GPS tracker

Earlier in the year my brother bought a SPOT. He figured we'd be going on a lot of motorcycle tours so to ease the minds of our spouses and also to keep interested friends who could not participate updated as to our progresses.

The SPOT is a personal satellite tracking system. The device currently comes in two flavors: the "Personal Tracker" (weighs 7.4 oz and measures 4.4" x 2.7 x 1.7") and "Messenger" (weighs 5.2 oz and measures 3.7"x 2.6" x 1"). Both models are capable of sending an "SOS" (when the situation is life threatening), "HELP" (non-life threatening emergency), "Check-in/OK" (lets friends and family know your status along with location), and "Track Progress" (emit constant broadcast of your progress in real time through Google map) but only the smaller "Messenger" offers a "Custom Message" feature. The SPOT is not your typical navigation GPS where it would show you directions, but functions only as a locator and serves as a beacon to send in reinforcement when you want it to. I should also mention here that there's a charge of $120/year to use the SPOT tracker.

Both models recommend using Lithium batteries. The "Personal Tracker", the larger of the two, takes AA type batteries while the "Messenger" AAA types. Battery usage for the larger unit is quoted to be 1 year if power is on but unused, 14 days in tracking mode, 7 days in SOS mode or 1900 messages. As for the "Messenger", 94 days with power on but unused, 4.3 days in tracking mode, 2.8 days in SOS or 350 messages.

Check out these user guides:
SPOT Personal Tracker
SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger