I'm travelling with my eight year old son this year and SPOT seems like a very good idea.

My biggest fear is that if something happens to me, with SPOT he can press the SOS button and stay with the car and hopefully someone will come along.

Ok it's only Morocco but my fear would be who would SPOT contact and would they respond? Yes my wife would also get the distress message but what could she do from the UK?

What do you guys think, is it worth me having a SPOT for Morocco? (Cost = £200 for year one)


Thanks.

I used to have a spot, but the problem is that it is a one-way communication, so not very usefull except in an emergency..... and then you hope the message went out.

Now I use a Inreach from DeLorme (now Garmin).
It is a spot that can send AND receive txt-messages. So, if you have an emergency and press that big red button (well, you actually have to slide it) you do not have to wonder if help is comming... The response center will reply and ask you what kind of assistance you need.

It costs about the same as spot (I pay 12 U$ per month) and it has more flexible plans that you can stop and start when you want.

Check it out.

__________________
maartensworld.com
beyond-anywhere.com

well said there is too much dependece on tech and internet now and its all armchair travel if you dont like risks dont travel kids learn to cross roads by crossing them learn not to fall by banging there heads , you dont stick a crash hat on a kid walking! problems are adventure and its times like these real human spirit comes alive . my advice is forget gps, trackers at the most take a phone but dont turn it on too much otherwise you may as well stay at home rather than ticking boxs

my advice is forget gps...

Depends how you use it and where you go. Me, I have been able to be MUCH more adventurous in my desert travels since the advent of GPS as a back up to nav, and a sat phone has enabled a rescue in just a couple of days when those adventures have gone wrong, as they can do no matter what gadgets you carry.

Chris

__________________
Morocco Overland 4 (2025) • Trans Morocco Trail

Just found this thread so I may be able to get some info FYI

We've beel looking at the Spot Messenger from a SAR perpective withing Mountain Rescue for a few months. There have been a couple of Spot "activations" (ie the red button) and the outcome had been good. The GEOS centre now pass any activations in the UK to the ARCC (Air Rescue Co-ordination Centre) in RAF Kinloss who will either deal with it or pass it to the Police in the area of activation, who then call Mountain Rescue if requried. I'll speak with my contact in the ARCC tomorrow and find out if they know the procedure in other countries and report back.

On a personal view, I've used a Spot on a few bike trips and its excellent. As in other posts, 3 x AAA Lithium batteries lasts a phenominal time. Tracking is very good, and there's other web sites sych as Spotwalla who can track the devices as well.

Its key to ensure the devices are powered on and running for some time. Messaging is slow as its up to the sat, but seems to work OK when moving on the bike, as long as you have a clear sky.

Iain

We recently did a 2 week tour of Tunisa spending sevral days driving and wild camping in the Chott El Jerid and in the area around Ksar Ghilane.

I used the Spot II throughout the trip as folllows:

Each morning I would activate the tracking feature. The reports from friends and relatives was very positive. The map was updated every 10 minutes with out position and was extremely accurate. This tracked us at 50-60 mph the whole way through France as well as in the remoter parts of the desert at crawling speed.

Each evening once we arrived at our camping spot I would activate the 'OK' button. This sent the message and location to the nominated contacts as well as updating our facebook page and website blog with the brief message and a link to a location map. Most nights it was impossible to get a mobile phone signal or internet access.

We had programmed the 'Help' button with specific contacts and had agreed a sequence of action. Sending the 'help' message meant that our contacts should standby to help as we MAY be in a spot of bother. If they received no further messages within 12 hours they would contact the British Embassy with all the details.

If they received the help signal twice then they would contact the embassy straight away. You can tell from the lights displayed on the unit when the first message has finished sending.

If they received an 'OK' message this would cancel the 'standby'.

We realised that any help wouldn't be immediate and could take days, but we were in a fullt prepared land rover with enough water and supplies to last.

We didn't really consider the 'Emergency SOS' button as a point of total reliance. Spot themselves only guarentee SAR support in certain countries (Tunisia isn't one of them) if you check the small print. Although if the situation was really dire I would have pushed the button as it couldn't hurt to alert them.

As a 'keep the folks informed of your progress tool' it is very good.

As a 'press this button and we will get help tool' it is okay in countries where you have coverage and where you have established a plan with your contacts.

As a 'total reliance that this will save us piece of kit' I would go for a sat phone and a reliable contact number for where you are.

We were on a 2 week 'guided' overland tour of Tunisia. The guide carried a sat phone but I wanted to have some independant piece of mind just in case we became separated from the group. For a trip like this, buying a sat phone was over the top (and expensive). The Spot was ideal.

We will be doing a similar trip to Morocco next year and will use the same principle then.

If I was planning a Uk - Cape Town type trip I would definitly carry a sat phone but, for the cost, I would also use the spot to update the family when it had coverage.

