If you like to spend your free time on a four-wheeler in remote areas of the country, you’ll be glad to know about Spot Trace, an anti-theft GPS device designed for the rugged road. This system relies solely on GPS coverage, so you can get a signal just about anywhere – even in remote desert areas. And it’ll send a progress report to as many cell phones and email addresses that you choose. You could even keep your friends up to date on where you are in your adventure!
Why Invest in a GPS System for Your Off Road Trips?
CC Image courtesy of NRMA New Cars via Flickr
There are many advantages to having a GPS tracking device with you on your off road adventures. We know, you may feel deprived of the freedom of being out in the wide open spaces all by yourself, just you and your four-wheeler. However, if an accident were to occur, it’s great for someone to be able to come and find you without having to search too hard.
In addition to being a potentially life-saving device, this GPS system can simply be a means of keeping in touch with your family at home. If your wife isn’t too keen on off road adventures, she can at least be notified of your whereabouts as you explore on your own or with a friend.
One of the primary motivations behind the creation of the Spot Trace was to prevent theft. You’ve invested a lot into your four-wheeler, and you don’t want someone snatching it away from you as you take a walk to enjoy the scenery. While you can’t completely prevent theft with this GPS tracking device, you can start tracking your vehicle as soon as you realize that it’s taken.
So, What Does the Spot Trace Do?
Spot Trace devices rely solely on satellite technology. As long as weather conditions and foliage density are okay, your four wheeler can be tracked even in the remotest locations.
The device utilizes the vibrations of your vehicle to detect movement. So, as long as you’re moving, it can be transmitting messages to your programmed phone numbers and email addresses as often as every 2-1/2 minutes or as far apart as every hour.
The Spot Trace is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. It can easily fit into your backpack or in a small storage unit on your four wheeler. And since it weighs just over three ounces, you won’t even notice that it’s there!
Even though it’s small, this device is incredibly durable. It’s designed to be shaken around a little, since that’s what happens on off road adventures. It’s also designed to survive in most climates. It works best at temperatures ranging from -22 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit.
Users have found that using AAA Energizer Ultimate Lithium 8x batteries provide the longest battery life for this little device. That usually provides four to eight days of transmissions if you’re sending notifications every five minutes during constant movement. It will last for several months if you’re only riding about an hour a day and transmitting once during that time.
The initial cost for the Spot Trace device is currently $119.99. You’ll also need to purchase a service plan in order to transmit your location. The basic plan is $99.99 per year. If you’ll be transmitting reports at the maximum of every 2-1/2 minutes the plan’s cost doubles.
You’ll manage your Spot Trace account online. You’ll have your own unique account with a username and password. You’ll then have a wide variety of options to activate. As mentioned earlier, you can be notified while the unit is in motion. You can also be notified if the unit is ever powered off or if the battery is getting low. If you’re on a several day trip, you can program it to send a daily status update.
One of the cool items on your Spot Trace account is the ability to see where you’ve been. Once you get back from a trip, you can log in and pull up a map of your travels. This is also helpful if you have friends or family at home that want to keep track of where you’re going on your adventure. Just provide them with your unique username and password. They can see a map of where you’ve been and where you are currently located.
GPS Tracking during Off Road Trips – Is It Worth It?
It depends on your perspective. If you go on your off road adventures alone, it may be worth it to be transmitting your location home to a family member or friend. You can decide on a time to check in by calling or coming back. If you haven’t arrived or contacted anyone, then it’s time for your designated friend to pull up the map and find out where you are. Chances are, you may need help. Some would also consider Spot Trace well worth the expense for the tracking ability in case the vehicle is stolen. It’s much easier to find a stolen vehicle if you can track its location every five minutes or so!
Chronicling Your Off Road Adventures with Spot Trace
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