As a rule of thumb, I shun most technology. When daylight savings rolls around, I have to buy a new watch because I can’t figure out how to change the time on mine. I ski with dog biscuits in my pocket because I’m convinced I don’t have my beacon set correctly and it will fail me. I figure milk bones give me a decent shot with the avalanche dogs as a backup. If that’s not convincing enough, there’s this: I still use an AOL e-mail address. Suffice it to say, I am certifiably old school.
I inherited this technophobe gene from my father who still carries a brick-like circa-1992 cell phone, which he only uses to call me for help with “that World Wide Web thing.”
My mother is fond of telling us we were both born 100 years too late.
Given this, it’s probably counterintuitive to assume this column would be about an exciting techie gadget I recently discovered, which I bought for my dad for Christmas. All I can say is, it’s the season for miracles.
The SPOT personal-location device is a low-cost high-tech GPS tracking unit that works around the world using satellite communication. Because of this, it works where cell phones won’t. SPOT reads satellite data from the Global Positioning System of satellites circling the earth. When activated, SPOT will acquire its exact coordinates from the GPS network, and send that location along with a distress message to an international 911 emergency call center every five minutes until it’s cancelled.
This emergency response center notifies the appropriate responders based on your location and personal information: search & rescue, police, paramedics, the Coast Guard, our country’s embassy or consulate, or other emergency response teams. It will also notify your emergency contact person(s) about the receipt of a distress signal. All you have to do is hit the SOS button on the device.
“SPOT represents a quantum leap in personal safety devices,” said Darren Bassel, director of retail marketing for SPOT, Inc. “It gives users a family of features that until now have not been available, and it does it at a fraction of the cost of the more limited devices presently available.”
Weighing less than a pound, SPOT is ideal for hikers, campers, hunters or any outdoor enthusiasts, which pretty much means most people in Park City should consider buying one. It’s like having an AAA policy for your life.
And SPOT is designed for extreme conditions: it floats, it’s waterproof, and works between -40 and 185 degrees. It also works virtually anywhere in the world, even thousands of miles offshore.
The company’s website, www.findmespot.com is littered with testimony of people around the world who were saved by SPOT. Many of these personal accounts of SPOT salvation hit home for me considering my dad is an avid hunter who often spends his days in the middle of nowhere, greeted only be the occasional camouflaged stranger with a gun.
But here’s the best part: It’s painfully easy to use, even for someone like my pops. There are only four buttons to choose from (fewer than what’s on his VCR), and each transmits messages based on varying levels of need.
The most important is the SOS button, which is used in the event of a life-threatening or other critical emergency to notify emergency services of your GPS location and that you need help.
Other features include the ability to text or email a pre-programmed message along with your GPS location to your contacts and allow them to track your progress using Google Maps. Those are probably nonessential varsity moves my dad won’t be using, but they are available for anyone who doesn’t need tech support to turn on a hairdryer.
And while I certainly hope this is a Christmas gift my dad will never have to use, I’m pleased to know old-fashioned peace of mind can be wrapped and put under a tree.
Amy Roberts is a freelance writer, public-relations guru and globe-trotting thrill seeker. In a former life she worked in TV news, both as a reporter and sports anchor. She has bagged peaks on six continents, kayaked the Zambezi and Nile rivers, swam with great white sharks in South Africa and tracked mountain gorillas in Rwanda. She was once very nearly sold for 2,000 camels while traveling through Morocco.