SPOT Retrieve's goal is to make pilot retrieves and following your flight buddies easier. Each time the pilot activates their SPOT Messenger, friends who are "following" the pilot will get notifications via their mobile phone of their GPS location. Pilot following can be activated and deactivated at any time by sending a text message to a free number.
Background: The SPOT messenger is a GPS device equipped with simple satellite communications. When activated, it sends a message, via satellite, to the email address and mobile device that you specify in advance.
The Problem: The email and mobile devices it sends the messages to must be defined via a web page in advance and is limited to only 10 emails or mobile numbers. It's tough to do when you're standing at launch and have just decided who the driver is and who your flying buddies are. If you've ever tried updating the findmespot webpage on a iPhone with just 2 bars, you know it sucks.
The Solution: SPOT Retrieve allows anyone to start receiving text message updates of your SPOT activations without having to update the webpage. Your retrieve driver or flying buddies can start getting notifications of your landing location by sending a text message to 40404 in the US (or other numbers internationally).
SPOT Retrieve uses Twitter and its free text message service to activate and deactivate pilot following and to send and receive text messages.
Another use for this is just a simple way of tweeting your landing location each time your activate SPOT. Some have linked their twitter and facebook accounts so that each time the hit their SPOT button, their Facebook status gets updated. You can link the two here
Monday, August 25, 2008
Setting up and Using SpotRetrieve
You'll need
1. a free Twitter account. Get one here.
2. a mobile phone that can send and receive text messages
If you just want to follow another pilot who has a SPOT, this is all you need. Those that want to follow and be followed also need to get:
3. a SPOT Messenger. Here are some cheap places to buy one online.
To Setup:
For those that just want to follow:
4. add your mobile phone to your Twitter account here.
You're done. Skip to the "To Use" section below.
If you also want to be followed:
5. go to www.spotretrieve.com and register your ESN number and your Twitter account info.
6. add incoming@spotretrieve.com to your SPOT Messenger's outbound email distribution for either your "Help" or "OK" message or both. I personally add the email to both so I have a choice of informing people whether I've landed safely or not.
7. add your ESN number anywhere in your SPOT message. For example, "Jim Chu landed. 0-7854462"
To Use:
a. Retrieve drivers or buddies follow you (i.e. turn on receiving your SPOT messages) by sending a SMS text message to 40404 in the US (or 21212 in Canada; see Twitter's help page for other countries).
For example, my twitter account id is "jimchu". A retrieve driver sends the text message "follow jimchu" to 40404 and the driver will get a text message each time I press OK or Help.
b. They can stop getting notifications for jimchu by texting "leave jimchu"
For a full list of twitter mobile text commands, see the Twitter help page.
To modify your spotretrieve registration, go to www.spotretrieve.com and login with the Twitter account info you registered with. Here you can update or delete your registration entirely. If you change SPOT devices or want to associate your SPOT with another Twitter account, click "delete registration" and start again at step (5).
Forgot your password? Reset it at twitter.com. Spotretrieve's username/password system is linked to twitter's and will work with your most recent twitter login. Here's the link to twitter's reset password system: http://twitter.com/account/resend_password
If you have more questions, read the FAQ or leave one in the comments for me to answer and add to the FAQ.
Got comments or other feedback, leave them here
Wanna talk to other people who are using this and share ideas, go to the User Forum
1. a free Twitter account. Get one here.
2. a mobile phone that can send and receive text messages
If you just want to follow another pilot who has a SPOT, this is all you need. Those that want to follow and be followed also need to get:
3. a SPOT Messenger. Here are some cheap places to buy one online.
To Setup:
For those that just want to follow:
4. add your mobile phone to your Twitter account here.
You're done. Skip to the "To Use" section below.
If you also want to be followed:
5. go to www.spotretrieve.com and register your ESN number and your Twitter account info.
6. add incoming@spotretrieve.com to your SPOT Messenger's outbound email distribution for either your "Help" or "OK" message or both. I personally add the email to both so I have a choice of informing people whether I've landed safely or not.
7. add your ESN number anywhere in your SPOT message. For example, "Jim Chu landed. 0-7854462"
To Use:
a. Retrieve drivers or buddies follow you (i.e. turn on receiving your SPOT messages) by sending a SMS text message to 40404 in the US (or 21212 in Canada; see Twitter's help page for other countries).
For example, my twitter account id is "jimchu". A retrieve driver sends the text message "follow jimchu" to 40404 and the driver will get a text message each time I press OK or Help.
b. They can stop getting notifications for jimchu by texting "leave jimchu"
For a full list of twitter mobile text commands, see the Twitter help page.
To modify your spotretrieve registration, go to www.spotretrieve.com and login with the Twitter account info you registered with. Here you can update or delete your registration entirely. If you change SPOT devices or want to associate your SPOT with another Twitter account, click "delete registration" and start again at step (5).
Forgot your password? Reset it at twitter.com. Spotretrieve's username/password system is linked to twitter's and will work with your most recent twitter login. Here's the link to twitter's reset password system: http://twitter.com/account/resend_password
If you have more questions, read the FAQ or leave one in the comments for me to answer and add to the FAQ.
Got comments or other feedback, leave them here
Wanna talk to other people who are using this and share ideas, go to the User Forum
FAQ
Doesn't SPOT do text messages already without this?
Yeah, sure it does. But you have to go to a web page in order to update who the text or email goes to. Hard to do at launch or in mid-air.
Forgot your Password?
Reset it at twitter.com. Spotretrieve's username/password system is linked to twitter's and will work with your most recent twitter login. Here's the link to twitter's reset password tool: http://twitter.com/account/resend_password
Can't get the URL link to the map to work?
Yeah, this is still an issue. Somehow, the long google map URL is being converted to a tinyURL and is screwing it up. I'm working on getting it fixed but for the time being, you have to punch in the GPS coordinates into your iPhone, GPS device, or Balckberry.
I saw someone's SPOT message auto-updated on their Facebook page. How do I do that?
Just add the twitter application to your Facebook account here
Who took that cool picture that's the wallpaper for the site?
I took it on a glass-off flight in Owens Valley, CA with an (untethered) iPhone.
Yeah, sure it does. But you have to go to a web page in order to update who the text or email goes to. Hard to do at launch or in mid-air.
Forgot your Password?
Reset it at twitter.com. Spotretrieve's username/password system is linked to twitter's and will work with your most recent twitter login. Here's the link to twitter's reset password tool: http://twitter.com/account/resend_password
Can't get the URL link to the map to work?
Yeah, this is still an issue. Somehow, the long google map URL is being converted to a tinyURL and is screwing it up. I'm working on getting it fixed but for the time being, you have to punch in the GPS coordinates into your iPhone, GPS device, or Balckberry.
I saw someone's SPOT message auto-updated on their Facebook page. How do I do that?
Just add the twitter application to your Facebook account here
Who took that cool picture that's the wallpaper for the site?
I took it on a glass-off flight in Owens Valley, CA with an (untethered) iPhone.
User Forum
This is where you can post your questions, comments and tips for other SpotRetrieve users.
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