Woof! Was the first thing I thought of when I heard about "SPOT."  Strange name for an interesting device. A fellow forum member (on a specialized R1200R forum) used it for documenting his 2 week trip across the US, and it piqued my interest, so I started looking at what it could do.

SPOT is a personal satellite tracking/messaging system. While not specifically targeted at motorcyclists - it appeared to be a good match to our needs nonetheless. I thought how useful this device would have been when I recently took a weeks trip looking for a straight road in West Virginia (I didn't find one, but I did find there is very limited cell phone coverage in WV, a blessing in my opinion, no cell-phone distracted drivers!)

A bit of background on satellite tracking systems:

Most currently used tracking devices rely on one (or both) of two location techniques. GPS locating (where the device has a built-in GPS receiver, that locates the device and broadcasts that information) or signal triangulation, where the device broadcasts a signal, and multiple receivers are used to triangulate the devices position. Some tracking devices use both techniques (newer GPS enabled cell-phones can use both.) Satellite tracking systems now generally use both. All the devices have a unique ID code of some sorts embedded in the broadcast signal, allowing identification of the device (and in most cases, identification of the owner/user of the device.) Here are ones I've seen mentioned or used with motorcycles:

Star-Traxx:  "Star-Traxx" (https://star-traxx.com/) was used on some bikes in several Iron Butt events to provide real-time on-line tracking of the bikes.  Star-Traxx is a professional level tracking device, without some of the ease of communications features that SPOT offers.  The Star-Traxx device is somewhat bulky and requires 12V power to operate. It's normally hard-fastened to the motorcycle, and wired into the bikes electrical system.  Star-Traxx uses an internal GPS receiver for position locating.

While there is the possibility to use Star-Traxx for "messaging" (Send help!) - It requires programming on the part of the user and an optional plug-in harness for the controls used to trigger the messaging. Star-Traxx provides information including position/time and speed. The Star-Traxx website allows sharing this information with people by using a login/password scheme.  Interestingly enough, the Star-Traxx website has a direct link to the "SPOT" website.

PLBs: are "Personal Locating Beacons." PLB's are devices with a single purpose, emergency rescue calls. They have an internal GPS receiver that serves to locate the device, and a transmitter for the emergency message. The monitoring system is run by NOAA (the weather people in the US) and a network of dedicated "SAR" (Search and Rescue) satellites called the COSPAS-SARSAT network...

Costs of a PLB transmitting device range from $400-700, and there is no annual fee for use. Lots of good information on PLBs at: http://www.gizmag.com/the-plb--risk-mitigation-for-adventurous-people/9154/   Since they are only used for sending emergency messages, their use on a motorcycle is a bit limited.

EPIRBs: Some motorcyclists have also used EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon). The EPIRBs primary use is centered around nautical search and recovery use. EPIRBs are usually somewhat expensive ($200-$1,500) (http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/marcomms/gmdss/epirb.htm) and designed to send a signal automatically if triggered (typically by the launching of a lifeboat or inflation of an emergency raft.)  They can also be manually triggered.

The techniques used for geo-location of the EPIRB when triggered are very similar to how PLBs, Star-Traxx and SPOT work. The more recent EPIRB's contain a GPS receiver that can locate where the device is - and the EPIRB can transmit this information to a satellite, which is then down signaled to the Coast Guard (who are the primary response for EPIRB signals.) If the EPIRB can't get a GPS fix - triangulation is used from multiple satellites to locate the EPRIBs position.

More information on how EPRIB systems work and what they are used for can be found at: http://www.sarsat.noaa.gov/.  What the EPIRB doesn't offer is the messaging features of SPOT - and those are what make it unique and useful for a motorcyclist.

SPOT is different. It's a handheld size device with 4 buttons on it. The 4 buttons are the clue to the simplicity of using SPOT and that it's more than simply an emergency locating device.  Here is what the website says about it (http://findmespot.com/Home.aspx):

SPOT. THE WORLD'S FIRST SATELLITE MESSENGER.