One other small advantage to consider with the Spot II is the fact that you can programme in an additional message. The unit is so small that you can carry it when you move away from the vehicle, such as wandering through souks etc. If you became seperated you could press this button and alert your partner or guide, via their mobile (assuming there is mobile coverage) where you are.

We mounted the spot in a Halfords adjustable mobile phone holder stuck on the dashboard and had no signal issues at any time.

I hope this helps.

Ralph

__________________
1995 300Tdi Discovery
Vehicle mods and expedition countdown blog www.overland-rovers.com

Hi all, and a great forum thread !.

As I was on my own for last-year's RTW trip I'd decided to carry both a SPOT and a new 9555 Satellite phone along with the usual IT gear.

To keep the post short I'd now ALWAYS carry a SPOT. Just knowing the family was getting a "I'm OK" sms and email each day and were able to locate me on Google Earth was worth the hassle. It worked right accross from Oz to Europe ( even the non-signal areas of India / Himmalayas etc ).

The Satellite phone on the other had was unrelaible !...worked only 3 out of 5 times and won't be with me next trip. The service provider could not answer why I had problems, but it was always at higher altitudes ( like calling home from the Highest motorable pass in the world etc ).

It boils down to what you want it to do for you, and for me the SPOT 1 did a great job for me.

Hope this helps, n safe riding !

Frank.

I agree with much of what Ralph says and the way he went about setting up and using his SPOT. Good to confirm there is no SPOT-alerted S&R in Tuni; I take it's safe to say there's none in Alg either. SPOT never answered me on that one.

My experiences just back from Algeria are quite the opposite of Bergrider: sat phone (Thuraya) dependable as always; SPOT hit an miss. The fact that there was a tourist kidnapping soon after my group arrived in Algeria made it all the more important the SPOTs got through.

I suppose I could have been less tight and gone for the tracking option which I might do next time, but on this first occasion I settled on a 'Custom' message sent at lunchtime and an 'OK' each night, with emails and SMS of the nightly 'OK' sent to a short list including my mobile (but not sat).

None of the SMS messages for our 18 nightly locations got through to one mobile (though they had when tested in the UK in seconds) and about a quarter got through to my 'test' mobile (same provider, worked in Alg but not always in range, of course). At first I thought SMS only made it out if the SPOT was transmitting in an area with GSM (even though it's a GPS device) but on 3-4 days of the tour in the Sahara, northern Alg and finally in Spain most emails of locations didnt make it and they didn't make it onto the map either. Just as well most in the group were in mobile contact by then with home. On many of these occasions I can distinctly recall sending the SPOT.

And then, sometimes the map locations would be delayed by several hours (< 24) and all arrived at once in people's inboxes and on the map.

Due to these inconsistencies a couple of times worried people back home would try and call the sat phone to check all was OK. As Ralph mentioned a 12 hour delay before taking action might be a good idea, but within 2 hours of being grabbed the Italian woman who was kidnapped (miles from us) was in another country.

So, if it really matters perhaps SPOT tracking is better (so would be nice if the unit could be run off a 12v PTO like a GPS), or just telephone in every night with a position (and send a back-up SMS with long/lat off the sat phone). The best thing with SPOT is its small, easy to use and automatically reaches whoever wants to know. People back home reported it was fun to track our progress, too. The bad thing is it didnt always work for me and because of that can cause unnecessary alarm.

Chris S

Later...
Now I have RTFM I see one should leave it transmitting for 20 mins after the 'flying envelope' flashes. I never left mine on for more than a minute (assuming it had gone off) which might explain why some did not register. But those that did register were also on for only a minute. Could explain lack of SMS I am told, though off the Algerian coast (on ferry) the SMS was on my phone in seconds, as it was back in UK.

__________________
Morocco Overland 4 (2025) • Trans Morocco Trail

But Chris,
Cousin Bob is always willing to help when needed!!!!!!!!! Ha
Allen N.

Chris

This is a direct lift from the GEOS SAR service terms and conditions:

Entitlement will be extended to other geographic locations subject to acceptance by the GEOS Underwriters in writing, which will be provided after the application has been made, and if refused all premiums paid will be refunded.

The following geographic locations are excluded: -

- North, Central or West Africa
- Middle East, Iraq Iran and Afghanistan
- Russia

So you're right to assume that Algeria is out.

This refers to the 'additional' service that they will provide if the local SAR service isn't up to the job. Full details here :
GEOS SEARCH AND RESCUE (SAR)

As there is no 'official' SAR service I guess that means your on your own or in the hands of the embassy.

I note your point regarding kidnapping and would fully support that Spot is not ideal for this. We were in Tunisia and will be going to Morocco. Both countries where tourists are pretty safe (current political situation excepted). If we were travelling to a slightly riskier country I would look for something else such as a sat phone.

