[This review got long winded; this isn’t the last post. I was pissed at the incomplete information I had while shopping and inadvertently wrote a treatise to counteract what I perceive as a hole in the universe.]
Maybe I’m going overboard on the SpotX but I waited years for technology to create the thing I wanted. I’m glad it finally happened. (Link goes to Amazon, you know the rest.)
I tested the shit of my SpotX and am trying to answer any conceivable real world question:
Is SpotX messaging instant?
Yes and no. The information is transmitted as a packet. You type the message and then the device sends it (up to) 140 characters. It doesn’t send each letter one at a time like a voice telephone. Also, once you’ve typed your message you can tell it to send right now.
Sometimes the message goes through essentially instantly. However, I usually experienced a lag time of 90 seconds to maybe 6 minutes from when I sent it to when a cell phone (either in my pocket or thousands of miles away) received the message. Again, this freaks out cell phone snowflakes and caused some bad reviews. I can’t see why a 6-minute pause to reach from anywhere to anyone is a problem on a SAR beacon.
Why the lag time?
You can set SpotX to check with the satellites every X minutes. It does sending up and receiving down based on the cycles. If you have it checking every few minutes you run down the batteries. If you set it in cycles of an hour it’s fine for any practical purpose but it’ll freak out Millennials. It’s like the lag time reminds them it’s not a cell phone and the “different-ness” causes them angst? I got used to it after a few days and never thought of it again
Of course, you can always hit the button that says “send now” but you’ve got to remember to do it.
I think lag times caused some people to freak out in the reviews but it’s irrelevant for its intended use. If a 3-minute lag in communication wigs you out, you don’t need a communicator so much as you need a therapist. (Ever watch Millennials in an area with no cell reception? Even when they know there’s no reception, they’ll instinctively check their smartphone every 90 seconds to 5 minutes. Like smokers reaching for the next puff. If you get the chance you should watch them from afar and see what I mean. Smart phones have inflicted very strong conditioning on our fellow citizens.)
With whom can you communicate?
Once the signal hits a satellite it’s routed to any e-mail address or phone (text enabled phone only, my old landline ‘aint gonna’ cut it). You can specify multiple recipients to the same message (which is handy).
You can pre-program contacts (which is wise) or groups of contacts (which would be great for a group camping together). You can also add a contact on the fly. Suppose, you just met a guy at the trailhead who’s wrapping up his day while you’re still heading out. He’s going to check the liquor store closing time back in town and that’s mission critical information. Add him to your SpotX right then.
To the recipient, the text looks like it came from a regular cell phone. Depending on your whitelist settings, they may respond with a text and you’ll get it. They may never know you’re communicating via satellite.
Can a SpotX communicate with a SpotX?
Yes but I haven’t tested it. Buy me a second SpotX and I’ll verify.
What can people communicate to you?
The SpotX will happily receive all the texts sent your way. If someone sends a text to your SpotX’s number, the SpotX will receive it (anywhere on earth). This is a big honkin deal! The older generation SPOT and many EPRIB and SAR transponders couldn’t receive anything.
It won’t receive media, voice calls, dick picks, or Pokemon gameplay. You get 140 characters per message; no more. You can specify (whitelist) who is allowed to send to you or allow the whole universe to send to you. I have under half a dozen people who can text me and that’s an excellent feature. I don’t want spam ruining my nature buzz! (Warning, I don’t think you can adjust the whitelist from the device… only from a computer.)
I shouldn’t have to say this but it’s 2019 so I must: if you turn your SpotX off it won’t receive the message… because it’s a communicator, not magic.
Can it receive a lot of messages?
Sure, but if they come fast and furious it’ll take a while. If someone sends you a barrage of e-mails in short succession it can “pile up”. Same goes if the SpotX is off for several hours. Messages pile up somewhere in the network where they’re buffered until they get delivered. Texts come through one at a time when you turn your SpotX on. Sometimes there’s a lag as it picks up one message per query of the satellite network (which happens every X minutes as specified). If you’re in dire straits or just needy you can hit “check messages now” over and over again to get all the news. None of this is bad performance, it’s just the way it works. Repeat after me, it’s not a cell phone.
If you leave a SpotX off for a long time it may tell the original sender “the message didn’t get through”. I think three days is the threshold.
Is it a cell phone?
It’s not a fucking cell phone. If you want a cell phone get a cell phone.
