Blog bilong Mitupela HomeBlogHikingHiking PhotosArtContact
Log inRegister

Our Hiking Adventures

  • Front Page
  • Latest pages
  • Latest comments
  1. Our Hiking Adventures
  2. Walks
  3. Bibbulmun Track
  4. 2011: North to South
  5. SPOT2 GPS Messenger :: 54-Day On Track Review
  • Bibbulmun Track 2011 :: Wrap-Up →

SPOT2 GPS Messenger :: 54-Day On Track Review

SPOT2 GPS Messenger :: 54-Day On Track Review

The SPOT2 Messenger is a Satellite GPS Messenger that provides a unique line of communication with friends and family when you want it, and emergency assistance when you need it. Using 100% satellite technology, the SPOT works virtually anywhere in the world, even where cell phones don't – all with the push of a button. This review looks at how the device performed over 54 days on the Bibbulmun Track in the South-West of Western Australia.

Background

In a previous review of the SPOT2 Messenger (based on our usage on our Mittagong to Katoomba walk), I stated our understanding of what the SPOT2 is:

  • Small, light device: Treat with care
  • Use with discretion: Like all GPS Devices it wont work everywhere
  • Messages are one way only: No receipt of successful delivery available
  • Customer service may be less than satisfactory: Tread carefully

So: Why are we using a SPOT Messenger?

I wanted something more social than a standard PLB
I can let selected friends and family, and the rest of the world through social networking links, know where we are up to and that we are OK without getting the emergency services involved and without relying on a mobile phone and coverage.
I wanted one-way communication: I wanted to be able to contact others without them having the ability to contact me. Getting away was one of the objectives of our bushwalking after all ;).
I wanted the reassurance of having a PLB-like device in case we did get into trouble.
I think that the level of PLB-ness that the SPOT provides is enough in the situations we were likely to find ourselves. Note: I do understand that it's not a full PLB, that its battery doesn't last 7 years (but neither does my GPS battery ;), etc etc..
I wanted the ability to request help from friends rather than emergency services.
The customisable messages allow personalisation for each owner and/or journey. The "Please Help" message seemed much more like the type of message that we'd be needing in our walking: We've lost our packs and food – please come and pick us up... We've got back to the car and the battery is dead... that type of non-life threatening thing.

Method

The SPOT has four types of messages, apart from the Tracking function (I don't use the Tracking function, as I've a very good GPS that does that):

  1. The PLB equivalent SOS message
  2. A "Please Help" message (that doesn't go to Emergency Services)
  3. A "Check-in OK" message
  4. A customisable message that I set up as an end-of-day message... "we've set up camp here for the night" type of thing
These messages can be sent to various recipients:
  • Email accounts
  • SMS Numbers
  • Social Network accounts

Each walk day of our trek (53 days), I sent a Check-In OK message at each scheduled stop. The itinerary was well identified before the walk and was available on our webpage, which allowed people to check our progress: Morning Tea, Lunch, Afternoon tea and the End of Day message at Camp. This framework worked well on our Mittagong to Katoomba walk, allowing me to send emails / SMS to people looking after us as well as posting the messages on Social media for all and sundry so see. It was great fun to come home and see some of the discussion that ensued in our absence...

Review Discussion

In my previous review I discuss the other on-line reviews I accessed in researching the SPOT, and there were some basic and important areas that were questioned by other users: Reliability, Usability and Hardiness. I obviously worked through my concerns to purchase the SPOT... So how did it perform over the two months on the Bibbulmun?

I've broken our data down into the three important areas for specific:

Message Reliability
The messages have to get through to be any use, surely?
Battery Life
It's a small and light device, but if I have to carry a pocket full of batteries I won't be happy.
Hardiness
The device has to stand up to general, if not a little careful, on-track treatment.

Overall though, I'm am extremely happy with the little device and am more than happy to keep the submission going and to use it in future.

Reliability :: Transmission Success

Obviously, Reliability is the single most important aspect for this type of device, although for the majority of its use its function was not critical, which affected how we used it. Generally I didn't fuss too much with the location when sending: on the track I'd get into a clear space where we'd stopped, but not go too far; if at a camp site it'd be the table in front of the shelter. If I was in a critical situation and in a location that was not ideal I'd definitely adjust my location as suited (if possible).

