SPOT-like Tracking for the Budget Conscious Rider

Has your significant other ever voiced concern with your motorcycle adventures? Have they told you they're afraid when you're gone because they don't know what twisty, lonely, back road you might wipe-out on...and then no one would ever find you? I'm sure most riders have heard this or something similar before. I know I have. It's only natural that our family and friends are concerned for our safety. Riding a motorcycle is an inherently high-risk activity, right? So what can we do to ease those fears? We make technology our friend.

Many hard core long distance riders use a SPOT gps-satellite tracking device. The SPOT tracker sends a signal to a satellite at regular defined intervals which can then be viewed in near real time on a map via the SPOT Adventure web page or a third party service known as SpotWalla. The problem with SPOT is that the device itself costs around $120 and there is a $50 annual subscription fee if you want to track and share your progress. While this isn't an unreasonable amount, it's more than many riders may feel comfortable with based on the type of riding they do. At this point in time, I'm not willing to spend that amount of money...especially when there's another less costly option.

That's where BubblerGPS and SpotWalla come in. You can use the GPS on your cell phone with the

BubblerGPS app and SpotWalla to track and share your progress when riding. The process is similar to SPOT minus the satellite. BubblerGPS queries your cell phone's GPS and records a way point at a user
specified interval between 5 and 15 minutes (for the paid version of the app). This way point is then

transmitted to SpotWalla. If you're outside your cell coverage area, BubblerGPS stores the way points until you have coverage. So how much does this cost? Well, SpotWalla is free and you can get a free version of BubblerGPS as well. The free version has some limitations but you can purchase BubblerGPS Pro for $9.99.

$9.99 wasn't a budget buster for me so I purchased the Pro version. I intend to use BubblerGPS Pro and SpotWalla to provide family and friends insight into my location when I'm out riding. The "SpotWalla Tracking Map" link in the "Where's Curt Now" section will be enabled whenever I'm out on a planned ride. It will show my progress and location in near real time based on the 5 minute interval I've set on Bubbler GPS Pro. You can see a sample of my last adventure/ride by using the "Where Did He Go" link in the "Curt's Latest Ride" section.

So far, I've been pleased with my BubblerGPS Pro app purchase and I hope it will give my family greater peace of mind when I'm riding. To learn more about SPOT, BubblerGPS, and SpotWalla just click on their hyperlinks. Now, Let's Live Free and Ride Hard!

A Time to Live Free and Ride Hard...Technology for the Masses

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens."  While the good book doesn't mention riding specifically, I'm confident our maker would agree that there is a time to live free and ride hard.  The trouble is in today's hustle and bustle world many of us have a difficult time...finding the time to do the things we enjoy.  We get overwhelmed and it seems we're pulled in a hundred different directions, constantly bombarded with information...our computers and smartphones are always on.  Some say we should just turn everything off and return to a time when life was less complicated.

While I agree that this would be nice and it is good to get away from it all, it isn't a realistic or sustainable solution. We need to master technology not become slaves to it. We must harness technology to make our lives better.  We can start doing this is by taking advantage of automated scheduling tools and calendars.  One such technology tool that I've found useful is Google Calendar.  This is an especially powerful tool for groups as a single calendar can be created and shared so that everyone can be instantly aware of the latest and greatest information on group events and activities.

A group's calendar can be viewed on the web via a desktop computer or smartphone or through the Google Calendar app.  However, the real power of the tool  is its ability to push notifications on changes and updates directly to group members via email and text message...and that's how the tool helps us to live free and ride harder.

The Gruene HOG Chapter is working to implement it's Ride Schedule on Google Calendar.  In order to help  guide members through the process of connecting to the shared GHOG Ride Schedule, so that they can access the schedule and receive notification of updates and changes wherever they may be...whether they're  at home or on the road, I created a short "How To" Guide that can be downloaded here: How To Access the GHOG Ride Schedule via Google Calendar.

As technology moves forward so must we.  We can't be intimidated by it or bury our heads in the sand longing for the days of old when dinosaurs roamed the plains.  This is a brave new world and now more than ever...it's time to Live Free and Ride Hard!