MotorcycleJazz

Our SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger Saves the Day!

by Martin Hackworth
Photos: Martin Hackworth

So how well does the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger actually work? Pretty darned well - at least in my opinion.

I used my new SPOT over the 4th of July weekend during a two day blitz of The Tour of Idaho T2. On the way back to Pocatello from Jordan Valley I encountered a mechanical problem that shut me down way out in the middle of the southern Idaho desert - miles out of cell phone range and far from any help. The southwest desert of Idaho is one of the most remote areas of the lower 48. Though I had plenty of food and water and emergency gear to cope with the situation I was nevertheless smack dab in the middle of nowhere and the prospects for anyone wandering by were dim. Help could have been a long time coming.

Fortunately I had my SPOT at the ready. I pressed the Non-emergency Help button and my friends immediately got the message, with my GPS coordinates and location on a map, and were able to respond right away. Although my Blackberry was useless as a communication device it does hold hundreds MP3's and the hours passed pleasantly. I even got in a half-hour nap. At one point I woke up and thought I saw buzzards circling. I dunno, maybe it was a dream. At any rate four and a half hours after pressing the magic button MoJazz Associate Editor Dan came rolling across the desert in his truck to the rescue.
I have included with this testimonial photographs of a 360-degree panorama from my resting spot to impress upon you, the attentive reader, how thoroughly screwed I'd have been without my SPOT beacon. No one came down the road that day and odds are that no one had come down that road for over a week. Although it is true that I could have walked 30 miles for help had it come to that it's also true that 30 miles is a long way in SIDI Crossfires in the desert in the middle of July - even after dark. The SPOT downsized a potential epic to a manageable problem. We like things that do that.
The SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger is worth every dime you'll spend to purchase one and to active all of it's features. Don't be a knucklehead, get one right now. SPOT Messenger - don't leave home without it! Back to our review of the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger. More Reviews Reader Forum