When looking at the SPOTs and seeing some drop off for hours, keep in mind that if they have the SPOT in a pack or bag, sometimes they'll get shuffled around and not transmit a signal directly. Chris's spot was really "spotty" (haha, appropriately named) the first day and when I talked to him he simply laughed and said he spaced out and put it in his little pack upside down. Once he fixed that, it transmitted much more frequently. Also, if they are in an area with a lot of trees, often the SPOT won't be able to send out a signal for a while.
If you talk to Ray at some point, remind him to put it in a position where it can have a clear shot at the sky (it'll usually go through a layer or two of fabric, but not much more).
Hope that helps! I've been on the worrying side of a stalled SPOT many times!
SPOT issues
When looking at the SPOTs and seeing some drop off for hours, keep in mind that if they have the SPOT in a pack or bag, sometimes they'll get shuffled around and not transmit a signal directly. Chris's spot was really "spotty" (haha, appropriately named) the first day and when I talked to him he simply laughed and said he spaced out and put it in his little pack upside down. Once he fixed that, it transmitted much more frequently. Also, if they are in an area with a lot of trees, often the SPOT won't be able to send out a signal for a while.
If you talk to Ray at some point, remind him to put it in a position where it can have a clear shot at the sky (it'll usually go through a layer or two of fabric, but not much more).
Hope that helps! I've been on the worrying side of a stalled SPOT many times!
-Marni Plesko