SpotX Details

Two years ago I bought a two way satellite communicator. It goes against my grain to have such a gadget, but it was the right call.

It’s wise to develop a reasonable, measured, approach to self-preservation. Smart men acquire and learn to use the appropriate equipment for that purpose. (I carefully phrase myself to differentiate from a society that’s pants shitting hysterical about the smallest risk. Also, I don’t want to be lumped in with the “count on good luck” crowd. Fuck them both!)

Develop a “backup plan”. Pick what you need and have it ready; first aid kits, winches, firearms, a pack of matches, whatever. Most important is the mindset to understand and use these things. Keeping your own ass alive is the first requirement of an adult; don’t outsource core responsibilities!

Also “safety” doesn’t mean avoiding all risk. If you’re wearing a mask while weeping alone in your gated community you’re not safe, you’re dead. Safety means paying attention to risk, not being a whiny little bitch.

If you spend a fair amount of time in nature; especially if you’re like me and go  alone, you might want to consider a SpotX. I prefer the SpotX to more primitive PLBs because I can use it for non-emergencies. That develops trust and habits that will matter should shit get real. It’s not for everyone. It’s an expensive piece of kit. There’s a bit of lag when sending texts to satellites. It sucks as a GPS navigator. It has one main dedicated use and won’t play games or take a photo of the fish you just caught. That’s a selling point to me. Your cell phone does everything which means it does a lot of it poorly. In my opinion, phones don’t cut the mustard. They’re meant for domestic spying on mall walkers and not as a safety device for explorers. Just my opinion of course.

A key part of safety gear is maintenance of the gear AND the user. Use and test safety gear over and over. If it’s an electronic gadget, play with the settings and when it’s not important. Y’all already know this.

Maintenance is easy with a SpotX. I carry it around even on short hikes when I don’t expect to need it. Now that I think of it, that’s exactly the best time to have it. One should never expect to get in over their head! If so, why did you go there?

As for use and test, I occasionally send messages that aren’t important “This is Curmudgeon, I’m at location XYZ. I just took a shit on a tree stump. Just wanted you to know. Have a nice day.” This trains me to send messages. It trains my “response team” to receive messages. I include my own cell phone on the recipients list so I’ve formed a good idea how quickly the message gets to a cell phone that’s in service. (Good info to know when you’re not in a service area!)

People matter too. If you have nobody to call, what good is your ET Phone Home gadget? (There is an S.O.S. button that goes to a professional agency. I’ve never had to use that. I probably never will. That’s why I have lower level “I got a sprained ankle and need a hand” friends on tap. There’s a lot of small shit you could encounter well below the level of “send the Coast Guard with a helicopter” situations.)

One last note, our day to day communication system is amazingly global. Friendly contacts don’t have to be geographically adjacent. If I’m in Kentucky, I can easily benefit from a message sent to Alaska. A friend can make a hotel reservation or try to hunt up a motorcycle part or tell me if there’s a tornado watch at my location. They might render aid having never left their living room; possibly while I’m still trying to get to the road.

For two years the SpotX has been basically flawless. Unfortunately, during a recent “walkabout” it froze up. First time ever! Say it with me kids, this is why we test our equipment.

It had been fine just a few days ago but when I grabbed it to go on a hike, it wouldn’t fire up. I assumed the battery was dead but that wasn’t it. Eventually I had to do a reset; which means pressing the power and select buttons simultaneously for 12 seconds. That fixed it. It is fine again. No harm no foul.

Lesson learned: pressing the power and select buttons simultaneously for 12 seconds resets a SpotX. No big deal but I needed the internet to figure it out. I would never have been able to sit on a mountain top and “figure it out”. Who would?

In case you’re wondering, I went on my adventure that day without the SpotX. I’m cautious but not a wimp. Nor is SpotX my only “plan b”. I got so many backups to my backups I’ll run out of alphabet before I run out of options.

Anyway, if you buy one the reset procedure is a little bit of knowledge to store away. I’m probably going to put a note on the case so I never forget.

If you’re looking for a deeper two year long term review you’ll have to wait. Short version is that it has done everything I’ve asked of it every time in all conditions flawlessly for two years. What more could you possibly want? Drawbacks are that it’s a bit expensive and it feels like overkill for a short hike. The battery is very good but not magic. I’m not great about keeping it charged but that’s on me.

Remember, this ‘aint a cell phone. Cell phones are optimized for teenage dipshits posting selfies on TikToc. A SpotX is specifically designed to save your ass. Don’t confuse the two.

Also, the SpotX is just fine to turn off and ignore. A cell phone messes with your head and it’s hard to trust that it’s private even when it’s theoretically shut down. Given the choice between a handy rugged safety tool and a creepily invasive spying device that has a disturbing dopamine like mental effect on the user… you know my preference! Here’s my cell phone theme song:

Earlier posts about SpotX purchase and in use:

• • Gear Review: SpotX: Part 1
  • Gear Review: SpotX: Part 2: Philosophy
  • Gear Review: SpotX: Part 3: Details Q & A
  • Gear Review: SpotX: Part 4: More Q & A
  • Gear Review: SpotX: Part 5: More Q & A
  • SpotX Privacy / Rockwell, Somebody’s Watching Me (1984)
  • SpotX Pricing: Apples And Oranges
  • TW200: Gadgetry (Mounting a SpotX on a dirtbike.)
  • Flashlight Followup: Part 1 (Charging a SpotX with a dual purpose flashlight.)
  • Flashlight Followup: Part 2