Motogiro

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I know many riders don't ride the terrain we do here in SoCal but this is not just about riding.
My wife and I love nature and we hike when ever we get a chance to. We have many local trails in beautiful areas (canyons) within 2 miles of us.

This story about a couple hiking in Joshua Tree Monument Park is heartbreaking.
The gun they had was probably 3 times the cost of a geo location device. I know some will say the service of $140 to $150 a year is costly but it really isn't when you think about the possibilities.
Joshua Tree National Park: Missing hikers found dead, locked in an embrace - CNN

I started using a Spot about 6 years ago after I read a few stories about motorcyclist who went off the roadway and into a ravine. Never to be found till too late. One rider was actually using his cell phone to get help but they could not find him in time. With a geolocator the rider could have sent a an exact long/lat coord to within 20 feet. My geolocator has a free app for the phone so anyone I give a password to can monitor my location. I can also post a link where anyone who has the link can follow me. I used to post the link on forum group rides and members could to follow us.

The geolocator uses satellites to receive your location and then the unit can transmit (uplink) your location sending the location through a network where it posts the location to a server that link it to apps or internet links. As long as it can see the sky it can give your location. A cell phone can not send a message even if it knows where you are, without a cell tower.

You can actually rent these now but the expense is half the price of a years service so might as well invest the $150 or so for the unit and get the annual service.
 

bricksrheavy

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I always carry my phone on me (rather than in a tank bag or on a handlebar phone mount) because I fear running off the road and not being able to reach the phone.

Luckily (or unfortunately :D ) my country is so small all the roads have cell coverage but the geolocator seems like it could double as a anti theft device too.
 

Motogiro

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I always carry my phone on me (rather than in a tank bag or on a handlebar phone mount) because I fear running off the road and not being able to reach the phone.

Luckily (or unfortunately :D ) my country is so small all the roads have cell coverage but the geolocator seems like it could double as a anti theft device too.

There is a device the same company has that can be used as a tracking device. it's very small and can be wired to the bike or car or run on batteries and when the vehicle moves it wakes up and activates so you can track it.



Some gang members in San Diego stole an R1. It belonged to an ex Marine (no such thing as an ex Marine) it had a GPS locator on it. He and his friends payed a visit to the group. Holy!!!! Better than LoJack! LOL!
 
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zixaq

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A number of folks here in NorCal carry SPOT devices. The cost really isn't all that bad, and at least once a year someone goes off a cliff and dies because nobody can find them. Imagine being trapped in a ravine with a broken femur and no cell service. Not a fun way to go.

If you live in an area where cell coverage is everywhere, you can try Crashlight instead. It's part of an app called Eat Sleep Ride and is supposed to detect crashes and send out text alerts. Also allows you to share location with people, but you can also do that via google maps. Crashlight is only about $15 per year, for comparison.

Another consideration is the cost of a helicopter ride. If your insurance isn't crazy expensive, it's probably not covered, and it can be 10-20k for a chopper ride. If you spend a lot of time riding in the boonies, it might be worth $65 per year to get a membership. There used to be two services in California (REACH and CALSTAR), but I think they've since merged or something. (If you live in a civilized country, you can ignore this bit.)
 
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