New SPOT Satellite Messenger - Improved - Second Generation


Drum roll, please.  TAH-DAH!  30% smaller.  30% lighter.  Better GPS reception.  Better user interface.  The new and improved SPOT Satellite Messenger has just been released at the Summer Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City.  They listened and made a great piece of gear even better.

One of the things that makes this job really difficult sometimes is knowing something and not being able to tell you about it.  Since it first hit the market I have been a fan of the concept of the SPOT device because it solved some critical back country or remote location communications problems for me and my readers, but until I got it in the field and tested it, I held off on a recommendation.

Regular readers will remember that I did thoroughly test it and got on the SPOT bandwagon early and enthusiastically for one very simple reason.  If you use it properly it works.

The first SPOT device performed well, but it had a few quirks in terms of user features that needed attention.  I will tell you that, unlike many manufacturers, not only were the SPOT guys receptive to feedback they actively sought it out from me.  I was happy to help.  Like I said, the bad thing about getting involved with product development is that you are bound by some pretty nasty non-disclosure agreements so you can't tell everybody about all the goodys that are on the drawing board and in the pipeline.  I guess that is a small price to pay for playing a part in the process that gets great gear into the hands of users.  This new unit will perform better, do a better job of telling you what is happening, be easier to use, waste less of your time while it does its job and occupy less space in your pack. 

I have said it before and I will say it again now. The SPOT Satellite Messenger is better than a cell phone, sat phone, FRS/GMRS radio, VHF radio, CB radio or EPIRB, and anybody that spends anytime in the backcountry needs to carry one.  Period. 

This new, second generation SPOT unit:
  • has an upgraded chipset for better GPS reception so position acquisition is faster and more accurate 
  • adds an LED indicator that shows when it gets a good GPS fix
  • is 30% smaller (3.7x2.6x1 inch) and 30% lighter (5.2 ounces)
  • has an enhanced antenna to improve communications performance in tree cover
  • has a Message Sent LED indicator so that we don't have to stare at it for 20 minutes to figure out that the message was sent
  • has idiot proof, anti-accidental discharge covers over the emergency SOS and HELP buttons 
  • has an additional pre-programmable message feature and button 
  • has a separate TRACKING button for the optional Tracking feature

I think that the SPOT unit is so important that I carry one myself and include them in the WEKs (Wilderness Emergency Kits) that I put together for friends, family and readers.  I can't give it a higher recommendation than that. 

Congratulations SPOT.  Well done.  Again.

Thanks.

Wade Nelson
Editor

Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.

Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.

Posted by Wade Nelson at Wednesday, July 22. 2009
Categories: Communications, Signaling
Tags: wilderness emergency signal wilderness communications device distress signal backcountry emegency signal survival equipment backcountry communications device
 

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