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02-01-08, 09:59 PM
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Of interest to anyone participating in outdoor activities in remote locations...
gadgets/the mossberg solution/the wall street jr. yesterday.
Phoning Home Without a Phone
Simple Device Alerts Emergency Contacts From Remote Areas
On a chilly day, most folks find it tough to open the front door to retrieve the newspaper — much less climb a 15,000-foot mountain. But plenty of people court danger by rappelling down canyons and camping, hiking or biking in remote woodlands. This week, I tested a device that will give thrill seekers a little extra insurance: It lets the folks back home track their progress, and learn when they’re OK or when they’re in trouble.
When activated, the $170 SPOT Satellite Messenger from SPOT Inc., the Milpitas, Calif., unit of Globalstar Inc., emits a signal to GPS satellites, which notify SPOT’s messaging service. The service then sends a message to friends, family or emergency rescue teams about your current status. Because it uses GPS technology, the SPOT will work even when you’re far from cellphone signal range and anywhere in the world.
I tested SPOT in my Washington, D.C., neighborhood (city parks still count as outdoorsy) and on a trip across the California desert and mountains on the way to a conference — though I was scaling mountains in an air-conditioned SUV rather than in a rock-climbing harness.
SPOT
In my tests, SPOT worked without a problem. Notifications from the device were delivered to my friends via email and text message and included my current latitude and longitude. The service also sent along canned messages that I set up in advance on the company’s Web site at www.findmespot.com and hyperlinks to Google Maps that showed my location.
SPOT charges a $100 annual service fee, which includes an unlimited number of messages that can be sent out from your device using three buttons: OK/Check, Help and 911. An additional $50 per year tracking service called SPOTcasting follows and marks your exact location every 10 minutes for 24 hours each time it’s initiated.
This simple and straightforward device could really help in a dangerous situation. And the company takes its job seriously: A steely message on the SPOT packaging reads, “Opening this box is the first step in making sure you don’t come home in one.” But SPOT could also save the day in less-adventurous situations, such as when your car dies and you’re out of cellphone range.
However, SPOT isn’t perfect. While its three message-sending buttons make it easy to use, they also limit the types of messages it can send. There’s no keyboard, so messages must be brief and set up in advance on the Web site. And the device only sends messages and can’t receive them. Your friends and family have no way of getting back in touch with you on SPOT should you send a Help message from beyond cellphone range.
SPOT is a bright orange device with roughly the same surface measurement as a BlackBerry, though it’s considerably thicker. Its durable casing makes it waterproof and floatable, along with working in extremes like -40 degrees Fahrenheit and up to 21,000 feet above sea level. It runs on two AA lithium batteries, which last for different amounts of time according to the type of message being sent.
Setting up SPOT took only a few minutes on the Web site. A default or personalized message can be set up to go out with OK/Check and Help notifications, and email addresses and cellphone numbers (for SMS text messages) can be entered online as the destinations for these messages. Every message includes the user’s current location in terms of latitude and longitude, along with a hyperlink to access that location via Google Maps.
SPOT
SPOT sends messages and location information via satellite, including points that can be tracked on a map.
The OK/Check button can be used most casually by owners of this gadget, as it merely serves to assure others that you’re fine. A good example might be two people on a three-month sailing trip who use this button as a means of checking in with family every Sunday night.
If OK/Check is held down for five seconds, it initiates the SPOTcasting tracking service (provided you’ve signed up for it) and locates your device every 10 minutes for a 24-hour period. These tracked points show up on SPOT’s Web site and are displayed as numbered points on Google Maps.
SPOT worked for me while driving through a regional park with a campsite, where cellphone range was faint, and up into boulder-crusted mountains. Just minutes after pressing Help or OK/Check or initiating tracking, friends received word of my location via emails and text messages.
You can’t set SPOT to track a trip for longer than 24 hours or at different intervals, such as every hour for a week. And the only way for others to view your tracked points is if they sign in using your online account’s username and password.