The manufacturers are at pains to stress the importance of having a clear sky above the device and the correct orientation for best reception. Obviously, this is not always possible, and realistically I wanted to get an idea how the SPOT performed in less than ideal conditions. Over the period of the walk we had to transmit in wildly different areas:

  • Heavy canopy forest – Medium canopy woodland – No canopy heath
  • Deep in river valleys – High on mountain tops – In the middle of open plains

Over the period of the walk we ended up sending a total of 143 messages (thankfully no emergency or come and get me messages), of which 137 were successfully received and transmitted by the satellites and 6 failed. This 96% success rate is about the same as the 97% I recorded on my Battery Testing.

Success 137 96%
Failure 6 4%
Total 143 100%

It's not always easy to discern why a particular message failed. The SPOT does not inform you that the satellite has just failed to receive the message just sent, which is why it is critical to ensure that the SPOT goes through the full message cycle (The results from my Battery Test indicated that 26% of messages failed on their first attempt!). The SPOT does have a degree of redundancy to allow for environmental blockages to the satellite, but I guess you can just be unlucky three times in a row. Canopy and land form probably played a part down in the River Valleys, but it could have been something as obscure as a hut, a toilet and a rock getting in the way three different times.

I've added our unscientific measurement of the canopy to the Transmission Log, which is plotted against the elevation profile, as an indication of what may have been an issue (I wished when I got home that I'd taken a photo specifically of the canopy at each send location... next time maybe?)

Battery Life

SPOT2 GPS Messenger :: 54-Day On Track Review
Note: I do not use the Lithium batteries recommended by the manufacturer, as I wanted to use my Powerex Imedion 950mAh AAAs (I purchase from ProTog), which are rechargeable on our FUSE Solar Charger.

During my Battery Testing I managed 200 messages on a set of batteries: so I wasn't expecting to drain the batteries over the two months, though I carried spares just in case (the AAAs are also used in our head lamps). Spares are obviously necessary in times of emergency as well, as the SPOT will transmit continually until the batteries are drained (or the unit reset).

As expected, the single set of batteries managed the entire 54 day walk. The 143 messages being well less than the 150 messages that was my possible swap-out time. I'm not exactly sure how much was left in them at the end of the walk, as I didn't test them.

Next time, I may just trust my calculations more and leave my spares at home and rely on the headlamps for spares if required ;).

Hardiness

Over the 2-month period of the walk we used the SPOT in:

  • Heavy rain: where I'd set it going, run out and place it on the ground then retreat back to shelter again.
  • Seaside: there were many kilometres of beach walking on the Bibbulmun – many messages were sent during a stop on the beach where it was generally windy and always sandy and salty.
  • Snow: not this time ;)
  • as well as Beautiful sunny & warm weather :).

On Day 4 we had a wee mishap with the SPOT. Having read numerous reviews on-line that complained about the device being fragile and drops causing it to stop working, I was cautious handling the SPOT from the very beginning. Mind you: I was also concerned that I'd forget that it was on the ground somewhere transmitting and lose it too, which led me to always put my hat down first, and then putting the SPOT on top of my hat (my reasoning being that I was much less likely to leave without my hat – although I did in fact do just that leaving Mt. Clare after lunch on Day 42).

Anyway, at morning tea on Day 4 we found a nice morning tea spot just off the track on a wee rock outcrop, so leaving our packs and the FUSE on the track headed to our rocks to relax in the wonderfully warm sun. Unfortunately, the wind caught my hat and the SPOT crashed onto the rocks (~2m fall)! After all the bad reviews the SPOT had received concerning the ease of failing after moderate knocks I was a little worried. All the right lights were working, though from memory, non-functional lights was not the problem with the failed SPOTs, so I continued to worry (without being able to do too much). Later, when we came into phone reception again, we were to SMS Nat for confirmation that the SPOT was still sending and that FaceBook and Twitter were still receiving; Nat's instant reply: "Yes". Which means it only has a couple of scratches to worry about. So although I have no doubts that the SPOT can be fragile, it survived this fall in tact.

When not in use I carry the SPOT in the top flap of my pack, with all the other electronic gadgets. Generally there is not an issue, but more than once I accidentally crashed the top of my pack into over-hanging limbs, rocks, etc. The SPOT was not affected by this or the normal jarring that happens when dropping your pack (accidentally).

Over the period of the walk the two covered buttons ("SOS" and "Please Help") had their decals worn off. I don't think this is critical, but it is a shame.

