Review and explanation to follow, but you can track my position live at:

http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0khDBl06vLvPhKKUllcW9qPWKVDGzQGEH

The unit was turned on as I flew out of adelaide.  Seems to work on a plane as long as you push it up against the window.  As I post this I am in San Fran about to head to Denver.  

Cool technology.

SPOT (Gen3) device description. Review will follow later once I get to test all the features (in the next 2 weeks).

Disclaimer: although I work for a GPS type company, I have no affiliation with the manufacturer or distributor of this device. I paid retail price for the hardware and subscriptions, and I am not being sponsored or paid to endorse it.

SPOT is a small GPS tracking and emergency responder (like EPIRB). It could easily be mounted on a motorbike or placed in a rider backpack for use on a road trip, especially through remote areas. From mid-February it will be used by John Stockwell on his solo ride around Australia to raise awareness for Parkinson's disease. The public will be able to track his progress (real time) so they can join him for part of his ride, and it also offers some peace of mind that, with the push of a button, he can raise an emergency alarm (RFDS) in a remote area without the need for phone coverage. SPOT has global coverage (except part of India and Africa?) and it works solely on satellite technology, not mobile phone network, wifi, or Bluetooth. Think of it like a pager version of a sat phone.

Basic specs:
- $200 hardware cost for the unit - through local store. Plus $180-$250 for an annual subscription service - online with credit card.
- slightly smaller than a typical handheld GPS (Eg, Garmin).
- runs on 4 x AAA batteries. Low power usage. Can also be powered (not charged) from a USB line cable.
- water proof.
- uses GPS satellites to calculate the position, and uses communication satellites to relay the information. Does not use or rely on mobile phone signal.
- Works anywhere outside with a clear view of the sky. Mount on your bike or backpack under fabric or plastic, but not metal.
- one way information device. You can only broadcast your position and some predefined messages. You cannot receive information on the device.
- it uses 6 status LED's, it does not have a display.

5 key functions controlled by 5 buttons (1 for each):

1. Live tracking. The unit can be configured to transmit the position between every 2-60 minutes. The data can be stored to access later, or broadcast as a live breadcrumb map via a password protected website, or broadcast via a public website. The website stores the positions for 7 days. A free third party website will host it for 28 days if 7 is not enough. It can also be downloaded and saved. The website map is an interactive layer on a google map. It is also compatible with Facebook and Twitter. To save battery the unit has a movement sensor so it automatically shuts off and doesn't transmit when you are stationary for an extended period.

2. OK - All is well. Press the OK button and your predefined list of family/friends will receive an automated email (or SMS) giving an update on your position and letting them know you are OK. For example, if you were riding across the Nullarbor and decided to set up camp on the side of the road, you can press the OK button before bunking down to let family/friends know that the reason for your stop in a remote place was by personal choice, not emergency or breakdown.

3. Custom. Press the custom message button and your predefined list of custom recipients will get an automated email/SMS with your position, and your predefined message. For example, you could set up the custom button to call for mechanical assistance: "I need mechanical assistance or extraction, please bring some tools, spares and a trailer/ute to my location".

4. Help. Press the help button and your predefined list of "helpers" will be notified by email/SMS that you are not in a life threatening situation, but you need their urgent assistance. The email will include your GPS location and link to a map to see where you are. You could set this up with a specific meaning, for example: "I need basic assistance in the form of fuel or physical assistance, please come to my aid".

5. SOS. Press the SOS button to notify emergency services of a life threatening situation. In Australia this message effectively goes to the ambulance and RFDS I believe, via a 3rd party (global) monitoring company. One press of the button is the same as dialling 000 on a sat phone, asking for an ambulance and giving your exact location. It is a global service, your position determines which emergency responder it is allocated to. If you are off the coast of California it will go to the US coast guard, Nullarbor plain will go to Royal Flying Doctor Service, etc. An additional $20/yr gets you a $100,000 insurance policy to cover bills from the emergency service provider.


SPOT Gen3 homepage:
http://au.findmespot.com/en/index.php?cid=100

Example of motorcycle rider being saved by SOS function:
http://au.findmespot.com/en/spotemergency/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=115:spot-rescue-alert-outside-of-cell-phone-range-man-uses-his-spot-satellite-gps-messenger-to-summon-emergency-assistance-for-his-elderly-father-on-a-remote-canadian-highway&catid=55:spot-saves&Itemid=31

Yeah mate , pretty cool .

Fair point BoB. I wouldn't be using this for a regular ride, but if I was riding in remote areas by myself the SOS function would give peace of mind. I also plan to use it for a goat cull I do each year in a very remote national park (Gawler Ranges). There's no phone coverage or even radio coverage, get bitten by a snake, bust an ankle or get lost and you are good as dead.

Looks to me like you,re in a country of golf clubs ? That,s all I can see . And you tell the missus you,re there working ........ Don,t know whether this tracking device is real good for you at the moment Darke .

I now see what you are looking at. There's a golf course across the road from my mates house where I am staying. Went for a ride on his V-rod today, to see the HD dealer on I25.

That's correct Pauly. I will be trying that sometime in the next 2 weeks.

Been on the move a bit today?

Went skiing at Eldora today, just west of Boulder. Go to downtown Denver shortly for the start of a 3 day conference. I'll probably turn it off since I won't even be going outside for those few days.

it might be ok to hide on the bike and activate it when parked in a less than desirable area.

I have an EPIRB in my boat because I go fishing by myself and I used to carry one when I went riding on the dirt bike because I where I was only I really knew and if I crashed and burned (or sank) then I needed some way of calling for help but on a road bike, ridden on tar roads (as most HDs are) it seems like over kill.

As for the SPOT they're interesting technology but they're not a substitute for an EPIRB or a PLB and I see them more as a locating device with short message capability rather than a rescue device.