I have a MK1 SPOT with a basic subscription. Renewal date is up soon and I am thinking of adding the live tracking service. Just wondered what impact it has on battery life? So far the current set have lasted about a year with sending the occasional OK to the misses but I can imagine the tracker service may drain them a lot quicker. When you can only use lithium batteries that could prove expensive!

A set of lithiums should last a week of tracking.
Mark II's last about 5 days

Cheers, just as I thought twice the subscription price in batteries then :D

I was told by the vicar when I got married that "A happy wife is a happy life".

I have the tracking subs.

As far as tracking subs are concerned, if your annual subscription were to expire in July 2012 and you forgot to renew them, tracking still works up to mid-Feb 2013, but OK messages don't.

flatfishy wrote:I was told by the vicar when I got married that "A happy wife is a happy life".

I have the tracking subs.

lol

Ian wrote:As far as tracking subs are concerned, if your annual subscription were to expire in July 2012 and you forgot to renew them, tracking still works up to mid-Feb 2013, but OK messages don't.

Thanks for the tip Ian, that could prove quite cost effective :D

Brothersmith wrote:I have a MK1 SPOT with a basic subscription. Renewal date is up soon and I am thinking of adding the live tracking service. Just wondered what impact it has on battery life? So far the current set have lasted about a year with sending the occasional OK to the misses but I can imagine the tracker service may drain them a lot quicker. When you can only use lithium batteries that could prove expensive!

I used the tracking service on my Spot II on a ride to Switzerland last year. Used it every day that I rode, didn't have that many days off, and I found the batteries lasted 2-3 weeks no problems.