ACR Bivy Stick

FAQ & Troubleshooting Tips

My messages aren’t going through

• Are you outside with a clear view of the sky? No large obstructions close by?
• Is Bluetooth connected?
• Make sure firmware is up to date (34 or higher)
• Do you have an IMEI number showing under settings?
  If IMEI number is missing: device is defective
• Is the phone up to date with the most current operating system?
• What color is the LED signal light?
  • Normal behavior while outside will be transition between red, yellow, and green.
  • No Signal light: device is defective
  • Signal light that is flashing green constantly: device is defective

Custom messages will first try sending through cellular network or wifi (if available). Messages sent back to the bivy stick will always go via satellite network. We recommend putting the phone in airplane mode when first testing to verify satellite messaging is working. A defective bivy stick will send messages via cellular network.

Bivy stick won’t turn on or charge

• Make sure you are pressing the power button down firmly for 3 seconds (sometimes the back of a pencil is helpful)
• Try different charging cable and or adapter

I’m trying to connect my bivy stick with a different phone and it will not connect

• When switching phones make sure they disconnect the first phone.
• It can take a couple of attempts to reconnect.
• Try turning Bluetooth off and on. Turn the device off and on. Close and restart the app.

Sending a text to an International number

• Sending to international numbers always works, but if sending to an international number you need to add a 011 in front of the international number. Receiving the incoming message is dependent on 2- way support in that country
• Emails should always work international – Check your spam folder if you aren’t receiving emails.

Bivy Stick light meanings

• Status blinking Yellow = means the message or location point is trying to send to satellite. When it quits blinking yellow then all messages are sent.
• Status blinking Green = You’ve received a message and need to make sure you are connected to the device via Bluetooth.
• Status blinking Blue = currently tracking and sharing location
• Status blinking Red = SOS has been activated
• Signal Green (solid) = Strong satellite connection
• Signal Green (blinking) = Establishing location and should only last a few seconds if you are out in the open. It will not get a GPS lock if you are inside.
• Signal Yellow (solid) = Medium/weak satellite connection
• Signal Red (solid)= weak/none satellite connection

The Signal light indicates when the modem is on. The device will wake up every 15 mintues to listen and check for incoming messages. Any action sent to the bivy stick (message, tracking, weather) will wakeup up the modem. If the modem has timed out and the status light is still blinking you’ll want to wake up the modem so it will continue to send.

What to expect for turn around time when sending satellite text messages from Bivy Stick

Satellite messaging is not like cellular messaging. With cellular, it’s almost always instantaneous when you have service. With satellite messaging, we don’t maintain a constant connection. We rely on brief connections to send small bursts of data. The whole process is generally fairly quick, but it can take several minutes even in good sky visibility. Satellites are constantly moving across the sky, which is why the Signal LED light will constantly be changing between red, yellow, and green. This is normal. When the LED is green a message will usually send pretty quickly. If there is no Signal LED then the device is in standby to preserve battery. That does not mean there are no satellites visible. The device will wake up when you send a message or press the power button once quickly. Every 15 minutes it will wake up to check for new messages.

My Bivy Stick won’t connect to my phone

iOS

• Verify that Bluetooth settings are on
• Make sure you are pressing the power button down hard enough. Some buttons are mushy
• Make sure you are connecting through the app and not the phone settings
• Is your phone up to date with the most current software?

Android

• Check to make sure your location services and the GPS is turned on

How to track and share with recipients

Friends and family can see/track your live position and path using the private URL that is sent in check-in messages.

1. Open the Bivy App and choose “stick” from the bottom menu then connect your Bivy Stick.
2. Choose “share location”
3. Type the name of the recipients you want to share your track with and press send. (This will send them a private URL link where they can see your updated waypoints that creates a path). Make sure to remind them that they will need to refresh the URL to see updated information.
4. When you are ready to start your track press and hold the check mark button on the Bivy Stick for 5 seconds until the status light starts blinking blue. This will put your stick in tracking mode and begin sending waypoints to that URL you have now shared with recipients.
5.  When you are done tracking press and hold the check mark button on the bivy stick down for 5 seconds until the status light stops blinking blue. This will end your tracks and your recorded path will be saved in the app under “profile” and then “tracks”.

Before you start your tracking make sure you choose what intervals you would like for your track. This is found on the main bivy stick window in the app. The default is set to 10 min increments but you can choose 2min, 5min, 10min, 30min, or 60min.