Bubbler GPS/Android/Spotwalla Interface

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bigjohnsd

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Justin posted a great link in his Rally thread regarding Spot Trackers For Android based phones, dealing with an an app called Bubbler GPS (https://bubblergps.com/).

I downloaded the APP onto my Samsung Galaxy G3 phone and then fooled with Spotwalla to get the two synchronized.

After about 30 minutes of frustration I made a run to Rapid City to pick up a car for a friend. The damn thing didn't seem to want to work at first, Bubbler was running and points were being recorded but not being sent to my just created Spotwalla account.

After ffing with it and saving the setup info a few times all of a sudden it worked.

No it is not a sattelite based communication system but it works when you have cell service and as Verizon covers 99% of the country, and this is free, it seems "good enough for me.

https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id=aabb53cd373e55670&showInfo=yes&showHome=yes&hoursPast=24&fillFactor=100&zoomLevel=10&showWeather=no&units=F

 
<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Top_Speed1" data-cid="1163307" data-time="1405970979"><p>

Your kinda new, I'm not going to scold you for not searching (lol)....<br />

Oops. My bad. Still like it though

<br />

<strong class='bbc'><a href='https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/153756-bubble-gps-spot-tracker-spotwalla-w-0-subscriptionfees/'>Here's the Bubbler/Spotwalla Thread on this</a> </strong></p></blockquote>

 
Bubbler has been around a little while now, and it is a flexible app. Much to commend it.

However, for it to work you need not just a phone signal, you need a data signal. This has implications not just when you are out in the wilds, but whenever you are out of your home area. Data roaming agreements keep changing, and charges can be high.

The real problem is when you are riding and others are closely following your progress. The sudden loss of a data signal means that tracking points might not update for several hours in some parts of the country. This can be either insignificant, or a real worry to your wife if she is expecting to see a neat trail over Independence Pass at 2.00 am.

For casual use, and where your circumstances suit, then Bubbler and other data-based trackers are great .... but if tracking accurately is important, cell phone are not ready for primetime just yet.

They are catching up though.

 
Well if you want to get technical somewhat...

Even a pure satellite spot tracker can loose or leave out plots (spots). Since the Satellites are geosynchronous at 22,300 miles exactly above the equator, and simply known as the Clarke belt (Arthur C. Clark), the angle or look to these satellite can be shaded by mountain ranges, tall buildings etc. Since GPS uses multiple birds, this gets minimized sometimes.

The look angle changes depending on where you are. Take for example Kansas City; the Clarke belt will be a sweeping arc high to the south but low in the east and west. Pretty much a even look. Come way up north like to the Adirondacks (NY) and the Clarke belt will be low to the west (very like 15deg for the lowest GPS bird) and high; about 45 degrees elevation to the south.

So you can still have droppage with poor satellite positioning angles, especially with lets say a mountain range is right in the way of the signal/angle to the Clarke belt.

btw- I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, I went to school for this 'crap' lol, I was certified as an up & down link satellite technician in the late 80's. This was the 10+meter dish stuff, not the easy rinky dink 18" DTV dishes. But, I I did work for Eddy Hartenstein (Directv) in 1994 during the initial launch.

smile.png


 
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Indeed. Occasionally satellite systems can "miss" a point. Usually due to the sending unit not contacting the satellite in a timely manner.

While that is true, let's remember that it is a different problem, and not equivalent to the lack of data signal situation.

 
Here's my take on the situation:

1) As stated, SPOT is great for places where phone coverage is lacking (when you're with ATT like I am that's pretty much everywhere)

2) Unfortunately as pointed out, there are places where satellite doesn't work - steep canyons or heavily treed areas can be problems and we all seem to enjoy riding in those exact types of places

3) Spotwalla is a cool interface but has its flaws - unfortunately we found out two years ago that it does NOT relay emergency signals from the SPOT message - for that you need to continue to rely on the findmespot page. Its in the documentation for Spotwalla but it took an accident where one of own was injured and the message never appeared on the Spotwalla track for it to be highlighted.

So in the future this is what I'm going to run:

1) Spotwalla with SWConnect - Bubbler is only for Android, but SWConnect does the same thing for iPhone and works well with Spotwalla - there may be some cases where satellite is blocked but there is cell coverage so might give a little more peace of mind, and since it updates far more quickly than SPOT gives you a much nicer representation of your track.

2) I'll continue to run SPOT, but I will give the findmespot page to my family or anyone else who I hope would be looking for a potential emergency signal

With that, there are still places where there is neither satellite line of sight nor cell coverage, but the combination might reduce the exposure.

 
There appears to be a misunderstanding here ....

Spotwalla doesn't "relay" anything, it polls findmespot for the position, and can display the message type. It will show a red marker when the "Help" or "SOS" buttons are pressed, but it is only a display.

The work done to alert emergency services, and email contacts is done by Spot, and that system is "always on". Once you set it up on your findmespot profile, it works whenever your SPOT device is on.

 
While spot may be preferred for the emergency signal (About the main benefit other than no data connection needed to upload pings).

BUT...

You can't beat free boyz! Yepper, Bubbler with tracking sent to spotwalla = $0.00 subscription fees.

On the data. I have Verizon and it works perfectly with Bubbler running in the background on my Samsung phone. I also use the phone as a BT connection to my Garmin (BMW Nav5) GPS, it gives me a weather overlay on my GPS screen (nice to see the clouds/storms and animated directions of, as you ride). When I go into Canada I simply put the phone in Airplane mode. I lose my weather overlay, I also now am buffering the pings up to spotwalla. No biggie other than for real time trackers. When I get to my hotel (I can wifi it to update) or I can wait till I'm back in the U.S. to trigger back out of Airplane mode.

For me, works perfect. No additional fees... mainly cuz I'm a cheap bass-tard and hate subscriptions!

