I don't know if this is available on the SPOT Gen 4 one way communicators.
But I just noticed the feature on the SPOT X, it allows for group messaging. I had not noticed it previously so perhaps I'm an idiot? Or maybe it was included in the prior firmware update and I just never noticed it. Honestly no clue, but it MUST be set up on the web portal, then "synced" to your unit to work.
In any case it is something I had hoped they would add but just found.
With any satellite communicator the messages typically send slow and received slow. Sometimes you want to send the same message to multiple people, not necessarily and emergency message. Also not necessarily a simple 'check in' message.
SPOT X now has GROUPS, so I set up a group that includes my wife & daughter. Another group I call FAMILY which adds in some additional family members. SPOT X allows for up to 70 different 'contacts' and each group takes up 1 of those 'contacts'. My SPOT X contact list only has key people I need to stay in contact with for emergencies so I only have a small number of contacts. Adding a couple "groups" didn't really change that because the new "groups" are filled with subsets of my existing contacts so I am still well below the 70 allowed contacts.
The beauty of the GROUPs is that I don't have to type up the same message multiple times and send it multiple times. If I understand it correctly if there are 2 people in the group it still counts as 2 outgoing messages. 3 people in the group = 3 outgoing messages. But it makes it much easier to communicate with multiple people. I can now send multiple people one of my free/unlimited 'pre-defined' messages, of which I have 14 different messages allowed to be saved in my SPOT X.
I can send multiple people a 'custom' message, of which my plan allows for 120 'free' custom messages per year, if I go over 120 custom messages then I pay a small fee per message.
If you click on the CREATE NEW GROUP you get a new window that asks you to NAME the group, then you simply select the people you want in the group. Hit the SAVE button when done and you now have a new group that shows up in your list of contacts. You have to SYNC your SPOT X with your computer at this point to get the group uploaded into your SPOT X.
The SPOT X still seems to be the best satellite communicator/tracking device for simple communications. A satellite phone obviously would be a better tool but it would also be totally overkill for most backpacking, bicycle or motorcycle trips that include some on road and some off the beaten path adventuring.
I just did another comparison of features and costs comparing SPOT X with Zoleo, Garmin InReach and ARC BivyStick, which are the 4 major brands of compact satellite communicators. All include a simple SOS button to call in the cavalry should you have a light threatening crash, emergency, etc. All include a simple "check in" feature. Only SPOT X functions as a true fully functional stand-alone device. Garmin is capable of being used as a stand alone device for only very simple communication, but generally requires a connection to a cellphone for full functionality. Zoleo & ARC BivyStick require a cellphone for communication functionality. ARC's BivyStick, Garmin's InReach and Zoleo include the ability to check the weather, if you are off grid in a very remote area, this could be very useful; SPOT does not include that functionality. Zoleo includes the ability to communicate through either Satellite or Cellular towers but also requires your cellphone to be connected to the unit, so I don't really understand the point of sending a signal from a cell phone to a sat-com to a cell-tower just to send a simple text message ... maybe I'm missing something but if I have the ability to reach a cell tower with my phone then why would I need the Zoleo to do it for me? SPOT X also has the most economical messaging, with unlimited use of 15 different messages that you program into your unit which can pretty much say anything you want them to say if you can fit them into a SMS format. And SPOT X lets you send those FREE of charge to as many of the 70 contacts you have stored into your unit as you want. No other brand has anything that compares to that flexibility included in their basic plan.
But I just noticed the feature on the SPOT X, it allows for group messaging. I had not noticed it previously so perhaps I'm an idiot? Or maybe it was included in the prior firmware update and I just never noticed it. Honestly no clue, but it MUST be set up on the web portal, then "synced" to your unit to work.
In any case it is something I had hoped they would add but just found.
With any satellite communicator the messages typically send slow and received slow. Sometimes you want to send the same message to multiple people, not necessarily and emergency message. Also not necessarily a simple 'check in' message.
SPOT X now has GROUPS, so I set up a group that includes my wife & daughter. Another group I call FAMILY which adds in some additional family members. SPOT X allows for up to 70 different 'contacts' and each group takes up 1 of those 'contacts'. My SPOT X contact list only has key people I need to stay in contact with for emergencies so I only have a small number of contacts. Adding a couple "groups" didn't really change that because the new "groups" are filled with subsets of my existing contacts so I am still well below the 70 allowed contacts.
The beauty of the GROUPs is that I don't have to type up the same message multiple times and send it multiple times. If I understand it correctly if there are 2 people in the group it still counts as 2 outgoing messages. 3 people in the group = 3 outgoing messages. But it makes it much easier to communicate with multiple people. I can now send multiple people one of my free/unlimited 'pre-defined' messages, of which I have 14 different messages allowed to be saved in my SPOT X.
I can send multiple people a 'custom' message, of which my plan allows for 120 'free' custom messages per year, if I go over 120 custom messages then I pay a small fee per message.
- Of note, a reply to one of my messages is considered 1 custom message.
- So if I send + receive a custom message, that counts as 2.
- If I send one of my 14 'pre-written' message + receive a reply, that counts as 1 message.
- To save on fees, most of my 14 'pre-written' messages include the statement "reply to my CELL # unless it is an emergency" so I will get a standard text message reply from the person at my regular cell number if I just send them a simple "Stopped for a meal break" or "Stopped for the night" type of canned message ... if I am out of cell coverage then I will receive that text next time I am in a cell coverage area.
If you click on the CREATE NEW GROUP you get a new window that asks you to NAME the group, then you simply select the people you want in the group. Hit the SAVE button when done and you now have a new group that shows up in your list of contacts. You have to SYNC your SPOT X with your computer at this point to get the group uploaded into your SPOT X.
The SPOT X still seems to be the best satellite communicator/tracking device for simple communications. A satellite phone obviously would be a better tool but it would also be totally overkill for most backpacking, bicycle or motorcycle trips that include some on road and some off the beaten path adventuring.
I just did another comparison of features and costs comparing SPOT X with Zoleo, Garmin InReach and ARC BivyStick, which are the 4 major brands of compact satellite communicators. All include a simple SOS button to call in the cavalry should you have a light threatening crash, emergency, etc. All include a simple "check in" feature. Only SPOT X functions as a true fully functional stand-alone device. Garmin is capable of being used as a stand alone device for only very simple communication, but generally requires a connection to a cellphone for full functionality. Zoleo & ARC BivyStick require a cellphone for communication functionality. ARC's BivyStick, Garmin's InReach and Zoleo include the ability to check the weather, if you are off grid in a very remote area, this could be very useful; SPOT does not include that functionality. Zoleo includes the ability to communicate through either Satellite or Cellular towers but also requires your cellphone to be connected to the unit, so I don't really understand the point of sending a signal from a cell phone to a sat-com to a cell-tower just to send a simple text message ... maybe I'm missing something but if I have the ability to reach a cell tower with my phone then why would I need the Zoleo to do it for me? SPOT X also has the most economical messaging, with unlimited use of 15 different messages that you program into your unit which can pretty much say anything you want them to say if you can fit them into a SMS format. And SPOT X lets you send those FREE of charge to as many of the 70 contacts you have stored into your unit as you want. No other brand has anything that compares to that flexibility included in their basic plan.