Spot GPS Satelite messengers/beacons

I saw an article on the news the other day where someone was rescued using one of these: http://www.scoop.co.nz/multimedia/tv/national/64866.html More discussion on them here http://www.tramper.co.nz/?id=591&view=topic&offset=21 and here http://www.tramper.co.nz/?view=topic&id=534.

It's a shame TV3 didn't say anything about SPOT beacons and the more direct reasons why people actually buy them. (ie. Being able to send back OK messages and positions in a non-emergency context.) It was presented as if it was an awesome thing that you could send an unofficial message to a company in Texas who'd then notify local rescue authorities, but there's been technology that works more directly and reliably than SPOT beacons for this for years. If that's all that mattered, he'd have been better off with an EPIRB, which are responsible for the majority of similar rescues that go largely unreported beyond press releases and sometimes newspaper notice formalities. TV3 also said that SPOT beacons don't send tracking signals like other beacons, but I think they meant to say it the other way around. SPOT beacons do send regular tracking signals to indicate to contacts where you are, as long as the transmission gets through. They just include an SOS button as a convenience.

I'd gave assumed by tracking signal they mean the constant homing signal the epirb sends once activated that the chopper uses to locate you once they've been alerted and in the right area. Do spot send these?

Oh, maybe. As far as I'm aware (happy to be corrected) SPOTs only send a GPS-derived position through the Globalstar satellite network. Maybe someone with the right equipment could stand a chance of triangulating in on the signals somehow, as long as it keeps sending.

I have used one in OZ very successfully. It worked well in Tassie and neve lst one message. On my last two trips to NZ I used an Immarsat satellite phone. Fantastic. When camping out away from a docs hut, I could just call the local docs office and get the weather report. Many mountain guide companies arebusingnthem now, and I understand that docs are looking st them as well. It's probably overkill, but I carry the Spot and sat phone and my wife carries an epirb. we think that its important to carry one device each, because if I fall over a cliff witht the epirb it's not oing to do her much good. The satellite phone s fantastic..... you can talk to someone before having to Rees the panic button. they're cheap now as well