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SPOT Satellite Messenger

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SPOT Satellite Messenger, in a flotation case

SPOT is a GPS tracking device that uses the Globalstar satellite network to provide text messaging and GPS tracking (depending on the subscription type purchased). It has a coverage area that includes a large portion of the planet, with the exception of extreme northern and southern latitudes and parts of the Pacific Ocean.[1] SPOT is simplex and cannot receive user data.

With the purchase of a basic (annual) subscription, SPOT allows short (41 character[2]) user-defined text messages to be sent to a list of telephone and e-mail addresses. This basic subscription also allows users to push their location to emergency services. For an additional cost, SPOT can transmit a breadcrumb trail of GPS points, which users can configure to be displayed on a custom web page. These points are transmitted every 10 minutes, but include only latitude and longitude data, no elevation/altitude is possible.

In March 2010, SPOT claimed to have successfully "helped initiate more than 550 rescues in 51 countries on land and at sea".[3]

In early 2013, a variation of the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger called SPOT Connect was released. It allows the user to compose a custom message in real time using a smartphone.

References

  1. ^ Globalstar Satellite Coverage Area
  2. ^ "SPOT Connect". FindMeSpot.com. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  3. ^ "New Enhanced SPOT Messenger Summons First Emergency Rescue". FindMeSpot.com. Retrieved 28 February 2013.


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