Satellite Personal Tracker (SPOT) Deal for COPA Members

Configuring SPOT Service (find out how SPOT works at www.findmespot.com )

Purchase SPOT (retail price about $170) either online at http://findmespot.ca/shop or from one of their dealers at http://www.findmespot.ca/en/locateadealer. You must create a user account and sign up for at least basic service ($99 US per year) in order to use SPOT. Basic service includes unlimited check-in, help and 911 reports. In addition, we highly recommend that you subscribe to the Track Progress service because it provides a bread-crumb trail of your flights. COPA has negotiated a discount (free Track Progress service for the first year – value $49). Call the COPA office (613-236-4901 – extension 100 - Cathy) or send an email to cstanton-gaudon@copanational.org to verify your membership and receive a code.

Go to https://login.findmespot.com/faces/customerinfo.jsp to activate your unit. Sign up for the Basic service plus Track Progress then click on “Have a promo code?” on that page before you enter your credit card information in order to get the Track Progress service for free.

When the user account has been established, log in at https://login.findmespot.com/faces/welcome.jsp

Select “DEFAULT” under “Edit Current Profile”

Complete the check-in, HELP and 911 sections, including email addresses and/or mobile device contacts and the messages you’d like to send.

An example of the check-in message is “Just checking in. Click on the link below to see my location.”

An example of a help message is “This is a request for help. I am OK but please send someone to the location indicated in the link below when conditions permit.”

In the 911 “Additional Information” box, type in a message to highlight that your SPOT is being used in an aircraft and that one of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centres should be the primary contact. It is important to note that SPOT is being used in an aircraft, otherwise your distress alert may be forwarded to local police for action instead of a Rescue Coordination Centre.

An example of a 911 message is:

“This SPOT is used in an aircraft. When 911 is received from this unit, call the Trenton Joint Rescue Coordination Centre 613-965-3870 or 800-267-7270 and tell them this is an aircraft distress call”.

Insert the closest JRCC to your normal operating area (Victoria, Trenton or Halifax) as your primary contact.

Victoria 250-363-2333 or 800-567-5111

Trenton 613-965-3870 or 800-267-7270

Halifax 902-427-8200 or 800-565-1582

Configuring Your Aircraft Checklist

Insert the following bolded items at the beginning of your pre-start checklist (bracketed words are for explanation):

Press and release SPOT “ON/OFF” button. (The green light above the “ON/OFF” button will begin to flash, indicating that SPOT is turned on and is seeking its location. There is no indication when it has determined its location, which takes normally up to 1 minute but can be longer depending on where it was last activated.)

After 2 seconds, press and release the “OK” button. (The green light above the “OK” button will begin to flash in sequence with the “ON/OFF” light unless SPOT has not yet determined its location. This action sends a check-in message to the central web site and to whoever you have set up in your profile. It can take up to 20 minutes for SPOT to establish its location and send a check-in message, depending on how far away it was last activated. Leave SPOT in this mode as long as possible (20 minutes would be ideal) to ensure that a message is sent).

Insert the following bolded items at the beginning of your pre-takeoff checklist and do the following just before you enter the runway:

Press and hold SPOT “ON/OFF” button until all lights extinguish. (This will turn off SPOT so that you are assured to get into “SPOTcasting” tracking mode.)

Press and release SPOT “ON/OFF” button. (This will turn SPOT back on.)

After 2 seconds, press and hold “OK” button until “OK” light flashes on and off (about 5 seconds). (SPOT will send a message to the central web site. Messages will be sent every 10 minutes for the next 24 hours unless you deactivate SPOT.)

Insert the following bolded items at the beginning of your post-flight checklist:

Press and hold SPOT “ON/OFF” button until lights extinguish. (This will disable tracking messages.)

Press and release SPOT “ON/OFF” button. (This will turn SPOT back on.)

After 2 seconds, press and release the “OK” button. (The green light above the “OK” button will begin to flash in sequence with the “ON/OFF” light unless SPOT has not yet determined its location. This action sends a check-in message to the central web site and to whoever you have set up in your profile. Leave SPOT in this mode as long as possible (20 minutes would be ideal) to ensure that a message is sent).

Insert the following bolded item at the end of your checklist:

Press and hold SPOT “ON/OFF” button until lights extinguish. (This will deactivate SPOT)

Tips for Using SPOT:

Place SPOT with the logo facing the sky (GPS antenna is located under the logo). Velcro to the top of the instrument panel or clip it to a sun visor.

If you need help, press and hold the “HELP” button for at least 2 seconds anytime while the unit is on. Messages will be sent to your contacts every 5 minutes for one hour. To deactivate HELP, press and hold the “HELP” button for 3 seconds.

To alert the central monitoring agency to contact a JRCC, press and hold the “911” button anytime while the unit is on. Messages will be sent to the central monitoring agency every 5 minutes until deactivated. To deactivate 911, press and hold the “911” button for 3 seconds.

There is a “Share” feature on the web site in order to let people view your location reports but not have access to your account information.