On your last point; yes you do need to leave the Spot on until the relevant lights have done their thing. Once we had finally stopped for the night I would turn off the tracking and press the 'OK' button. By the time we had the rooftent out and the kettle boiled (or poured) the messages had been sent and I could turn the Spot off.
I found that one set of batteries (3 AAAs) lasted 21 days of tracking and 'OKs'. I would guess that a 12v input could affect the portability and waterproofing of the unit but, I agree that it would give you piece of mind.

Ralph

__________________
1995 300Tdi Discovery
Vehicle mods and expedition countdown blog www.overland-rovers.com

I found that one set of batteries (3 AAAs) lasted 21 days of tracking and 'OKs'.

That was my next question. I got it in my head/read somewhere it was 2 days (like your average Garmin running on bats) so thought it was not worth the bother. Tracking would be the way to go then.

Never did track down the GEOS SAR T&Cs - but it seems clear now. No 'Help' either, I gathered that much from a Helpline, but I had my own 'Help' organised, if need be.

Chris

__________________
Morocco Overland 4 (2025) • Trans Morocco Trail

We have just ridden our bikes from southern tip of Africa, Arniston to northern tip, Alexandria ... just less than 20,000kms and used Tracks on Africa on our garmin and it was good except for Sudan and Egypt. If you have a PC you can use Tracks on Africa to plan offline. We did see people use SPOT as a safety precaution, but we never met anyone who actually used it. Most like us just used Garmin.

Now we are waiting in Sinai, Egypt to see if we can get Syrian visas. On the subject of GPS we heard they were not allowed in Syria... anyone know if this is true. ??

Our trip and diary is at

www.bigbiketrip.net

Safe and fun travels

Rupert & Fanny

Hi Folks,

We used a SPOT 2 on our trip down West Africa from Morocco. You can read about it at Latest news / About us - Langebaan Sunset - Stonehenge UK to Cape Town SA - 2010/11 and specifically on our prep page Preparations - Langebaan Sunset - Stonehenge UK to Cape Town SA - 2010/11

Here is our experience:

1. We used SPOT linked to Facebook & Twitter. It enabled us to send a message giving location and "OK" message as we did not take a Sat Phone and it serves as a means to summon help if needed.
2. We sent a message almost daily once we had stopped for the day
3. We rarely used the breadcrumb mode - its power hungry and not really needed if you are sending an OK message daily
4. We made our SPOT page "private" when we were in Mauritania (we stayed to southern parts of Mali).
5. It worked for the whole of our Europe leg, North Africa, West Africa and Central Africa. It started to become intermittent when we got to North East Namibia. It was intermittent when we crossed East into Zim & Moz and onto SA. This kind of correlates with the SPOT coverage map
6. Cant speak for East Africa route
7. We did pay for the full insurance for possible rescue if we got lost / injured somewhere very remote (that is why we got it) as we did go off road / went remote in the deserts of Morocco / Namibia and in Central Africa.
8. As a system to help if you got kidnapped I doubt the rescue would be effected quickly enough to be effective but you might be able to send a "help" message if you had it pre-programmed (probably unlikely in such a situation). I think if you are buying the device with this in mind I would probably devote time to picking a route that avoids kidnap hot spots which would be your best tactic.
9. We found SPOT 2 to be a great way to send updates to friends and family without the need to venture into Internet Cafes (which were few and far between on our route)
10. We would probably use GSM phone linked to Twitter next time - smart phones with geo-location effectively do part of what SPOT does now
11. We used 2x sets of batteries lasted us the whole trip in the mode we used it for.

Summary

Positives: convenient, robust, compact and a good way to stay in touch, much cheaper than a Sat Phone, allows your trip to be more interactive, way cheaper than EPERB

Negatives: Possible expensive add on if you are on a budget trip, coverage is not 100% for Africa, smart phones can serve as a means to send geo-location based info / comms

HTH

Safe travels

Nick

__________________
Langebaan Sunset - Africa Overland
http://langebaan-sunset.blogspot.co.za/

This has been a good discussion of the Spot and other tracking options but I'm curious if anyone has used the InReach and what their experience has been. I have read some not so complimentary reviews about how complex the Delorme software is but they have a version that mates with my Android phone that looks interesting. And because they use the Iridium satellite network they have theoretically better covereage than the Spot.

Hi All

Firstly a great thread and makes very useful reading.

We are about to drive from Scotland to Eastern Russia through Mongolia and a lot of exploring in Eastern Russia by Landrover.

We will be carrying a Sat Ph as we always do.

We looked at the Spot but although the tracking is great for Family and Friends there is no back up in Russia and communication is one way only.

We are going to use a Solara Field Tracker 2100. It works via the Iridium Sat System and guaranteed transmission no matter where you are. You can set your own breadcrumb trail to allow others to track you at an interval that you can define. It will act as a GPS EPIRB. and you can send and receive texts where-ever you are. so in an emergency you can allow others to know the nature of your emergency and you can also be sure your SOS has been received and communicate with your would be rescuers.

It is ruggedised waterproof shock resistant etc

Worth a look I think. Try google. Lots of info

Hope this is useful.

Regards

Callum