One elderly man is very happy that his son had his SPOT GPS tracker with him when an ATV accident on an annual hunting trip left him unconscious and bleeding from the head. The accident, which occurred in August this year, came just two days after the unique tracking device was active by his son.
The SPOT GPS tracker is a stand alone real time GPS tracking device that works in a way different from most tracking devices. Instead of relying upon a cellular network to get its position data out so that it can be tracked it uses commercial satellites to relay this data to interested parties.
It is also specifically designed for outdoor enthusiasts who get away from civilization and cell phone signals. It has a specially designed 9-1-1 button that will notify local rescue authorities that you are having an emergency and that you need assistance. You can imagine how useful this feature is for people who in need of assistance when they are miles away from civilization.
Clarence Kolcun was 8 km away from base camp when he lost control of his ATV and rolled the vehicle on top of himself. When his son, Gordon, got to the scene of the accident his father was unconscious and bleeding from the head. Unable to adequately treat his father, he woke him up and drove the 8 km back to the base camp to retrieve the SPOT GPS tracker so that he could activate the 9-1-1 feature.
Twenty minutes after the 9-1-1 button was pushed, the Kolcun family was contacted by search and rescue authorities who inquired about the details of the men using the tracking device as well as some other identifying information like the make and model of their vehicle and the color of their ATVs.
This is by and large the strongest selling point for this type of GPS tracking unit. Being able to mobilize help in such a short time span is paramount in being able to survive an accident. Clarence was unable to move and could sense that he suffered from internal injuries. If there was no SPOT GPS tracker then help would have arrived much later than it eventually did.
As you might expect, the emergency personnel were able to locate the injured man and his companion and they were air lifted out of the bush so that the injuries of the injured could be treated.
SPOT GPS Tracker: SOS Device
This device is absolutely fantastic as an SOS GPS tracker. Because it does not rely on cell phone signals it is able to work in a wide variety of circumstances that would not normally be possible with conventional tracking units. This story is just one of the many different situations where a product of this nature did save the life of hunter, hiker, climber, or camper – and it certainly won’t be the last.
While these type of devices are certainly not perfect, they do provide a level of safety for outdoor adventurers that is unparalleled by any other device out on the market. Just take a look at the coverage that this device enjoys:
This means that if you are on an adventure in Australia and you find yourself lost and stranded in the Outback without water and food all you need to do is press your 9-1-1 SOS button and you are going to know that the authorities are going to be notified of your need and given your GPS coordinates sot that they can find you and provide the help that you need.
This type of GPS tracking system is certainly not cheap. As you can see, the device itself costs around $100 – but that is not the end of the cost associated with this device. For 1 year of basic service you are going to have to pony up another $100. While this may seem like a lot right now, I am sure that when something catastrophic happens then it will seem like nothing!
When it comes down to it, the vast majority of people are not going to need a device like this. Thousands upon thousands of people go out into the wilderness each year and come home without incident. They simply do not need a GPS device that tracks their movements and alerts family members of their whereabouts. It is superfluous for these people.
But then every year there are dozens upon dozens of individuals or groups that could definitely benefit from this type of tracking capability. They have a very serious injury in their party and the difference between life and death can only be a matter of minutes. It is for these people that the SPOT Satellite GPS Messenger are some important for.
Who will these people be? If you have an elderly person in your hunting or camping party, it could be you. Or if you have young children on your back packing trip, it could be you. If you have a first time climber going up the mountain with you, it could be you. If you attempting a dangerous route, it could be you. The thing is, it could be any of us at any moment. We just never know when a stray rock is going to slide off a mountain and strike one of our companions, or a wild animal decide to attack, or a freak weather phenomena blows away all your gear. Anyone could need the help of a SOS GPS tracker.
That is why we need to walk with out eyes open when we make these types of trips out into the wilderness. If we have weighed our options and decided that we don’t need the assistance of a GPS tracking device to give us the extra sense of security then we should not buy one. But when we want that little extra comfort of knowing that help is only a button away – that is when getting a SPOT GPS tracker is the right move.