The Help button is used in more urgent situations and uses messages such as “Urgent help needed. Pick me up at campsite.” (The default for Help is “This is a HELP message. Please send for help ASAP.”) But preset messages shouldn’t be made too specific during the online setup because they can’t be changed from the device later.
The 911 and Help automatic notifications will always override less urgent messages like OK/Check or SPOTcasting. In the case of the 911 and Help buttons, one can be pressed after the other and the messages for both will still go out at the same time. The 911 button will send a message every five minutes until power runs out (the company says this will last for up to seven days) or until the message is canceled; Help sends a message every five minutes for an hour or until canceled.
The 911 button is more serious. When pressed, SPOT Inc. automatically notifies a certified 911 company called the GEOS International Emergency Response Center, which contacts your specified emergency contacts first to see if they know anything about your situation before dispatching a rescue squad using your coordinates.
If you can adjust to SPOT’s three-button approach, the device could be helpful for you or someone you know during outdoor adventures. Many people will buy SPOT simply for its 911 button, as an insurance policy on fluky cellphone service.
gadgets/the mossberg solution/the wall street jr. yesterday.
Phoning Home Without a Phone
Simple Device Alerts Emergency Contacts From Remote Areas
On a chilly day, most folks find it tough to open the front door to retrieve the newspaper — much less climb a 15,000-foot mountain. But plenty of people court danger by rappelling down canyons and camping, hiking or biking in remote woodlands. This week, I tested a device that will give thrill seekers a little extra insurance: It lets the folks back home track their progress, and learn when they’re OK or when they’re in trouble.
When activated, the $170 SPOT Satellite Messenger from SPOT Inc., the Milpitas, Calif., unit of Globalstar Inc., emits a signal to GPS satellites, which notify SPOT’s messaging service. The service then sends a message to friends, family or emergency rescue teams about your current status. Because it uses GPS technology, the SPOT will work even when you’re far from cellphone signal range and anywhere in the world.
I tested SPOT in my Washington, D.C., neighborhood (city parks still count as outdoorsy) and on a trip across the California desert and mountains on the way to a conference — though I was scaling mountains in an air-conditioned SUV rather than in a rock-climbing harness.
SPOT
In my tests, SPOT worked without a problem. Notifications from the device were delivered to my friends via email and text message and included my current latitude and longitude. The service also sent along canned messages that I set up in advance on the company’s Web site at www.findmespot.com and hyperlinks to Google Maps that showed my location.
SPOT charges a $100 annual service fee, which includes an unlimited number of messages that can be sent out from your device using three buttons: OK/Check, Help and 911. An additional $50 per year tracking service called SPOTcasting follows and marks your exact location every 10 minutes for 24 hours each time it’s initiated.
This simple and straightforward device could really help in a dangerous situation. And the company takes its job seriously: A steely message on the SPOT packaging reads, “Opening this box is the first step in making sure you don’t come home in one.” But SPOT could also save the day in less-adventurous situations, such as when your car dies and you’re out of cellphone range.
However, SPOT isn’t perfect. While its three message-sending buttons make it easy to use, they also limit the types of messages it can send. There’s no keyboard, so messages must be brief and set up in advance on the Web site. And the device only sends messages and can’t receive them. Your friends and family have no way of getting back in touch with you on SPOT should you send a Help message from beyond cellphone range.
SPOT is a bright orange device with roughly the same surface measurement as a BlackBerry, though it’s considerably thicker. Its durable casing makes it waterproof and floatable, along with working in extremes like -40 degrees Fahrenheit and up to 21,000 feet above sea level. It runs on two AA lithium batteries, which last for different amounts of time according to the type of message being sent.
Setting up SPOT took only a few minutes on the Web site. A default or personalized message can be set up to go out with OK/Check and Help notifications, and email addresses and cellphone numbers (for SMS text messages) can be entered online as the destinations for these messages. Every message includes the user’s current location in terms of latitude and longitude, along with a hyperlink to access that location via Google Maps.
SPOT
SPOT sends messages and location information via satellite, including points that can be tracked on a map.
The OK/Check button can be used most casually by owners of this gadget, as it merely serves to assure others that you’re fine. A good example might be two people on a three-month sailing trip who use this button as a means of checking in with family every Sunday night.