With the SPOT Satellite Messenger, you and your loved ones have peace of mind knowing help is always within reach. SPOT is the only device of its kind, using the GPS satellite network to acquire its coordinates, and then sending its location - with a link to Google Maps^TM - and a pre-programmed message via a commercial satellite network. And unlike Personal Locator Beacons, SPOT does more than just call for help. Tracking your progress, checking in with loved ones, and non-emergency assistance are also available, all at the push of a button. And because it uses 100% satellite technology, SPOT works around the world - even where cell phones don't.

What SPOT Does:

SPOT offers four functions which have been found to be useful to motorcyclists:

• I'm OK messaging
  
• Position Tracking
  
• HELP!
• 911 Emergency Signaling.

I'll cover each of these.

I'm OK messaging: The SPOT owner, using the SPOT website, pre-designates people who will receive a message when the OK function is triggered. The message is made up by the owner using the SPOT website interface, and is sent via Email and/or SMS texting to the designated people. Use could include telling people at home that you've reached a destination safely, even if there isn't cell phone coverage at the destination.  

The "OK" messaging function is included in the basic yearly SPOT subscription program.  An example of an OK message might be "I'm at this location. Everything is OK. You can click on the link to see where I am" (and a link to SPOTS guest website would be attached or the GPS coordinates for SMS texting.) If the user clicked on the link, they'd be taken to the website and a Google Maps view of where the message was sent from.

Position Tracking: This is an optional service (AKA SPOTcastingSM)  costing $49.99 a year.  If the user selects this option, the device can be setup to broadcast its position every 10 minutes. The information is captured by the SPOT satellites, transferred to their computers, and can be accessed by the user, or designated guests, and visualized on Google Maps/Google Earth.  

What's it good for? Aside from being used to keep the home-front advised of your trip, it's a great tool to view where you've been, and put together a slide show of the great places you've ridden. It's very effective in evoking ride-jealousy® in people who didn't go with you.  The user can access position reports for up to 30 days using the web interface. Guests can only see the last 24 hours of position tracking.

Using the web interface, each of the "Track" markers above can be clicked on, and the time it was sent and exact GPS coordinates are shown. You can also use all the other Google maps features such as zoom, or showing the terrain, street or satellite view.

HELP! Function: The idea behind the "HELP" button is to send a message the user wrote to a group of people designated by the user. The messages are sent via Email and/or SMS messaging to SMS capable cell phone accounts. The message includes the GPS coordinates for SMS messages, or a link to Google Maps with the position that it was sent from for email messages. SPOT sends the message at 5 minute intervals until it is cancelled.  The user must create the message using the SPOT website and their account, so it's not changeable on the fly.  

An example message might be "HELP! Bike broken, I'm OK, please call towing service to pick the bike up" Unlimited use of HELP is included in the basic SPOT yearly plan.

Alert 9-1-1 Emergency Signaling: In my opinion, this is the most valuable use for SPOT.  The SPOT moto is "Live to tell about it" - and that's the reason for the Alert 9-1-1 function. As many motorcyclists have found - some areas we ride in have poor to non-existent cell phone coverage. Most of the time that's merely an inconvenience, but sometimes it could cost a life.  

SPOT "Alert 9-1-1" when triggered, contacts the GEOS International Emergency Response Center - who in turn, contacts the emergency responders in the area the signal was sent from, giving them your location. The local emergency responders contacted may be the police, rescue squad or search-and-rescue teams. SPOT will continue to send the emergency signal every 5 minutes until cancelled. The Alert 9-1-1 service is included in the base yearly subscription package.  More information on the GEOS service can be found at: http://www.geosalliance.com/sar/.

Optional GEOS offering: GEOS also offers insurance, up to $100,000 yearly ($50,000 max per incident), to cover the cost of the emergency responder charges. This can be purchased when you register SPOT for $7.95 a year.