The only time that I think the worn decals would be a problem is if Sandi had to use the device (as she generally doesn't, although I have trained her), and she forgot which button was which (although they are detailed under the cover as well).

Conclusion

The SPOT2 performed well within our expectations. The 96% success rate, without too much thought for location, is what I'd expect now. Not that I intended to test the hardiness of the device, but I'm also glad that maybe I don't need to be quite so paranoid about its fragility ;)

One small gripe is that the manufacturers changed the set-up of the SPOT-Adventures page and essentially making it SPOT owners only. This probably does make it easier for single sign on, but it also makes it impossible for guests. It's nothing that can't be worked around, and a 'guest' site can be set up on other sites: but it was a shock to discover that all my links were not working :()

The other aspect of the social networking that was a little disappointing was that the SPOT links have a short life. I think it would be much better to have your map link as always available, otherwise anyone accessing old Social Network links get a target not found error.

SPOT Transmission Log

Each of our 143 SPOT Transmissions is plotted below on the elevation profile. The shade of green indicates the density of the canopy, with dark green being the densest and the lightest being 0% canopy. The photograph is generally a photo taken at the time of the transmission, or of the actual location.

Day 1

Start of Walk – Kalamunda Trackhead

Day 1

Lunch

Day 1

End of Day – Hewett's Hill

Day 2

Morning tea – Mundaring Weir Hotel

Day 2

Lunch – Balls Creek

Day 2

End of Day – Helena

Day 3

Morning tea

Day 3

Lunch – Waalegh

Day 3

Afternoon tea

Day 3

End of Day – Beraking

Day 4

Morning tea

Day 4

Lunch – Mount Dale

Day 4

End of Day – Brookton

Day 5

Morning tea

Day 5

End of Day – Canning

Day 6

Morning tea – Canning River

Day 6

Lunch

Day 6

End of Day – Monadnocks

Day 7

Morning tea – Mt. Vincent

Day 7

Lunch

Day 7

End of Day – Mt Cooke

Day 8

Morning tea

Day 8

Lunch – Nerang

Day 8

Afternoon tea

Day 8

End of Day – Gringer Creek

Day 9

Morning tea – Boonerring Hill

Day 9

Lunch

Day 9

End of Day – White Horse

Day 10

Morning tea

Day 10

End of Day – Mt Wells

Day 11

Morning tea

Day 11

End of Day – Chadoora

Day 12

Morning tea

Day 12

Lunch

Day 12

Trackhead & End of Day – Dwellingup

Day 13

Morning tea

Day 13

End of Day – Swamp Oak

Day 14

Morning tea

Day 14

Lunch

Day 14

End of Day – Murray

Day 15

Morning tea

Day 15

Lunch – Driver Road Ford

Day 15

End of Day – Dookanelly

Day 16

Morning tea

Day 16

Lunch – Long Gully Bridge

Day 16

End of Day – Possum Springs

Day 17

Morning tea

Day 17

End of Day – Yourdamung

Day 18

Morning tea

Day 18

Lunch

Day 18

End of Day – Harris Dam

Day 19

Breakfast – Harris Dam Lookout

Day 19

Morning tea

Day 19

End of Day – Collie River Tourist Park

Day 21

Morning tea

Day 21

Lunch – Mungalup Dam

Day 21

End of Day – Yabberup

Day 22

Morning tea – Glen Mervyn Dam

Day 22

Lunch – Mumby Pub

Day 22

End of Day – Noggerup

Day 23

Morning tea

Day 23

Lunch

Day 23

End of Day – Grimwade

Day 24

Morning tea

Day 24

Lunch

Day 24

End of Day – Balingup Park

Day 25

Morning tea

Day 25

Lunch

Day 25

End of Day – Blackwood

Day 26

Morning tea

Day 26

End of Day – Gregory Brook

Day 27

Morning tea – Willow Springs picnic area

Day 27

Lunch – Snake Road

Day 27

End of Day – Donnelly River Village

Day 28

Morning tea

Day 28

End of Day – Tom Road

Day 29

Morning tea – One Tree Bridge

Day 29

Lunch

Day 29

End of Day – Boarding House

Day 30

Morning tea

Day 30

End of Day – Beavis

Day 31

Morning tea

Day 31

Lunch – Carey Brook Waterfall

Day 31

End of Day – Beedelup

Day 32

Morning tea

Day 32

Lunch – Big Brook Dam

Day 32

End of Day – Pemberton Caravan Park

Day 33

Morning tea – Pemberton Cascades

Day 33

End of Day – Warren

Day 34

Morning tea

Day 34

