SPOT not spotting
- Thread starter Ed.
- Start date
OK, so on my last failed attempt at any reasonable distance (flat front tyre), I note that the Findmespot tracks recorded my whole journey correctly. But once again, Spotwalla did not start recording until I was half way through the ride (started around 07:30 and it kicked in around 11:33). That's about 4hrs from the actual start.
So, now I'm wondering ....... if I set my Spotwalla trip to start at (say) 05:00, is that AEDT or some other time zone? On this particular trip, I set the trip in SpotWalla to start at 05:00 in case I did get a burst of advanced energy. But no recording until 11:33. Is there a time zone difference setting here I'm missing ?
So, now I'm wondering ....... if I set my Spotwalla trip to start at (say) 05:00, is that AEDT or some other time zone? On this particular trip, I set the trip in SpotWalla to start at 05:00 in case I did get a burst of advanced energy. But no recording until 11:33. Is there a time zone difference setting here I'm missing ?
It actually starts recording from when you turn it on. You can go back up to a week I think and adjust the time to make the earlier tracks show up. I quite often create a trip after I get home, knowing already what timeframe I need to set.
If you check the info on one of your tracks it will tell you what timezone it is set to.
If you check the info on one of your tracks it will tell you what timezone it is set to.
Thanks Daisy. I have checked and the Timezone is correctly set to Eastern Daylight Saving Time (Sydney). And I have fiddled with the times and it appears that the Spotwalla did not start recording until 11:33am, after the Spot was activated at 07:30. However, the Findmespot tracks show up right from the start so it appears that the Spot is doing it's job OK but the data transfer to Spotwalla is somewhat delayed or partially inhibited.
Spotwalla will keep recording while you have an active trip. If you create a trip in spotwalla starting from some date in the past, and finishing in say the year 2030, spotwalla will continue updating that trip until it finishes in 2030. You will always be able to go back and create new trips at any time in the past, because spotwalla will have that information. Likewise, if your spot is registered on a spotwalla location page, then spotwalla will always be polling and you can go back in time and create trips after the fact. The only caveat to the above, is that the longer your spot device remains switched off, the longer the intervals between the polling cycles, so if it's been more than a few days since you turned on your spot, the first few hours of your trip may not be recorded by spotwalla, so if it's been a while between rides, turn on your spot and press the ok button or the track button the day before your new trip will start, and ensure that the flashing lights confirm your location was successfully recorded.
Thanks for the info Nev. I am riding with the group on Saturday (Ed and Ethan et al) so I'll leave the SPOT in action for a few hours over the next couple of days in an attempt to get it working from the get-go on Saturday morning. I have tried the "day-before" option before, but this time I'll leave it in the car for a few hours while I do some errands and see if that helps. 
With my SPOT2 and trip setup in Spotwalla for the Parkes Muster, I also noted that about 2~3hrs into the ride, like GG I had the dreaded red LED but this went away after a short time so thought all was good. Having checked the Parkes Spotwalla trip last night, I was not happy to see big chunks of tracking missing from my trip. Researching the issue I found this post by Jason over at the Spotwalla forum dated 4th June 2016: http://forums.spotwalla.com/thread/3/spot-device-polling-scheme
Copy and paste of the post:
"Over the years we've tweaked the algorithm SpotWalla uses to poll SPOT devices for new location data. As we grow bigger and bigger and consume more and more resources on your behalf, optimizing the process is always paramount. Below is something I posted on Facebook about the current polling scheme SpotWalla employs. This only pertains to SPOT devices. All other device types are not affected.
Because SpotWalla has grown so much over the years we simply cannot poll every SPOT device every 10 minutes without sucking up an inordinate amount of system resources to the point where I get contacted by SPOT. We always strive to be good stewards of the resources we use on behalf of our users.
Unfortunately, polling is the only way for third parties to acquire location data. For a few hundred dollars per device per year SpotWalla could be notified when a message arrives, but that's just not cost effective.
So we deal with it. And how we're currently dealing with it is like this...
If a device is producing new messages, it will be polled once every 10 minutes. When a device doesn't produce a new message for 1 full day, it falls out of the 10-minute polling period.
If your device has an active trip or is joined to an active location page, it will be polled every three hours at the top of the 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21 hours. If the device produces a new message, it becomes part of the 10-minute polling period.
If your device has an active widget, shared with Family and Friends or has an active email notification, it will be polled every three hours at the bottom of the 1, 4, 7, 10, 13 16, 19 and 22 hours. Again, if the device produces a new message, it becomes part of the 10-minute polling period.
