Spot On

by Christine Kling

For one who professes simplicity and a desire to de-clutter my life, I sure have been on a spending spree lately.  My boat splashed back into the water on Tuesday, and since then I have bought 125 feet of anchor chain, new sheets for the new (to me) used headsail, a replacement solar vent for my main hatch, and a portable 12V fan for the upcoming long hot days at my computer.  I've had repair work done to my dinghy and I've bought umpteen little bits, screws and washers.  Even before going into the yard, I bought a new VHF radio, fancy  replacement blades for my wind generator, and a new SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger.  But it's not that I've suddenly become this materialistic person.  Rather, there is a rule of thumb concerning what it costs to maintain a sailboat, which is supposedly 5-10% of the value of the boat.  I've owned TALESPINNER for six years now, and I haven't been anywhere near to that formula.  So what I'm doing is playing catch up.

Sometimes when I get new equipment, particularly if it is technology stuff, I admit I get a little cocky.  No problem, I say to myself.  I'll barely have to read the directions, and I'll be up and running in minutes.  Ha!  Not so with my new SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger – it took me an hour in the manual before I even figured out how to turn it on.

So what is this SPOT device?  The box tells you it "gives a line of communication with friends and family when and where you want it, and emergency assistance when and where you need it."  It isn't meant to replace a real EPIRB (emergency position-indicating radio beacons) but it does perform some of the same functions.  It struck me as a good cheap (however, I found out it is not so cheap) back-up plan now that my EPIRB is in its last year of battery life.  This little device can send emails or text messages to up to 10 different individuals, and it can call allow you to send an SOS distress call.  In addition, it permits you to set up a web page to show your current location as plotted on Google Maps.

My current location at Cooley's Landing Marina

It does this using GPS navigation and satellite communications so you can contact home from anywhere on the face of the earth. I figured that sounded like a pretty good deal, so I bought one at the rebate price of $99.00.

First of all, the documentation that comes with the device doesn't even show a picture of the buttons on the face of the thing until page 9.  They want you to get right in and sign up for that subscription.  I knew a subscription was necessary, but I didn't realize how much it was going to cost, and there was no information on the box to explain this.  Trying to select the subscription options before I really understood what the device was supposed to do made that task doubly difficult.  I finally had to read the 25 page manual cover to cover to figure out how to register, activate it and determine if the device had actually locked on to a GPS signal. This all seemed to take forever.  Their website for registration gave little more information and was glacially slow.  Then, whenever I changed my mind, it cleared the form and made me start again.

And it was certainly a little eery trying to figure out what to write in the messages labeled HELP that would be emailed and texted to my loved ones in the event I needed to push that button.  "Dear son, I'm treading water at the following position. . . "

So here are the options I signed up for and the prices for a one year subscription:

Everyone must subscribe to the SPOT Basic Service.  I added the Track Progress to get the Google Maps function for more than just the ten friends and family you can have on your list.  The GEOS Member is a sort of insurance against creating a false Search and Rescue and having the government ask you to pay for it.  I declined the Rescue benefit which means they will call Towboat US for you.  And, of course, there are taxes.  That is a pretty steep price once you factor in the $99.00 you paid up front.

Would I have bought the SPOT if I had realized what it was going to cost?  Probably.  I really like the idea of letting friends and family watch my sailing tracks on the map. That will make a great addition to my website — a new type of location-based social media.  Instead of playing Where's Waldo? you can play Where's Christine? and the answer will be SPOT on.

Fair winds,

Christine

 

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