As a pilot, you know what an ELT is, you've probably heard about the newer 406MHz PLB (Personal Locator Beacon), and you definitely know about cell phones.  What if you combined all three and gave it almost worldwide satellite coverage?  You would have the SPOT, the World's First Satellite Messenger and Tracker!

Some reasons why pilots are excited about SPOT:

• You're thirty minutes out from your destination, descending from 11,500'  and want someone to pick you up at the airport when you land.  There's no way to get any get any cell phone service, but SPOT can send an email or SMS text message immediately via satellite.
• You're planning a trip of a lifetime flying above the Alaskan Highway and deep into Alaska.  Your friends and family are both worried and excited about your trip.  With SPOT on-board, your exact position can be displayed online, via Google Earth, to anyone you choose.   Your friends and family can follow your great journey and feel comfort in knowing exactly where you are at any time.
• You're on that same trip through Alaska and you have an issue that forces an emergency landing.  You make a perfect landing on the shore of a river but now you're in the middle of nowhere.  Count on SPOT, its' satellite coverage and built-in GPS receiver, to dispatch emergency responders to your exact location.
• You run a flight school with ten airplanes and have rental aircraft going in every direction.  With a SPOT in each airplane, you can track the real-time position of all of your aircraft, online 24 hours a day

This is something completely new and different from anything else on the market.  SPOT allows you to:

• North American Alert 9-1-1 Dispatches emergency responders to an exact location (United States/Canada).
• Worldwide Alert 9-1-1 Dispatches emergency responders to an exact location outside North America (GEOS rescue service).
• Ask for Help Sends a request for help to a customized list of recipients (via SMS or email).
• Check In "SPOTchecking" Service  lets contacts know where you are and that you are okay (via SMS or email).
• Track Progress "SPOTcasting" Service sends and saves your location on Internet site every 10 minutes to view progress using Google Maps

Features of the SPOT device:

• Built-in GPS receiver
• Built-in satellite modem & transmit antenna (Transmit only device)
• Lightweight, only 7.4 ounces
• 2 AA Lithium batteries (When powered on has a standby battery life of 1 year)
• Waterproof / floats when dropped in water
• OSHA certified intrinsically safe (Class 1, Division 1, Group A-D Standards)
• Humidity and salt fog rated
• Operating temperature: -40F to +185F

Track Your Location Via Google Earth
Track Progress "SPOTcasting" Service sends and saves your location on Internet site every 10 minutes to view progress using Google Maps

Coverage Areas
SPOT transmitter has recorded excellent transmission rates within the coverage areas shown below, and even sends each message 3 times to ensure successful transmission. Please note that SPOT must be able to "see" the sky in order to properly work. If you are using this in a cockpit, you must keep SPOT in a place that has an unobstructed view of the sky (i.e. the dash). GPS location coordinates are accurate to within 20 feet.

Usage fees for SPOT:
With SPOT you buy the hardware at a low initial cost and then pay an annual subscription fee for monitoring and tracking as follows:

$99 annual fee for unlimited basic service (North American Alert 9-1-1, Ask for Help, and Check-In) .
$50 additional annual fee for SPOTcasting real-time tracking service.
 

 SPOT User Guide

Part Number	Description	Price
1000006	SPOT Satellite Personal Tracker