There were a lot of reviews where I think people that bought a SpotX were triggered because it’s not a cell phone. They’re trained to expect a cell phone like experience. It’s not the device’s fault that they had pre-conceived notions (stupid ones I might add).
How much does it cost to use it?
That’s covered tomorrow but the answer is not simple. You have to buy service and it’s like a cell phone. There are a million options and combinations. “X texts per month on alternate leap years is this much but Y texts on Wednesdays only is much cheaper.” Sorry I can’t answer with a clear number.
It’s a complex interplay of a zillion options and the big one is if you want service all the time or only “seasonally”. You can setup options that let you turn service on and off (you don’t pay while service is dormant). Do the shutdown options and it’s dirt cheap if you only want it a few months a year. Like a six pack of beer per month or much less kind of money. Turn it on for elk season and maybe one rafting trip… would be very cheap. Also you get it considerably cheaper if you pay all at once versus monthly. (Possibly you could loan it to a buddy and he’d pay “turn on and the month he borrowed it” and then give it back to you. Though I haven’t tested that idea.)
I wanted a hard core testing phase. I went apeshit and got every conceivable service. I had a plan in mind. I wanted to test the hell out of it on the first year and then “gear back” in subsequent years. So I totally went bugnuts ordering every service and several add ons. I think me going crazy will pan out (pro-rated) to like $18 a month. (I forget the actual number. I got numb sorting through the options! There are MANY combinations.)
I even went nuts and got “save my vehicle” insurance and “SAR” insurance which is way more than bargain basement service. (I’d just watched John Wick!) SAR insurance is several bucks a month but I like the idea. Also the device is probably covered in case I hurl it off a cliff or a bear eats it (can’t recall if I bought that option but I remember it was offered.) I have something like 100 texts a month (send/receive both cost). That is really 1200 a year because my plan rolls month to month. I already recognize that you’d have to camp 30 days a month and 12 months a year to burn that many texts. Learn from my foolish mistake. Don’t go for 100 texts/month unless you like typing! The thing I learned is that “check in” is “free”. It doesn’t count against your texts! Go figure. Once you get the hang of it, “check in” is plenty good most of the time.
One reason my costs went so high was that I got SAR “insurance”. Obviously I haven’t tested it but I think I’m covered for $50K per “incident” and 2 incidents per year (who the hell needs 2 extractions in one year!?!). Extractions, like a medical helicopter ride, are hugely expensive. Like bankruptcy land expensive! If I ever need a single extraction $50k in insurance will be a very good thing indeed. (It’ll be an even better thing if I never need an extraction!) I’m not sure but it might work if I need a regular ambulance ride and use the SpotX instead of a cell phone and 911…. though that’s a guess and I’m not totally sure about that.) Insurance for a helicopter ride I hope I never need was a big part of the expense and I suspect most people skip it but I just had this feeling I’ve been skating on thin ice too long. Hard to say why I went for it. Hopefully it’s all a silly superstition.
The vehicle thing is a bit unsure but I got it. It’s optional and a big part of my overall price. I read it as “we will get your vehicle where it is“. This is very different than “AAA will tow you X miles on a paved road”. I’m working on an overland jeep-ish thing and if I stick it in a swamp in Canada or through the ice in a lake… that’s the kind of insurance that could save your bacon. Even an ATV dead on a trail can be an issue that a regular tow truck won’t touch. That said, I haven’t reviewed the fine print for the possible “if you sunk through the ice you’re a dumbass who deserves to go broke” wimp out. I don’t trust insurance much. But it seemed good to have until my “jeep” is fully operational. I know that sinking a boat or a truck in a lake can get spooky expensive and AAA ‘aint gonna’ help you. I don’t expect to need it but this is “testing year” so I gave it a shot.
That answer sucked so I did more research. Figure a minimum of $12/month year round or minimum $40 a year for a single month elk hunting. Plus details and it goes up from there. A summary will go live around noon tomorrow.
Thank you, I looked at the Amazon site & didn’t find anything clear. So $12-$20 a month to have it sitting there in case you actually need it.
It’s complicated. Check out their pricing site. About $164 a year to have it active all year/usable every day. About $40 a year if you want it dead 11 months and live 1 month… but you can turn it on for any given month for another $15. Plus a dozen other options and caveats that can load it up with cost but offers cool stuff you may or may not need. I went apeshit and got more options than any normal person needs… for the initial “testing” phase. I’ll “gear down” to probably $164 (or somewhat less) next cycle.
I’ve got a post with more detail that goes live tomorrow afternoon.