Alternative to APRS/Spot Tracker

Okay, it's not nearly as interesting or fun as building your own little APRS transmitter, but for those who are looking for a quick solution to providing friends/loved ones/lookey-lous a way to track them (and don't mind paying for something they could otherwise have for free), I came across this today: http://www.zoombak.com/products/auto/

Interesting

But cell tower coverage is not great, especially where I fly.

The one hour period for continuous tracking (possible extensions somehow) are also inadequate for flying three-four hour legs.

Ahhhh. I didn't read enough of the fine print. I saw "GPS" and assumed it used only satellite GPS.

While it may use GPS to derive a position...it has to communicate with someone and that is the issue. It uses cell towers whereas Spot uses the Globalstar system. PLBs use government SAR systems on polar orbiting and Geosynch satellites.

Still being aware of what is available allows people to make informed decisions. Just an hour ago I was considering getting a Spot but since it uses Globalstar and I am not sure how viable they are long-term, I am putting that purchase on hold.

What is the Value of Amateur Band Frequencies?

And of course, APRS uses amateur radio frequencies for transmitting your position and other information. Before getting my Ham license, I looked at all kinds of options for tracking my balloons. Living in New England where there are a lot of trees makes it very difficult for my chase crew to find me sometimes, since the roads also never go where you want them to! There are trackers built into kids watches, there are hacks available for cellphones which intercept the 911 gps signal and send it off on the cellular network, lots of ways to do it. But long-range aircraft tracking requires good signal reliability.

I am always struck by the prices that large telecom companies pay at auction for frequency rights - it is truly staggering. Hams get to use their dedicated frequencies for nothing other than some training - it's quite a bargain!