If OK/Check is held down for five seconds, it initiates the SPOTcasting tracking service (provided you’ve signed up for it) and locates your device every 10 minutes for a 24-hour period. These tracked points show up on SPOT’s Web site and are displayed as numbered points on Google Maps.
SPOT worked for me while driving through a regional park with a campsite, where cellphone range was faint, and up into boulder-crusted mountains. Just minutes after pressing Help or OK/Check or initiating tracking, friends received word of my location via emails and text messages.
You can’t set SPOT to track a trip for longer than 24 hours or at different intervals, such as every hour for a week. And the only way for others to view your tracked points is if they sign in using your online account’s username and password.
The Help button is used in more urgent situations and uses messages such as “Urgent help needed. Pick me up at campsite.” (The default for Help is “This is a HELP message. Please send for help ASAP.”) But preset messages shouldn’t be made too specific during the online setup because they can’t be changed from the device later.
The 911 and Help automatic notifications will always override less urgent messages like OK/Check or SPOTcasting. In the case of the 911 and Help buttons, one can be pressed after the other and the messages for both will still go out at the same time. The 911 button will send a message every five minutes until power runs out (the company says this will last for up to seven days) or until the message is canceled; Help sends a message every five minutes for an hour or until canceled.
The 911 button is more serious. When pressed, SPOT Inc. automatically notifies a certified 911 company called the GEOS International Emergency Response Center, which contacts your specified emergency contacts first to see if they know anything about your situation before dispatching a rescue squad using your coordinates.
If you can adjust to SPOT’s three-button approach, the device could be helpful for you or someone you know during outdoor adventures. Many people will buy SPOT simply for its 911 button, as an insurance policy on fluky cellphone service.
02-02-08, 12:12 AM
#2
Fred E Fenders
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Interesting and far less expensive than a Emergency Personal Locater Beacon.
I was a helicopter pilot flying Air Rescue / Search and Rescue in Washington State. Many folks would have survived with EPLB or Spot
Mr Dean Christy disappeared in early January in the Green Valley Lake, Ca area and even after an extensive search by over 250 Professional and Volunteer Search and Rescue Personnel he was not located and is probably dead. Dean was able to make a 911 phone call saying he was lost. He was probably already experiencing the debilitating mental effects of hypothermia. All that has been found was his hat.
I have been asked to work with a small group of people on behalf of the family to help locate Dean's remains. Something that will help bring some closure to his family. A sobering reminder that we are all vulnerable whether riding a bike or climbing, hiking or back packing in the wilderness.
If there are any mountain bikers familiar with the area, please PM me.
I was a helicopter pilot flying Air Rescue / Search and Rescue in Washington State. Many folks would have survived with EPLB or Spot
Mr Dean Christy disappeared in early January in the Green Valley Lake, Ca area and even after an extensive search by over 250 Professional and Volunteer Search and Rescue Personnel he was not located and is probably dead. Dean was able to make a 911 phone call saying he was lost. He was probably already experiencing the debilitating mental effects of hypothermia. All that has been found was his hat.
I have been asked to work with a small group of people on behalf of the family to help locate Dean's remains. Something that will help bring some closure to his family. A sobering reminder that we are all vulnerable whether riding a bike or climbing, hiking or back packing in the wilderness.
If there are any mountain bikers familiar with the area, please PM me.
__________________
F Thomas
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
F Thomas
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
02-02-08, 12:25 AM
#3
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Interesting and far less expensive than a Emergency Personal Locater Beacon.
I was a helicopter pilot flying Air Rescue / Search and Rescue in Washington State. Many folks would have survived with EPLB or Spot
Mr Dean Christy disappeared in early January in the Green Valley Lake, Ca area and even after an extensive search by over 250 Professional and Volunteer Search and Rescue Personnel he was not located and is probably dead. Dean was able to make a 911 phone call saying he was lost. He was probably already experiencing the debilitating mental effects of hypothermia. All that has been found was his hat.
