ELECTRONICS
test reports seem to indicate that it will perform as
advertised if the GPS has a clear view of the sky.
Unfortunately, SPOT won’t transmit anything unless
the GPS has acquired a position. The thinking is that an
alert that’s sent without a position serves no purpose,
which may have some validity, but not everyone agrees
with this supposition.
If you would like to have a way of keeping your friends
and family informed of your travels, SPOT might be just
the thing. It does include a method of sending a true
distress message, but it competes with the COSPAS-SARSAT system and uses a device that hasn’t been
designed for truly harsh environments. The corporate
service it alerts for true emergencies specializes in rescue
services, but the U.S. government, in cooperation with 30-
plus governments around the world, already has a well-tested and effective network in place that you can avail
yourself of at no charge. If you are considering a SPOT
Satellite Messenger for emergency use on board a vessel
at sea, an EPIRB would be a better choice, especially in
light of the gaps in coverage in many ocean areas.
SPOT does have the advantage of allowing you to send
preprogrammed, nonemergency messages, along with
your position, to friends and family. A PLB is strictly
limited to use in life-threatening situations, but if what
you need is a personal distress beacon, a PLB is probably
a better option.
The SPOT beacon currently retails for about $150, and
a basic annual subscription is $100. In four to five years,
you will have equaled the price of a PLB used with the
COSPAS-SARSAT system. The tracking option adds
another $50 to the annual subscription cost, and the
GEOS Search and Rescue Benefits insurance option is
about $8 for the first year and $50 for each additional year.
TracMe PLB
The TracMe Locator Beacon is inexpensive and quite
small, and it operates on Channel 1 of the Family Radio
Service (FRS). This is the unofficial national call-up
channel and one of several channels that low-power,
unlicensed walkie-talkies are authorized to use. Unlicensed
radios transmitting on FRS frequencies are limited to 500
milliwatts of power. Range for transmitters operating at
something close to maximum allowable power is often
Confidence On The Water
U.S. Coast Guard tested and certified
16181 Old US 41, Ft. Myers, FL 33912