So here's what I encourage users to do... Setup an active trip before you leave and create at least one active email notification. Your device will be polled at least every ~1.5 hours and, once it produces a new message, it will be polled every 10 minutes.
Hope this information helps.
Jason"
I find it ironic that only SPOT devices are affected when SPOT was one of the first to market with this technology. Guess, it's a sign of the times in this interconnected internet world we live in and the huge, ever increasing demand for data.
Back to the polling issue, I'm not too sure this answers my missing tracking data because the Spotwalla and findmespot (where SPOT sends its data to) tracking is identical. So, my way of thinking is that the services located at findmespot is at fault and not Spotwalla. I plan to dig a little deeper, maybe the findmespot servers were being overwhelmed for some reason.
Anyone have more to add?
Copy and paste of the post:
"Over the years we've tweaked the algorithm SpotWalla uses to poll SPOT devices for new location data. As we grow bigger and bigger and consume more and more resources on your behalf, optimizing the process is always paramount. Below is something I posted on Facebook about the current polling scheme SpotWalla employs. This only pertains to SPOT devices. All other device types are not affected.
Because SpotWalla has grown so much over the years we simply cannot poll every SPOT device every 10 minutes without sucking up an inordinate amount of system resources to the point where I get contacted by SPOT. We always strive to be good stewards of the resources we use on behalf of our users.
Unfortunately, polling is the only way for third parties to acquire location data. For a few hundred dollars per device per year SpotWalla could be notified when a message arrives, but that's just not cost effective.
So we deal with it. And how we're currently dealing with it is like this...
If a device is producing new messages, it will be polled once every 10 minutes. When a device doesn't produce a new message for 1 full day, it falls out of the 10-minute polling period.
If your device has an active trip or is joined to an active location page, it will be polled every three hours at the top of the 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18 and 21 hours. If the device produces a new message, it becomes part of the 10-minute polling period.
If your device has an active widget, shared with Family and Friends or has an active email notification, it will be polled every three hours at the bottom of the 1, 4, 7, 10, 13 16, 19 and 22 hours. Again, if the device produces a new message, it becomes part of the 10-minute polling period.
So here's what I encourage users to do... Setup an active trip before you leave and create at least one active email notification. Your device will be polled at least every ~1.5 hours and, once it produces a new message, it will be polled every 10 minutes.
Hope this information helps.
Jason"
I find it ironic that only SPOT devices are affected when SPOT was one of the first to market with this technology. Guess, it's a sign of the times in this interconnected internet world we live in and the huge, ever increasing demand for data.
Back to the polling issue, I'm not too sure this answers my missing tracking data because the Spotwalla and findmespot (where SPOT sends its data to) tracking is identical. So, my way of thinking is that the services located at findmespot is at fault and not Spotwalla. I plan to dig a little deeper, maybe the findmespot servers were being overwhelmed for some reason.
Anyone have more to add?
Well, my SPOT has connected fine with Spotwalla for my last two IBA rides. I now turn it on the day before and leave it on somewhere safe with a view of the sky. The S3 model goes to sleep when it detects no movement, so it does not seem to be soaking batteries too fast. When I get moving, I hit the "track" button to wake it up and off I go. It now seems to be holding the GPS signal OK (light stays green). Fingers crossed it keeps going OK now that I seem to have it sorted. How I actually "got it sorted" I do not really know .........
Not sure if you guys are aware that SPOT devises do this thing called Polling, i contacted Jason from Spotwalla and here is the reply from his email.
QUOTE
Alright. Here's what I'm seeing. Your device's behavior is due to the polling scheme in place for SPOT devices. Here's a link to a forum post explaining the current scheme and what you can do to ensure your device is polled regularly...
http://forums.spotwalla.com/thread/3/spot-device-polling-scheme
In addition to what's discussed above, I would send an OK message the night before leaving This will ensure your device is being polled every 10 minutes prior to your departure.
Hope that helps
QUOTE
Alright. Here's what I'm seeing. Your device's behavior is due to the polling scheme in place for SPOT devices. Here's a link to a forum post explaining the current scheme and what you can do to ensure your device is polled regularly...
http://forums.spotwalla.com/thread/3/spot-device-polling-scheme
In addition to what's discussed above, I would send an OK message the night before leaving This will ensure your device is being polled every 10 minutes prior to your departure.
Hope that helps