I have been asked to work with a small group of people on behalf of the family to help locate Dean's remains. Something that will help bring some closure to his family. A sobering reminder that we are all vulnerable whether riding a bike or climbing, hiking or back packing in the wilderness.
If there are any mountain bikers familiar with the area, please PM me.
I was a helicopter pilot flying Air Rescue / Search and Rescue in Washington State. Many folks would have survived with EPLB or Spot
Mr Dean Christy disappeared in early January in the Green Valley Lake, Ca area and even after an extensive search by over 250 Professional and Volunteer Search and Rescue Personnel he was not located and is probably dead. Dean was able to make a 911 phone call saying he was lost. He was probably already experiencing the debilitating mental effects of hypothermia. All that has been found was his hat.
I have been asked to work with a small group of people on behalf of the family to help locate Dean's remains. Something that will help bring some closure to his family. A sobering reminder that we are all vulnerable whether riding a bike or climbing, hiking or back packing in the wilderness.
If there are any mountain bikers familiar with the area, please PM me.
Mr. Christy's disappearance has weighed heavily on the minds of many folks who are familiar with the area. I've read elsewhere of SAR folks working off the clock to find him. Truly a tough situation.
My guess is that closure for his family will come in the springtime months, when SAR efforts will be more fruitful.
I hope your search-and-rescue work gives his family, and you, some sense of closure at some point. Please stay safe.
02-02-08, 12:28 AM
#4
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Interesting and far less expensive than a Emergency Personal Locater Beacon.
I was a helicopter pilot flying Air Rescue / Search and Rescue in Washington State. Many folks would have survived with EPLB or Spot
Mr Dean Christy disappeared in early January in the Green Valley Lake, Ca area and even after an extensive search by over 250 Professional and Volunteer Search and Rescue Personnel he was not located and is probably dead. Dean was able to make a 911 phone call saying he was lost. He was probably already experiencing the debilitating mental effects of hypothermia. All that has been found was his hat.
I have been asked to work with a small group of people on behalf of the family to help locate Dean's remains. Something that will help bring some closure to his family. A sobering reminder that we are all vulnerable whether riding a bike or climbing, hiking or back packing in the wilderness.
If there are any mountain bikers familiar with the area, please PM me.
I was a helicopter pilot flying Air Rescue / Search and Rescue in Washington State. Many folks would have survived with EPLB or Spot
Mr Dean Christy disappeared in early January in the Green Valley Lake, Ca area and even after an extensive search by over 250 Professional and Volunteer Search and Rescue Personnel he was not located and is probably dead. Dean was able to make a 911 phone call saying he was lost. He was probably already experiencing the debilitating mental effects of hypothermia. All that has been found was his hat.
I have been asked to work with a small group of people on behalf of the family to help locate Dean's remains. Something that will help bring some closure to his family. A sobering reminder that we are all vulnerable whether riding a bike or climbing, hiking or back packing in the wilderness.
If there are any mountain bikers familiar with the area, please PM me.
I'm not terribly familiar with the Green Valley Lake area, as my team's primary coverage area is the San Gorgonio Wilderness, but I could probably put you in contact with some who are. I actually worked that search, but only for a day. Many others (with more vacation/flexible work schedules than I) were out there for several days.
I believe the search has been officially called off, but the department has encouraged teams to conduct training exercises in that area, to increase the chance of finding something.
Little more than a week later a hiker set off a PLB in Icehouse Canyon, near Baldy. He was found within a day. I was unable to attend that one, as I was out of town.
02-02-08, 12:50 AM
#5
Fred E Fenders
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Trevor
I'm an old guy now and not flying anymore. There were a number of years that we had two rescue climbers on standby with us every weekend because we were getting so many missions.
My hats off to you "ground pounders". At the time I was flying in Washington we were the only available air resources for any remote extractions or searches. I was fortunate to get to work with Tacoma Mountain Rescue, Olympia, Portland (Hood), the National Park Service and on and on. Tacoma Mountain Rescue is the oldest Mountain Rescue unit in the United States. Top gun equipment, training and teams.
They are all good and really perform under some extreme pressure. Good people, all of you guys. Thanks for serving and taking those risks.
