ResLinkQ Personal Locator Beacon

[Fontanaman]

Rather than a Spot I am considering a ResqLink Personal Locator Beacon. It will cost me about $250 and lasts for 5 years without a battery change. There is no annual subscription and it does not do anything except send out a distress signal, no tracking and no messaging.

Here is some comparison of Spots to PLBs - review one - review two - these two articles are the best I could find on the web.

So I am leaning this way cause I can get personal location device in case of an emergency for about $50 per year. The wife is not interested in following a Spot track of me on the web.

Looking for others who have one of these are some other thoughts on Spot vs PLBs.

 

[101stpathfinder]

But SPOT will let others share your ride!

Also when considering and comparing, "Spotwalla" compatibility and all the advantages and features available through this wonderful service.

Complete recall, archiving, temperature, speed, Safe Zones ..... Jason really provides options!

 

[SacramentoMike]

Says it lasts five years before it's time for battery replacement, so it's not just fifty bucks a year for five years. It gets cheaper if you keep it long enough to get a new battery for about $100 to $150 and keep using it, but who knows what prices or capability will be in five years for anything electronic? Still, it's very reasonable compared to the Spot Tracker.

I have a Spot 2, and it's nice to know I could get help if needed, but the overall cost is higher--$120 now, according to the website, plus another hundred or so per year, depending on service level. That's over $600 for the first five years, plus those expensive and short-lived lithium batteries (maybe 4 or 5 days if used constantly for tracking). That's a big difference over time. The ResQLink has a more powerful signal, if you read through Jim's links, so it's signal would be received even if sent from a remote place where the Spot would not work. Also extremely important.

That emergency notification feature is the big deal for me, much more than the tracking. I think I like the sound of this gadget. When renewal time comes up this year, I might be listing my Spot in the "for sale" section.

 

[jayke]

I've got a SPOT2 with tracking. It's $149 per year.

I ride solo 90% of the time and always have the tracking feature on. My wife tracks me sometimes but not always.

Having just an emergency response button would be great if I was 100% certain I could push it when I needed it. What happens if you can't push the button? Then nobody can find you.

With Spot tracking, it sends your GPS coordinates every 10 minutes. Even if I can't push the emergency button I'd still be fairly easy to find. Look in the last place SPOT has recorded, probably multiple times. If I'm not there, I'm should be in a 6-7 mile radius of the last SPOT GPS location.

 

[101stpathfinder]

While I agree with the comments on the lithium batteries, I still think Spot is well worth the money.

I share the same thoughts as jayke. Really the two devices are apples and oranges. Each offers features that are unique.

Going back to a ride and reviewing various info from a ride is important for me, with others maybe not so much. My wife enjoys tracking me for whatever reasons (?) my Spot has tracked reliably with very few exceptions.

 

[Ed Sidders]

My Wife likes to know about which liquor store , whore house , gambling joint ,pool hall ,girlfriends place , or unsavory place I stopped at and how fast I was going to get there...Spot is a required leash here.