End of Day – Schafer

Day 35

End of Day – RoundTu-It Holiday Park

Day 36

Morning tea

Day 36

End of Day – Gardner

Day 37

Morning tea

Day 37

End of Day – Maringup

Day 38

Morning tea

Day 38

Lunch

Day 38

End of Day – Dog Pool

Day 39

Morning tea

Day 39

Lunch

Day 39

End of Day – Mt Chance

Day 40

Morning tea – Mt Pingerup

Day 40

Lunch

Day 40

End of Day – Woolbales

Day 41

Morning tea – Mandalay Beach Lookout

Day 41

End of Day – Long Point

Day 42

Morning tea

Day 42

Lunch – Mt Clare

Day 42

End of Day – Rest Point Caravan Park

Day 43

Morning tea – Walpole

Day 43

End of Day – Coalmine Beach Caravan Park

Day 44

Morning tea

Day 44

End of Day – Frankland

Day 45

Morning tea

Day 45

Lunch – Tree Top Walk

Day 45

End of Day – Giants

Day 46

Morning tea

Day 46

Lunch – Conspicuous Beach Lookout

Day 46

End of Day – Rame Head

Day 47

Morning tea – Castle Rock, Point Irwin

Day 47

End of Day – Peaceful Bay

Day 48

Morning tea – sheltering in the Showgrounds

Day 48

Lunch – Big Quarram Beach

Day 48

End of Day – Boat Harbour

Day 49

Morning tea

Day 49

Lunch – Mazzoletti Beach

Day 49

End of Day – William Bay

Day 50

Morning tea – Monkey Rock

Day 50

End of Day – Denmark Rivermouth Caravan Park

Day 51

Morning tea – Nullaki

Day 51

Lunch

Day 51

End of Day – West Cape Howe

Day 52

Morning tea

Day 52

Lunch

Day 52

End of Day – Torbay

Day 53

Morning tea – Mutton Bird viewing platform

Day 53

End of Day – Hidden Valley

Day 54

Morning tea

Day 54

End of Walk – Albany Trackhead


Collected Data
Mitupela.net Bibbulmun Track Page
The Summary & Overview of our big adventure: all roads lead from here!
53 Day Track Log
The Foundation's Distance Tables tracked on our GPS into Distance / Time / Hours / Speed point to point.
Cup-a-Soup Ratings
Cup-a-Soups are a great addition to the camping dinner: We scored all our evening soups.
Back Country Ratings
We used 42 Back Country dehydrated meals over the walk, scoring them each night (& once for breakfast): hunger sauce and discerning palates.
Cafe Ratings
The cafes on the track are often dreamt about on the way there: here is what we found when we got there.
Bread Ratings
We used bread for our lunches on the track and found that the different types performed quite differently.
Camp Ground Ratings
When in town we tented: the facilities were very important for the upcoming sections and variable!
Mapping / GPS
Google Earth Day Tracks
Each day's walk as a Google Earth Track, and one track of all the days combined into a single track.
Google Earth Section Tracks
The 53-day walk split into the Foundation's Sections with the extra 'bits' removed; also a combined Northern Track and Southern Track.
SPOT Adventure Page
Use an integrated map, Download KMZ & GPX files, shelter photos.

Timelapse
54 Day Timelapse
Over the 54 days of our trek, we took a portrait photo each morning before setting off on the day's walk and then each afternoon when we'd reached camp -- often capturing the morning's optimism and then the afternoon's pain of the journey on our faces.
Photo Albums
Flora of the Bibbulmun Track
Kalamunda – Donnelly River
Donnelly River – Albany
Orchids of the Bibbulmun Track
Trees of the Bibbulmun Track
Stumps of the Bibbulmun Track
Fungi of the Bibbulmun Track
Photographs of the plants we found along the way: The abundant flowers, huge trees, amazing fungi and sculptured stumps.
Photographs of the Bibbulmun Track
The track was an ever-present and ever-changing companion for 54 days: here it is up close and personal.
Panoramas of the Bibbulmun Track
The SONY made neat sweeping panoramas, which detail the changing environment over the 1,000km.
Fauna of the Bibbulmun Track
We were amazed at the lack of fauna we found, what we did find is here.
The Bibbulmun Track :: Our 2011 Walk
For 8 weeks in September & October we took over 9,000 photos: Week 1 – Week 2 – Week 3 – Week 4 – Week 5 – Week 6 – Week 7 – Week 8

Created by perry • Last edit by perry on November 24th, 2018

No feedback yet


Form is loading...

