Always wondered what it would be like lower down..........
It's beautiful! Some photos later in my post here:
http://www.pprune.org/private-flying...te-flying.html
but at FL370
I was about 350 flight levels lower than that for some of it!
As for the topic at hand, I'm really an app neophyte, and unsure of how a smartphone would work that way if out of range of a cell service. I do know that very low in many remote areas, and more than a few thousand feet up in others, will put one out of cell service. Do the apps still work then? I'm unfamiliar...
The SPOT I use is first generation, and does the job, though I know that there are newer versions with more capability. I know that there are other brands too, with other features. I like the SPOT, as it has the simplicity that my 13 year old daughter can send a distress message on her own, should she need to, when I take her camping to a more distant lake (no cell service). And, my wife already knows that we are there. With that tracking, as a flight safety tool, a lot of answers (who/where/when) precede questions like "what?" Though, I agree, that it's probably low tech compared to what's available now.
I don't use 406 ELTs (yet), seeing the SPOT as a very suitable alternative, when coupled with a good briefing to my wife and flying colleague, as to what my plan is. Even when we had an ELT presentation by the SAR service, though not endorsing the SPOT, and similar technology, they did not knock it either. They explained a few ideas to make it more effective for them to help find you.
I do credit the 406 ELTs as well. For a period, an aircraft in Norway, equipped with a 406 ELT, was registered to me (it was Canadian registered, long story). One Saturday morning, I got the call, 'ELT's going off, what do I know about that? I gave the two locations where the aircraft could be expected to be parked (both lakes, it's a floatplane). The Norwegian SAR confirmed it was at the second lake, but that was not assurance that it had not been crashed there, rather than being safely parked. A few worried long distance calls later, and it was confirmed pilot and plane safe and sound. Eager kid allowed to sit in the pilot's seat flicked switches unobserved. Apologies, and lessons learned - but it works!