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Q. How do I use the “911” mode on SPOT?

A. Use this option in the event of a life-threatening or other critical emergency. The Emergency Response Center notifies the appropriate emergency responders based on your location and personal information – which may include local police, highway patrol, the Coast Guard, your country’s embassy or consulate, or other emergency response or search & rescue teams – as well as notifying your emergency contact person(s) about the receipt of a distress signal. Even if SPOT cannot acquire its location from the GPS network, it will still attempt to send a distress signal – without exact location – to the Emergency Response Center. (NOTE: Additional fees will apply for this optional service when it is available.

To Activate: Press and hold the 9-1-1 button for at least 2 seconds. A distress signal and your exact location will be sent to an Emergency Response Center every 5 minutes until cancelled. Once activated, the indicator light will blink green every 3 seconds, and turn solid green for 5 seconds when a message is being sent.

To Cancel: Press and hold the 9-1-1 button for at least 3 seconds. The blinking green light will blink red to indicate that it is preparing to send a “Cancel” message, and will then turn solid red for 5 seconds to indicate that the message has been sent.