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Eddie, I did not have good luck with the Spot that I bought several years ago (the original orange one) and IIRC the costs then were as I stated. On one ride my wife called me in a panic. The conversation went like this.
Why have you been stopped for so long? Is everything OK? I've been worried.
What are you talking about I haven't stopped at all.
Where are you?
I'm on 52 just east of the 275 loop headed towards home.
Your Spot thingy shows you are stopped in Indiana and haven't moved for an hour.
Don't know what to tell you hon, I'm 15 mins from home, be there shortly.
Happened more than once. I'd call Spot Service and they'd tell me to put new batteries in the unit and go out on my back porch and let the satellites find me. 30 mins later the satellites still hadn't found me. So I cancelled the service (well asked not to re-up when my year was up) and sold the Spot Tracker. Now, I will say my buddy Jnor reports he has had no issues with his. Maybe I just got a bad one, but I wasn't the only one. Multiple complaints on the ST forum. Glad you have had no issues with yours. Maybe they have improved them as well.
I will of course be trying my FMF at the rally this year and cutting thru W Va to get there so we will see how it works.
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I've been researching the Spot and the Spot Gen3 has much better reviews than previous versions. They specifically mentioned improved battery life.
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I've been using an app called Glympse for sometime now which is useful as it tracks me so the wife knows when I've arrived to pick her up from work. Could just as easily be used for tracking while out on a ride.
It lets you decide how long it should share your location along with other features. I've been using the free version for awhile and it's pretty accurate.
Then again if you're out on a cross country trip a dedicated device like a Spot would give your family peace of mind.
Aloha,
Huladog
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(01-18-2016, 01:41 AM)Guth_imp Wrote: A word of caution...
Find My Friends is a very useful app, but the location information presented can sometimes be "just a bit off". A couple of years ago I ended up taking the CB1100 over to the coast where I was meeting my family and some friends for a weekend stay. My wife and son had headed out on a Friday morning and I left later that day after work.
My wife really liked having the ability to track my progress with the FMF app. However, at one point she ended up somewhat confused and a bit worried as the app showed me being quite a ways off the road and into the forest. When I arrived, I assured her that I had not experienced some horrific crash nor had I gone exploring any logging roads. I chuckled a bit at the thought of how I would have somehow gotten myself lodged deep into the woods. But I could understand her confusion and concern. It was a lesson learned for both of us.
It's my understanding that Apple has its own maps, different from Google maps. When Apple first started loading their maps onto their devices they were notoriously inaccurate. That was probably 10 years ago ? But I think that they have improved considerably. I have added Google maps to all my Apple devices and use them exclusively, but then that doesn't help with Apples FindMy whatever. Ferrets seems to be working well, i'm going to give it a try.
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In another thread I showed my APRS setup; using a ham radio (handy-talky Kenwood), along with a power amp to boost my signal so my wife can track me in the field. I think I'd go with an In-Reach if I had to do it over again.
But at least with APRS there are no subscription fees, but you do need a ham license. With line of sight to a receiving antenna (bounce will work in some cases, but I suspect canyon walls will be a deal beater) and a reliance on APRS receivers more spotty than cell towers coverage can be iffy. If I do Death Valley again this year I'll test it there. So far, in AZ the coverage is pretty good.
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My wife has a free phone ap "Life 360" she use to track my son when he is travelling. With all of the privacy issues, ... this is a for one's own family item. It would not be applicable for the forum to use outside of each's immediate family- not the forum's movement on a group trip. The spot item woud be more applicable for that.
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My wife and I use the 'find my iPhone' app often, works great....Can you imagine if Hillary would have had access to one of these to track Bill over the years?
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I'm with Blockhead, the 'find my iPhone' feature works great.
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It's surely a great app, Ferret. The best in fact. I put my phone on a delivery truck to a vegan health farm on the NSW north coast while I went to PI. Darling thought I was a good boy
Cheers
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(01-18-2016, 03:45 AM)Chapomis_imp Wrote: (01-18-2016, 01:41 AM)Guth_imp Wrote: A word of caution...
Find My Friends is a very useful app, but the location information presented can sometimes be "just a bit off". A couple of years ago I ended up taking the CB1100 over to the coast where I was meeting my family and some friends for a weekend stay. My wife and son had headed out on a Friday morning and I left later that day after work.
My wife really liked having the ability to track my progress with the FMF app. However, at one point she ended up somewhat confused and a bit worried as the app showed me being quite a ways off the road and into the forest. When I arrived, I assured her that I had not experienced some horrific crash nor had I gone exploring any logging roads. I chuckled a bit at the thought of how I would have somehow gotten myself lodged deep into the woods. But I could understand her confusion and concern. It was a lesson learned for both of us.
It's my understanding that Apple has its own maps, different from Google maps. When Apple first started loading their maps onto their devices they were notoriously inaccurate. That was probably 10 years ago ? But I think that they have improved considerably. I have added Google maps to all my Apple devices and use them exclusively, but then that doesn't help with Apples FindMy whatever. Ferrets seems to be working well, i'm going to give it a try.
Chapomis,
I'm not sure it's to do with the maps. Rather it has to do with the GPS signal, I think. When it first finds the phone it shows it being somewhere in the middle of quite a large area; as they 'talk' a little more the possible size of the area the phone is in contracts until it becomes pretty accurate.