Comment feed for this post

Search these adventures:

  • Our Hiking Adventures
  • Walks
    • Australian Alps Walking Track
    • Bibbulmun Track
      • 2011: North to South
        • Bibbulmun Track :: Preparations
        • Day 1 :: Kalamunda to Hewitt's Hill
        • Day 2 :: Hewitt's Hill to Helena
        • Day 3 :: Helena to Beraking
        • Day 4 :: Beraking to Brookton
        • Day 5 :: Brookton to Canning
        • Day 6 :: Canning to Monadnocks
        • Day 7 :: Monadnocks to Mt Cooke
        • Day 8 :: Mt Cooke to Gringer Creek
        • Day 9 :: Gringer Creek to White Horse
        • Day 10 :: White Horse to Mt Wells
        • Day 11 :: Mt Wells to Chadoora
        • Day 12 :: Chadoora to Dwellingup
        • Day 13 :: Dwellingup to Swamp Oak
        • Day 14 :: Swamp Oak to Murray River
        • Day 15 :: Murray River to Dookanelly
        • Day 16 :: Dookanelly to Possum Springs
        • Day 17 :: Possum Springs to Yourdamung
        • Day 18 :: Yourdamung to Harris Dam
        • Day 19 :: Harris Dam to Collie
        • Day 20 :: Rest Day in Collie
        • Day 21 :: Collie to Yabberup
        • Day 22 :: Yabberup to Noggerup
        • Day 23 :: Noggerup to Grimwade
        • Day 24 :: Grimwade to Balingup
        • Day 25 :: Balingup to Blackwood
        • Day 26 :: Blackwood to Gregory Brook
        • Day 27 :: Gregory Brook to Donnelly River
        • Day 28 :: Donnelly River to Tom Road
        • Day 29 :: Tom Road to Boarding House
        • Day 30 :: Boarding House to Beavis
        • Day 31 :: Beavis to Beedelup
        • Day 32 :: Beedelup to Pemberton
        • Day 33 :: Pemberton to Warren
        • Day 34 :: Warren to Schafer
        • Day 35 :: Schafer to Northcliffe
        • Day 36 :: Northcliffe to Gardener
        • Day 37 :: Gardner to Maringup
        • Day 38 :: Maringup to Dog Pool
        • Day 39 :: Dog Pool to Mt Chance
        • Day 40 :: Mt Chance to Woolbales
        • Day 41 :: Woolbales to Long Point
        • Day 42 :: Long Point to Rest Point
        • Day 43 :: Rest Point to Coalmine Beach
        • Day 44 :: Coalmine Beach to Frankland
        • Day 45 :: Frankland to Giants
        • Day 46 :: Giants to Rame Head
        • Day 47 :: Rame Head to Peaceful Bay
        • Day 48 :: Peaceful Bay to Boat Harbour
        • Day 49 :: Boat Harbour to William Bay
        • Day 50 :: William Bay to Denmark
        • Day 51 :: Denmark to West Cape Howe
        • Day 52 :: West Cape Howe to Torbay
        • Day 53 :: Torbay to Hidden Valley
        • Day 54 :: Hidden Valley to Albany
        • Bibbulmun Track 2011 :: Wrap-Up
        • SPOT2 GPS Messenger :: 54-Day On Track Review
    • Great North Walk
    • Six Foot Track
    • Kanangra Walls
    • Mittagong to Katoomba
    • Pipeline Track
  • Our Gear
  • General

Tag cloud

Albany Balingup «Coalmine Beach» Denmark «Donnelly River» Northcliffe preparations

Recent photos

SPOT2 GPS Messenger :: 54-Day On Track Review
SPOT2 GPS Messenger :: 54-Day On Track Review
SPOT2 GPS Messenger :: 54-Day On Track Review

Disclaimer

Any maps, GPS, photos should be checked thoroughly before heading out into the wilderness.
Run your own website!

This collection ©2019 by perry • Contact • Help • Website builder

Cookies are required to enable core site functionality. ©2019 by Blog bilong Mitupela.