Gear Review: SpotX: Part 3: Details Q & A

I bought a two way satellite communicator. I’ve been testing it. Photo below. This 1/2 of the Q&A that covers it and my testing.

I only took one photo of the SpotX, which is not a cell phone. (Click the link and I get a kickback if you buy things, no extra cost to you.)

I tested the shit of my SpotX and am distilling it down to its essence.

Is it hard to carry?

It’s roughly the size of a hockey puck and maybe half the mass of one. A lot of reviews bitch that it’s too big. That’s silly. If you’re a super competitive, every gram matters, bicycle racer I get it. That’s a special case. For normal human beings, fretting that the encumbrance of a hockey puck will bring you to your knees is bullshit. Those dudes need to forget about camping and hit the gym.

Another note. There are smaller devices. I get the lust for miniaturization. However, I like a bit of heft to things that are mission critical. It’s orange, clips on with a carabiner, and it’s less likely to get lost in the bottom of my pack. Smaller might sound cool but be a defect.

How is the reception?

Astounding! I’ve tried it in all sorts of situations and it will send out a message every damn time! I’m really pleased. Sometimes there’s a bit of a lag (more on that later) but it’s very good at its main purpose. It will get the message out!

Wherever it can send it can receive; which is everywhere. There may be a lag or you could turn off the device (which I do) but otherwise you’ll get the message.

Keep in mind this is a device for use outdoors. If you’re bitching about SpotX reception it’s because you’re on the eighth floor of an office building and you don’t know what “not a cell phone” means. Put down the Mountain Dew, lever your ass out of the office chair, and stand outdoors. If your feet are on grass, the SpotX will send and receive.

I’ve tried it in various weather and the atmosphere seems to have no ill effect at all. I’m pretty sure you can send from the bottom of a canyon (possibly with a little bit of a lag).

It sometimes takes several minutes to “wake up”. There’s a few minutes lag time before it finds the signal. I can’t imagine this mattering for its intended purpose.

“Everywhere” is generalizing based on practicality. Somewhere on the internet a buzzkill is whimpering “the signal is sparse in part of the Indian Ocean” or “it’s no good in Antarctica”. Fuck that guy. In any real-world use for an outdoor SAR device it’s excellent.

It’s satellite and not cell. A lifetime of 3G cell (or is it 4G?) gives people weird expectations. It’s not great in a house and only so-so in a moving Dodge. Then again, it’s a goddamned emergency satellite communicator, if you’re in a building what kind of outdoor emergency can you possibly have? An emergency cheese pizza delivery order?

What messages does it send?

The SpotX sends a signal from your location (anywhere on earth) to a constellation of satellites. The signal you send is any text you want (140 characters).

Sending any text you want is a big honkin deal! The older generation SPOT and most EPRIBs couldn’t do that. They could send a hail Mary signal that your ass was on the line: “EMERGENCY AT LOCATION X” but no additional information. Was it a code blue heart attack or a less urgent broken leg? Rattlesnake bite directly to the gonads in the middle of Death Valley or a sunk kayak near a sheltered sandy beach? Sucking chest wound or dead truck? Context matters!

Does it give people your position?

Yes. It’s dirt simple to accompany your text with position information. Or you can hit a button that says “check in” that automatically sends the information (and doesn’t count against your pre-paid texts).

The position information is easy to use and damn accurate. (I’ve tested it.)

What about tracking?

Tracking sounds neat but is pointless in real life. “Tracking” sends your location every X minutes (you specify the interval) to a web portal. I suppose people can sit at a computer/smartphone and watch the dot on the screen that is you move about. Sounds like science fiction!

In practice, you’re not that interesting. Nobody cares where I am every 15 minutes. I don’t even care where I am every 15 minutes. Now I hit “check in” at trail junctures or changes in mode of transport (stopped driving truck and now sailing). Tracking was a cool sounding feature that I don’t use.

Does it post to social media?

Yes but… Gross! I will speak no more of this abominable concept.

Pre-designated messages:

Some of older devices (like the SPOT) could communicate a pre-designated non-emergency code. You’d plan ahead with likely messages and then send one of a small selection. Something like “I AM AT THE TRAILHEAD, BRING THE TRUCK TO GET ME”. Probably the signal was a single digit like 7. Then the database matched 7 to “I AM AT THE TRAILHEAD, BRING THE TRUCK TO GET ME”.

It’s better than nothing but very limiting. What if a unique situation came up? “I’m at the trailhead but just met a hot girl who wants to have sex, don’t show up until tomorrow”. (I jest!) What about “the fish are biting, I’m staying an extra day” or “when you meet me at the trailhead bring a bottle of Tums, I’ve got gas that would kill a gorilla”. Pre-designated messages are inflexible. The SpotX has 20 pre-designated messages and they work flawlessly but sending a real text is simply more informative.

Is a satellite phone:

No. It doesn’t do audio; no voice communication at all. It doesn’t send pictures or anything else.