Tracking Me

There are a few ways to keep track of me. I've discovered that the itinerary is such that there will be plenty of time where I will not have cellular coverage, or possibly even internet access in general. We're talking very small towns in the middle of a really big empty place.

But all is not lost!

I will be taking a SPOT Gen 3 GPS satellite beacon with me. This will allow me to post minimal updates from anywhere there is satellite coverage - by 'minimal' I mean limited to one of three messages along with a GPS location. These messages are 'I'M OK' or 'I NEED HELP' or 'SOS I'M IN VERY SERIOUS TROUBLE.' If I have to send the third one, it's not going to go to the public, it's going to go directly to a rescue service. The second one (implying non-life-threatening problem) isn't going to go public either. What will be visible is the first messages - the 'I'M OK' messages. They will post to my Twitter account automatically - at @jbzimmerman. You can also (if you care) check on my progress on the FindMeSpot Shared Page. Don't be alarmed if I haven't posted for a day or two - I'm probably generally only going to post when I actually make flights, and I may forget!

In addition, of course, when I do have internet, I'll be posting to Twitter.

And finally - I don't know if this will work, but it has been brought to my attention that FlightAware will show tracks for GA aircraft in Australia if they have been assigned a transponder code. I will see if I can get codes assigned whenever possible, which would mean that my flight tracks will show up here. I won't be flying VH-SDN until July 5th or so, and won't be departing for the actual tour until July 10th 2014. I'll be on United Flight 839 departing July 1st - that'll show up on FlightAware for sure, but is pretty boring. :-)

2 comments:

  1. JB - wonderful to read about your experience. Just checking with you about the English Proficiency. I didn't see if you had posted how you solved the issue. I find myself in the same boat, with an upcoming trip - any advice?

    ReplyDelete