Just flew Animas to Mineral to Angel Point to Animas and it made all my 10 minute check-ins except for 2. 20 succesfully sent.

My experience has usually been better, but I'm satisfied with the number getting through.

-Brad

PP
Yes it's been doing it frequently. I turn it on get a blinking lite. Then I push and hold the OK button count to 5. Get the on & OK lite blinking at the same time & watch them to see I get them blinking at least 2-3 times. As my flight progresses I check and find just the on lite blinking.

Glidergeek wrote:PP
Yes it's been doing it frequently. I turn it on get a blinking lite. Then I push and hold the OK button count to 5. Get the on & OK lite blinking at the same time & watch them to see I get them blinking at least 2-3 times. As my flight progresses I check and find just the on lite blinking.

When you hold the OK button and count to 5 do you then release the button? If so you will still get the blinking lights but the unit will be sending an OK message (unless you counted really slow). If you hold down the OK button and wait until the light above it starts blinking before releasing it then it will be in track mode. The blinking lights look exactly the same when it is sending an OK message as it does when it is in track mode. If it is sending an OK message the OK light will stop blinking after 20 minutes when it is done sending your message and the 2 back-up OK messages. If you entered track mode and don't press any other buttons it should stay on for 24 hours.

Send me a PM or give me a call if you still have questions.

Rob Hunter
www.PreparedPilot.com
801-455-5271

Prepared Pilot wrote:

Glidergeek wrote:PP
Yes it's been doing it frequently. I turn it on get a blinking lite. Then I push and hold the OK button count to 5. Get the on & OK lite blinking at the same time & watch them to see I get them blinking at least 2-3 times. As my flight progresses I check and find just the on lite blinking.

When you hold the OK button and count to 5 do you then release the button? If so you will still get the blinking lights but the unit will be sending an OK message (unless you counted really slow). If you hold down the OK button and wait until the light above it starts blinking before releasing it then it will be in track mode. The blinking lights look exactly the same when it is sending an OK message as it does when it is in track mode. If it is sending an OK message the OK light will stop blinking after 20 minutes when it is done sending your message and the 2 back-up OK messages. If you entered track mode and don't press any other buttons it should stay on for 24 hours.

Send me a PM or give me a call if you still have questions.

Rob Hunter
www.PreparedPilot.com
801-455-5271

If I want to track I hold the OK button down for a slow count of 15. When I do that I always get tracking with no problem.
In addition turn on your SPOT before doing preflight the unit needs 20 min of time in the place you are going to place it during flight to lock in with the satellite. I usually do the 15 count at run up just before calling the tower for TO.

Glidergeek wrote:Been using mine in a C-180 I tried it clipped up on the Rosens like somebody recommended it keeps shutting off the tracking mode. Tried it up on the dash as far forward as I can get it logo up It keeps shutting off of the tracking mode again no matter which direction I'm going. Defective?

The unit failed again Sunday and I called Spot customer service. After being put on and off hold about 2-3 times was told to try it again and give a call back again if I have anymore problems. I left it on all day in my pickup on the dash and it hit every 10 minutes. Fixed?

Glidergeek wrote:The unit failed again Sunday and I called Spot customer service. After being put on and off hold about 2-3 times was told to try it again and give a call back again if I have anymore problems. I left it on all day in my pickup on the dash and it hit every 10 minutes. Fixed?

What ever SPOT customer service advised you to do it sounds like it worked.

To give your self more confidence that it will work when you need it try taking it outside and pressing the help button. Not the 911 button which calls the authorities but the help button which contacts your friends. To keep from bothering them you can go to the website and take them off your notification list temporarily and just have the help messages go to your email. Leave it outside for a day and see how many of the messages get through. You can experiment with different locations such as a place with a full view of the sky or next to an object which will block half of the sky. I did this test with mine when I first got it and left it on the ground on each side of my house for several hours. With the SPOT up against the walls of my house it had a view of much less than half of the sky because of the eaves of the house, the neighboring houses and terrain but still the majority of the messages got through. If I recall correctly the longest time between help messages was about 20 minutes which would mean it failed at sending the message three times in a row. When I placed the SPOT in a more open area of the back yard it performed much better and rarely missed one of the 5 minute help messages.

Sure I would rather have my help or 911 message go out immediately but when thinking about the hours it usually takes to do a back country rescue adding another 20 minutes would not make much difference. Still I would recommend finding the most open area possible to place your SPOT when trying to send a message.

The first time I used it, I was sitting in my friends living room. I was surprised to see that it send me a text message 1 min and 12 sec. later! We jumped on google maps and found that it showed us right at his house by the living room window. Very cool!

For the record: The window had blinds on it that were partially opened and was an East facing window. The Wasatch mountains were not too far away, so there was plenty of blockage. It still worked though. In the air, it works best if I power it up before takeoff, set it up facing the south and then when ready for takeoff, set it back down where I keep it during flight. I don't use tracking, but when I do "check in", it marks my location 99% of the time. Pretty useful for that feature alone.

58Skylane wrote:
I keep my SPOT up on the glare shield too, but to the very left or very right depending which direction I'm flying.

My spot worked perfectly again on my trip from Victorville, CA to, well Elko, NV. (Didn't make it to Caldwell, today )