On Saturday, 10 August I found a bag containing a GPS and Spot transmitter kinda near Reflection Lake. Both had been rained on, but seem to power up correctly. I'd like to get these items, and others in the bag, back to their owner. Email or phone Steve at 916/685-3540 and describe to get all back.

Perhaps the owners left 'em behind after reading this article. .

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/14/opini ... -s-o-s.htm

I kinda agree with the article. I'm not a fan of hauling battery-powered devices into the backcountry, for several reasons.

I tried to contact the owner by contacting the Spot folks, but this particular device wasn't registered with them. Hope someone comes forward, because I don't really want either of the devices.

I take it these items somehow seemed forgotten or abandoned rather than left temporarily(?)

Good question about being left temporarily. I surely hope so.

A few years ago I climbed WFG on Shasta and one of the teammates frequently called his wife whenever the reception was. The last time he made the call from the summit and promised to call from Hidden Valley, back from our base camp. Unfortunately, for whatever the technical reason, he could not make the phone call. And guess what, his wife called local sheriff implying we were in trouble. I did not know about this till we came back home and never climbed with this guy again. Absurd!

The SPOT has an "ESN" number. Open the battery compartment and it should be on an internal label.
SPOT should be able to locate the registered owner with that number.
Jim
http://www.findmespot.com/en/contactus/index.php

If you are unable to find the SPOT owner, PM me. I lost my SPOT device near Islip Saddle and may be willing to make a deal. I have a GPS but I never use it.

that article is SHOCKING. Surely the hot chocolate request was exaggerated?!

What tech does everyone use?

FYI I call my wife all the time when there's reception. I facebook/instagram pics all the time when there's reception. LOVE THIS! So great to be able to do this and share our experiences w ppl. At the same time I don't mind when there's no service as the goal is often solitude.

I use maps w the gps (Topo Maps, iOS and I think Android) and have an extra battery, a great tool for tracking where you've gone.
I do NOT rely on these maps or rely on the cellphone for communication.

I got a SPOT Connect when it came out, it was crap and i returned it - apparently they had some issues that have been resolved but I had ZERO success w it.

I would try contacting the ranger stations or parks near that area to see if anyone is looking for them.

If no one claims them I would be glad to give them a new home.

I think the Spot II is a great tool and just because some people abuse it does not diminish its value. For example, last week I was traveling through Nevada and found a really cool canyon to hike up. I had not told anyone I was going so I used the Spot (my cell phone did not work) to send an OK message to my wife. It told her I was starting on a hike and the gps coordinates. I then set it to Tracker mode so that if for some reason I did not show up, she would be able to go on the Spot website and see where I was last at. And, if i were to get into trouble and need real assistance, I could have used it to call for assistance. There is nothing wrong with using technology in the back country unless you are a fan of 127 hours.
Jerry

If the real canyon looked like the slot canyon shown in 127 hours, I'd be very skeptical about satellite visibility in there. I agree that beacons can be useful, but 127 hours might be a bad example.

PS: And the movie was bad... but I should have know: What kind of story-line can a movie have which basically documents 127 hours of waiting?

schaffner wrote:If the real canyon looked like the slot canyon shown in 127 hours, I'd be very skeptical about satellite visibility in there. I agree that beacons can be useful, but 127 hours might be a bad example.

PS: And the movie was bad... but I should have know: What kind of story-line can a movie have which basically documents 127 hours of waiting?

As far as movies, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

It is nice to see some who aren't averse to SPOT, GPS, cell phones, etc. Just because something can be misused, poorly used, or does not have an imagined valued use for a given individual, some act on a desire to pour derision on it. However, I can understand valuing traditional knowledge, responsibility, and simplicity.

JulietSierra wrote:The SPOT has an "ESN" number. Open the battery compartment and it should be on an internal label.
SPOT should be able to locate the registered owner with that number.
Jim
http://www.findmespot.com/en/contactus/index.php

I put a notice up at Wilson's Eastside Sports in Bishop, the nearest big town with a reasonable sporting goods shop. Lots of mountaineering, climbing, and hiking activity there. I also phoned the Spot folks, who said that - amazingly - it was not registered to anyone! (Doesn't this make it useless??) Aside from the GPS, the other stuff is pretty trivial, but would help identify the real owner.

I guess I'll wait a while in hopes that someone gets back from their trip and starts looking around to see if someone picked it up. I encourage everyone to mention it to those who might be the owners. Otherwise, I'll contact people who have shown interest, or run it up on eBay.

I got a SPOT Connect when it came out, it was crap and i returned it - apparently they had some issues that have been resolved but I had ZERO success w it.

SPOT devices are, IMHO, toys and useful primarily for the novelty value of sending a location signal out of the wilderness.
(And for this use case you are, IMHO, far better off with a 2 way satellite pager) These devices are just as likely to cause unnecessary panic due to a missed signal as they are piece of mind.

And if you want an emergency beacon then you want a real PLB (a McMurdo, ACR, etc). These have far better transmitters, build quality, homing signals, and aren't designed as a carrot to get you to pay a monthly service fee.