I 'ver just seen the Yellowbrick advertisement in the latest FF, so I looked at their website. It seems to have come of age. No longer a Big Yellow Brick, but a small, rugged device with minimal power consumption, and a sensible purchase price, monthly fee and usage structure. It would give me what I 'm looking for - the ability to keep the folks back home aware of my position, and to send and receive SMS-style messages, when out of range of 3G.
I 'm tempted.
Is anyone using one?
David.

Hi David,

Absolutely - drop us an email next time you intend to top up, and we 'll apply something equivalent to the members offer.

Thanks for your comments - I 'd be pleased to answer them.

Credits - You get 50 characters per credit. However, the first 25 characters of your message are taken up by your list of recipients. So, a 26 character message will cost 2 credits, as will a 75 character message. 76 characters will cost 3 credits. For the benefit of those not familiar with our service, credits cost between 5 and 12 pence, depending on the quantity purchased.

Battery Life - Our recent testing has shown battery life to actually exceed that advertised. In your case, I believe you have the Bluetooth option switched on permanently. Bluetooth is power-hungry I 'm afraid, and you will get through the battery much faster. We are looking at newer Bluetooth technologies to try to improve battery life, but the reality is that for this 'generation ' of tracking/messaging devices (including those of our competitors), leaving Bluetooth switched on will get through the battery much more quickly.

Mounting - The soft pouch which you have is really intended for people who need to move the tracker frequently - maybe between different vessels. The quick-release mount sounds like it would suit you better, and does allow you to leave the permanent power supply connected.

I hope that helps!

Richard