One of the rescue climbers was convinced I was going to kill us all one day (wasn't to sure myself) and wanted to kick my butt when we landed. We got the mission done! I just needed to a relief break the minute we landed at Paradise on Rainier. He had lost his communications in the back and didn't know we were going in sideways - on his side. There isn't much blade clearance on steep terrain. Gee, wonder why he was so worried?
I'm an old guy now and not flying anymore. There were a number of years that we had two rescue climbers on standby with us every weekend because we were getting so many missions.
My hats off to you "ground pounders". At the time I was flying in Washington we were the only available air resources for any remote extractions or searches. I was fortunate to get to work with Tacoma Mountain Rescue, Olympia, Portland (Hood), the National Park Service and on and on. Tacoma Mountain Rescue is the oldest Mountain Rescue unit in the United States. Top gun equipment, training and teams.
They are all good and really perform under some extreme pressure. Good people, all of you guys. Thanks for serving and taking those risks.
One of the rescue climbers was convinced I was going to kill us all one day (wasn't to sure myself) and wanted to kick my butt when we landed. We got the mission done! I just needed to a relief break the minute we landed at Paradise on Rainier. He had lost his communications in the back and didn't know we were going in sideways - on his side. There isn't much blade clearance on steep terrain. Gee, wonder why he was so worried?
__________________
F Thomas
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
F Thomas
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
02-03-08, 09:33 AM
#6
Pedal pusher...
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I like your avatar FThomas...especially now that I get the joke about it...
02-03-08, 09:42 AM
#7
Lanky Lass
A sad story about Mr. Christy, but thank you Alice for bringing this article here--it is of much interest to those of us in the PNW.
Living in the shadow of Mount Rainier, I found fthomas' story fascinating. Thank you sir!
If I were down in SoCal, I would have already volunteered my services to you.
East Hill
Living in the shadow of Mount Rainier, I found fthomas' story fascinating. Thank you sir!
If I were down in SoCal, I would have already volunteered my services to you.
East Hill
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TRY EMPATHY & HAVE LOVE IN YOUR HEART, PERHAPS I'LL SEE YOU ON THE ROAD...
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TRY EMPATHY & HAVE LOVE IN YOUR HEART, PERHAPS I'LL SEE YOU ON THE ROAD...
02-03-08, 09:49 AM
#8
Out fishing with Annie on his lap, a cigar in one hand and a ginger ale in the other, watching the sunset.
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Good find! It'd sure come in handy for me. 
__________________
. “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”- Fredrick Nietzsche
"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." - Immanuel Kant
. “He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”- Fredrick Nietzsche
"We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals." - Immanuel Kant
02-03-08, 10:21 AM
#10
Pedal pusher...
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That's a good question and one that would probably be better directed to the maker or somebody who does snow stuff?
I stopped skiing years ago after I blew out a knee...my nemesis, knee injuries.
I posted this more in relation to bikers...mountain bikers, people who tour solo in remote areas.
Even LA roadie rec riders who could slip down off the side of one of the Santa Monicas...
I am a hiker/backpacker in addition to bikering.
02-03-08, 07:27 PM
#11
Fred E Fenders
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Spot and EPLB's will not help you in an avalanche. An Emergency Locater Beacon with others in the immediate area with their receivers turned on is not necessarily going to save you. Hypothermia, but first the inability to breath due to crushing forces of snow and ice will get you very, very quickly even if you survive without severe trauma after the slide stops. Avalanches pick up boulders, trees, ice or anything in it's path and the speed is unbelievable. I have seen avalanches with chunks of ice the size of a VW Bug. Certainly will make you fear and respect an avalanche and focus on the necessity to AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS!
__________________
F Thomas
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
F Thomas
"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
02-04-08, 01:48 AM
#12
Despite all my rage, I am
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For boating, such a locator is available also. In an emergency, you can push a button, or if it gets wet - an alert is sent out to the coast guard. A warning label on the side warns of dire penalties for false alarms/intentional mis-use. Maybe something worth looking into if you're interested.
