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SPOT Satellite Messenger


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. SPOT is simplex and cannot receive user data.

With the purchase of a basic (annual) subscription, SPOT allows short (41 character) 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".

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.



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