 
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I've not seen this option in Bubbler (or if it's even possible), but does Bubbler have the option to start a trip in Spotwalla?

Ray

 
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I've not seen this option in Bubbler (or if it's even possible), but does Bubbler have the option to start a trip in Spotwalla?
Ray
Yes.

If you have registered Bubbler with Spotwalla, you can create a trip in SW and select Bubbler as the device.

 
I've not seen this option in Bubbler (or if it's even possible), but does Bubbler have the option to start a trip in Spotwalla?
Ray
I think you are meaning... have Bubbler (app itself) start a spotwalla page/date/event (trip).

If so, then the answer is No.

(no offense Twigg, just thought this was deeper than what you were thinking) :)

 
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I've not seen this option in Bubbler (or if it's even possible), but does Bubbler have the option to start a trip in Spotwalla?
Ray
I think you are meaning... have Bubbler (app itself) start a spotwalla page/date/event (trip).

If so, then the answer is No.

(no offense Twigg, just thought this was deeper than what you were thinking)
smile.png
None taken :)

None of the tracking devices we use can "start a trip in Spotwalla", so I didn't consider that might be what was being asked.

For all the devices we use you have to go to Spotwalla and create a trip before the locations will appear. When you have registered your devices, all trips are created in the same way.

 
Erm...

Even a pure satellite spot tracker can loose or leave out plots (spots). Since the Satellites are geosynchronous at 22,300 miles exactly above the equator, and simply known as the Clarke belt (Arthur C. Clark), the angle or look to these satellite can be shaded by mountain ranges, tall buildings etc. Since GPS uses multiple birds, this gets minimized sometimes.
The look angle changes depending on where you are. Take for example Kansas City; the Clarke belt will be a sweeping arc high to the south but low in the east and west. Pretty much a even look. Come way up north like to the Adirondacks (NY) and the Clarke belt will be low to the west (very like 15deg for the lowest GPS bird) and high; about 45 degrees elevation to the south.

So you can still have droppage with poor satellite positioning angles, especially with lets say a mountain range is right in the way of the signal/angle to the Clarke belt.
Actually, GPS constellation (the NAV portion) has several orbits that cover the entire globe quite well using 31 active satellites, although some may be lower on the horizon, which could explain poorer reception in valleys or cities.

ConstellationGPS.gif


Globalstar (the COMM portion) has 48 birds in a much lower orbit that also completely cover the planet, including the poles.

000207constellation.jpg


 
There appears to be a misunderstanding here ....
Spotwalla doesn't "relay" anything, it polls findmespot for the position, and can display the message type. It will show a red marker when the "Help" or "SOS" buttons are pressed, but it is only a display.

The work done to alert emergency services, and email contacts is done by Spot, and that system is "always on". Once you set it up on your findmespot profile, it works whenever your SPOT device is on.
No misunderstanding - my description of "relay" may be incorrect and may instead be called "polling" but it doesn't change the fact that your statement is incorrect in the important point of whether or not Spotwalla shows an SOS message - it does not.

Here is the extract from the Spotwalla device management page https://spotwalla.com/help/devices.php#update-spot

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SPOT Personal TrackerThe SPOT Personal Tracker devices are satellite-based personal tracking devices that are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. They provide coverage across most of the globe. The best place to learn more about the SPOT device lineup and the coverage areas, costs and everything else SPOT-related is straight from SPOT Inc. Additionally, you can check out the FAQ page at My Live Tracks.

A SPOT device sends five primary types of messages:

  1. OK
  2. Help
  3. Custom
  4. Tracking
  5. 911/SOS
Ok, Help and Custom messages are sent manually by pushing the appropriate button. Tracking messages are sent automatically in 2.5, 5, 10, 30 or 60-minute intervals. SpotWalla can import all of these messages and store them forever.

Note: SpotWalla does not receive or process in any way, shape or form 911/SOS messages from SPOT, Inc. Additionally, while SpotWalla does receive Help messages from SPOT, Inc., SpotWalla does not provide value-added services associated with Help messages. For instance, SPOT, Inc. provides Road Side Service assistance for an additional monthly fee.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If this is not clear enough, I encourage everyone to read this long thread on an accident that occurred in 2012. I played a part in what happened and is why I am sensitive to this kind of incorrect information being proliferated. I just checked on the trip setup page and device management page and the same situation exists today as in 2012 - tracking, OK, custom and help messages are reported, but SOS is not.

The point I'm trying to make here is that if you send people your Spotwalla page to watch your progress, they will NOT see an SOS message even if you press the button. They will only see an SOS if they are watching your findmespot page!

I would suggest everyone watching this thread to read up the two links and make up their own mind.

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/148366-where-is-puppychow/?p=1001375

 
Yes, I made a mistake about the SOS function, I confused it with the Help that is polled and does show on Spotwalla.

In practise I'm not sure how much this really matters although everyone using Spot should be aware of the limitations.

The folk who need to be notified of an SOS are those you have listed in your SPOT profile, and they will get emails, texts and/or phone calls from the rescue center. Clearly those simply watching on Spot will be unaware of an incident, but Spot should have already activated an emergency response.

It would, in any event, be a mistake to rely on Spot if your principle reason for getting it was the SOS feature. There are much better devices available. Spot is a leisure item with some additional features, and designed as such. If you really want safety coverage an EPIRB would be a much better choice.

As you said, Spotwalla is for following progress. Spot itself has some safety back-up features that have proven useful, but are not meant to be relied upon if safety critical response is needed. For most it will work well but probably not as well as a dedicated system.

To steer this back to the original topic .... Bubbler, and any other data-based trackers would be very poor choices in this regard. They are capable of sending more detailed messages, but only if you have a dat connection.

 
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