Note that this insurance is not comparable to the MedJet insurance offered at a discount by the BMW-MOA. MedJet insurance includes coverage for transportation of you and your bike to your home area in the event of an accident, along with insurance for medical services required during the transport. GEOS does offer this as an additional optional service -  called GEOS Pegasus - at prices commensurate with the service level and coverage selected (roughly $150-$360).

Coverage: The SPOT website shows a map of the world with most of the land mass covered as areas where SPOT will work:

SPOT doesn't guarantee 100% reliability. The ability of SPOT to get a message through relies on coverage by a satellite. It will communicate with as few as a single satellite, but these is an extensive network of satellites in orbit owned by the parent company of SPOT (a global satellite communications company - Globalstar Inc.)  SPOT does claim over 99% reliability for HELP! And 911 messages.

SPOT broadcasts redundent messages when sending out OK, HELP or 911 messages. In the case of HELP and 911 messages - a message is sent every 5 minutes  and SPOT won't stop sending a 911 or HELP! message until the user cancels the message. OK messages are sent 3 times, repeated at 10 minute intervals. Once the first OK message is received by the satellites, subsequent ones are ignored.

Since SPOTs communications to the satellites is one-way (to them) the actual SPOT device has no means to confirm the message it sent was received, so redundancy is used instead to improve reliability.

Reliability on Tracking mode is sometimes a problem with missed location points if the user is in an area where foliage blocks the signal. Generally if you can receive a decent GPS signal - the SPOT signal should make it to the satellites. Tracking mode messages are only sent once.

So the question probably arises - nice toy, has it actually been useful?  In following a SPOT discussion on the BMW-MOA "Gear" forum, the following message appeared:

From Doug Prinz, of El Dorado Hills CA, on 07/04/2008:

My SPOT paid for itself many times today.

The short version: Yesterday our group of dual-sport motorcyclists was riding on Soda Springs Rd, a remote, dirt road west of Truckee, when one of our riders went down hard in some rocks. He was obviously seriously hurt so I hit the 911 Button. The GEOS Response Center alerted local authorities and a helicopter and ambulance were dispatched. There was no place for a helicopter to land - we loaded him into an ambulance about 45 minutes after I pushed the button. He is currently recovering in the hospital with 9 broken ribs and a punctured lung.

During this time the GEOS Response Center made every effort to keep in touch with the local authorities and relay information to my wife.

__________________
Doug Printz
El Dorado Hills, California

I contacted Doug to get a bit more information on the incident and found that SPOT GEOS service was instrumental in dispatch of the helicopter, and the GEOS people also contacted Doug's wife (the designated emergency contact) and kept her informed of what was happening. This was worrying to his wife since the GEOS people didn't know who was injured. While that's regrettable, the basic function worked and worked as a potential lifesaver.

COSTS and CONTACT INFORMATION:

The SPOT unit retails for $150. It can be found at some of the larger sports equipment stores for slightly less. The basic unit is useless until you register it and purchase services for it.

Basic SPOT service, which includes Alert 9-1-1 service, OK-Service and HELP-Service is $99.99/year for unlimited use.

Tracking Service, for 1 year of unlimited use is $49.99/year. This is a great feature to share your trips, with other motorcyclists or your friends and family, and it's just plain fun since it's linked to Google maps.

911 Responder Insurance - one year of coverage, max of $100,000/year, $50,000/incident, $7.95.

http://www.findmespot.com

Conclusion: SPOT 9-1-1 service is something you hope to never need to use. As Doug showed, if you do need to use it - it can be a lifesaver, especially if you tend to motorcycle where people are sparse and cell phone coverage non-existent. The base subscription cost of $99/year might be the least expensive safety item you can buy for yourself, and the use isn't restricted to the bike. The SPOT unit operates off two AA Lithium batteries, with impressive life in all modes (up to 2 weeks continuous tracking mode use per set of batteries.)

So far - what I've seen, I'm impressed. Recommended!