Adventures, your Shared Pages can stream in a Live Map widget that you can use on your own personal or event sites.
Type & Send: Use SPOT Connect to send custom email and text messages via satellites to your contacts. Create up to 41 character SOS, Help and Check-in/OK messages. Messages will be sent directly to the contact groups you select via email or SMS. You can even post custom messages on Twitter and Facebook. If you encounter problems, you can send custom SOS messages describing your situation, with your GPS position included.
Read more
Important Note:
Type & Send Messaging is available in two different ways. For an economical option, you may purchase a bundle of either 500 or 100 messages. If you are not sure of your usage, you can just be charged for every individual message that you send. If choosing a bundle, you will also be able to put the bundle on auto-renew so you never are without the reduced text charges the bundle has to offer. This bundle will only auto renew when your account runs out of messages. There is a 10 message buffer so you never run out of messages. These bundles are an annual plan. If you chose auto renewal, and run out of message before your renewal date, your bundle will auto renew when you get down to those 10 messages. If you don't use all your message before your renewal date, you end up losing those messages as they don't roll over.
You can have more than one Type & Send bundle per device, but only one of them will auto renew. This you will see selectable in your account. Currently, we are giving 5 Type & Send messages FREE when you activate a Basic Service plan. Then, select a Type & Send Message option best for you. This allows you to try this service on us for 5 messages.
Type & Send Message Cost Structure - When you send a Type & Send Message, you are sending one message to a Contact Group. Whether you have one person or 50 people in that contact group, you are only charged for one message. SPOT provides the delivery of the message to each contact in the group for one message fee. For more detail on Type & Send, see here.
Social Networks: Don't lose the connection to your social networks when you venture off the cellular grid. SPOT Connect with the basic service package enables you to send Predefined messages to your favorite social destinations. The Type & Send function allows you to create short custom messages in the field, which you can send to social destinations or specific contacts via email or text message.
Read more
HOW IT WORKS:
Once activated, log into your SPOT account and click the Share tab. Under Other Sharing Sites, you can choose which Social Networking site you would like to link to your account. Updates are sent when the Check-in/OK button is pressed. Post a Check-in/OK message to your Facebook or Twitter page when out of cell range and automatically include a map link to your location.
- Send messages from virtually anywhere via satellite
- Type & Send message (41 character) or Predefined message (120 character) options*
- Track Progress on Google Maps™ or SPOT Adventures page*
- Integrates with SPOTadventures.com and popular social destinations
- Smartphone app for operation and detailed status
- On device SOS button for standalone emergency operation
*Additional charges apply for Type & Send and Track Progress service plans.
*"Made for iPod" and "Made for iPhone" mean that an electronic accessory has been designed to connect specifically to iPod or iPhone respectively, and has been certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards. Apple is not responsible for the operation of this device or its compliance with safety and regulatory standards. Please note that the use of this accessory with iPod or iPhone may affect wireless performance. iPhone and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the US and other countries. Android is a trademark of Google Inc. Use of this trademark is subject to Google Permissions.
