After more info before purchasing one of the systems for personnel use on extended trips and use at work.
Ive only just come across the fastfind and it looks a far more robust unit and uses the professional search and rescue frequencies and there is no sibscription service. It would seem to me the slightly better emergency locator for SAR teams etc but that is all it does. Also has better coverage.
http://www.fastfindplb.com/en/
Spot ive read conflicting reveiws about coverage, battery life etc so would like some of the gumpf displed if you can. Slow up take speeds and uses private owned service not govermental with a paid for subscription. Does have the feature to let your family know your safe adn shows them locations on google earth which is a nice non survival feature but does not seem as good at the primary function of the fastfind. The coverage doesnt cover much ocean which is also a worry.
http://www.findmespot.eu/en/
found this comparison which seemed quite good
Any practical expeirence or exposure to either system information welcome
Ive only just come across the fastfind and it looks a far more robust unit and uses the professional search and rescue frequencies and there is no sibscription service. It would seem to me the slightly better emergency locator for SAR teams etc but that is all it does. Also has better coverage.
http://www.fastfindplb.com/en/
Spot ive read conflicting reveiws about coverage, battery life etc so would like some of the gumpf displed if you can. Slow up take speeds and uses private owned service not govermental with a paid for subscription. Does have the feature to let your family know your safe adn shows them locations on google earth which is a nice non survival feature but does not seem as good at the primary function of the fastfind. The coverage doesnt cover much ocean which is also a worry.
http://www.findmespot.eu/en/
found this comparison which seemed quite good
Both SPOT and the McMurdo Fastfind GPS Personal Locator Beaconwork well almost every where in the world. EPIRB's do have slightly better world coverage. Spot Satellite Messenger with GPS Tracking
has some dead zones in southern Africa and the high arctic. Personal EPIRB's like the McMurdo cost more but do not require a yearly monitoring fee and do not have the ability to send non emergency messages. The SPOT uses 2 AA size lithium rechargeable batteries and has a standby life of 12 months. Battery life while on transmit is usually longer with a personal EPIRB and personal EPIRB's such as the Fastfind also transmit on 121.5 MHZ a continuous homing beacon for rescuers to follow. This is a nice feature for areas along the coast where the US Coast Guard patrols, but unfortunately few land based rescuers in national forests will have the required equipment to receive the signal. Weight is a big issue to hikers. SPOT weighs only 7.37 ounces and the McMurdo Fastfind weighs only 9 ounces, barely a noticeable difference. The McMurdo Fast-find is approximately 6 inches long and the SPOT measures just under 4 and a half inches.
On the technical level the McMurdo uses geostationary COSPAS-SARSAT satellites and SPOT uses communication satellites. The McMurdo Fastfind uses the same technology that the beacons required to be carried commercial ships and airplanes do, which is designed first and foremost to be an official emergency distress system. with rigid specifications. While EPIRB distress signals are handled by government and international agencies, SPOT emergency messages are handled through a private company, the GEOS Emergency Response Center in Houston, Texas and it's support centers around the world.
EPIRB response time is not available but I'm pretty sure they do not need as long to start sending a distress call to satellites as the SPOT unit does. Many new EPIRB's such as the Fastfind do use GPS like SPOT does to identify the exact location of the distress call, but the difference is that the EPIRB will begin to transmit immediately, giving a rough indication of the users location and then as the internal GPS acquires the exact location it will add this information to the distress call being transmitted. In my opinion, there is some slight trade off between the two in response time but that is not easily provable. The makers of SPOT claim that it has a 99.5 percent "up time" or connectivity.
I personally carry the McMurdo Fastfind but there are times I wish that I had a SPOT to send a quick one-way family message.
Although it is waterproof and floats the SPOT units are not designed to act as a emergency beacon onboard a boat, nor are personal EPIRB's. Boaters should instead use a regular sized 406 EPIRB unit that will activate when in contact with water and float.
Summary. For the serious hiker both types are worthy products. Also if you have any condition such as allergies to bee stings, etc either is a must have if you are going to be in a remote area. For everybody else, they're a great idea to have and could save your life or that of someone you love.
Any practical expeirence or exposure to either system information welcome
