Spotted

Part of the bargain in doing my solo trip was to get a GPS tracker and emergency notification device.  This give the folks at home some piece of mind.  A lot of fellow motorcyclists are using the Spot Satellite GPS Messenger so I decided to give it a look.

The Spot Tracker works off GPS satellites so it's not dependent on cellular reception.  If there is a serious incident I can push one button and the system will notify emergency responders.  My contact information is already in there.  If I just need help from friends/family (break down or stranded) I can push a button for that too.

But I got it more for its daily uses.  It allows me to send an "I'm OK" message to people via email.  This way I can check in with home as often as I want.  I can also send a custom message too.  You go on the company's website and can customize all your outgoing messages.

The other cool feature is the tracking.  At the push of a button you leave a breadcrumb trail that anyone with the link can follow on Google Maps.  This way my family and friends will be able to track my progress and be able to tell exactly where I am.  I couldn't believe how accurate it is.  In testing it at home I had it on my front porch, sent an "ok" message then moved it to the back of the house.  I was able to see both locations very precisely in Google Maps.

The downside to the Spot is primarily the cost.  The initial unit is not too expensive, but the yearly service commitment easily costs more than the unit.  They don't seem to have the best customer service either.  Setting the unit up could be easier (spoiled by Apple I guess).  But once I'm on the road none of that stuff will matter.

Once I leave on my trip I'll put up the Google Maps page of my track.