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vasi Member
Joined: 05 Feb 2007 Posts: 27 | TRs | Pics
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vasi
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Sun Dec 02, 2007 10:44 pm
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I carry a Motorola FRS /GMRS radio in my pack for all my solo trips. In the open point to point range is 20 miles. In the woods and hills maybe 2-3 miles. I figure if I get lost the search party should get within a few miles of my location and should be able to communicate.
I leave a trip report with my wife that has the frequency information.
You could communicate with a helicopter in visual range at least 10 miles away. In areas where from the air you would never be seen the radio could make the difference in surviving.
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boot up Old Not Bold Hiker
Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 4745 | TRs | Pics Location: Bend Oregon |
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boot up
Old Not Bold Hiker
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Sun Dec 02, 2007 11:17 pm
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Don't forget to leave your channel and code!
Good idea, even if the range is really only a couple of miles.
I JUST picked up a $50 set of "20 mile range" Cobra LI6500, but my motivation is to allow a couple of people with different pacing needs to still get the safety effect of the buddy system without driving each other crazy with different pacing. Now if one I can convince the slow climbers that its a good idea to carry the weight and turn them ON....sigh.
Gonna have to leave them in the dust a couple times to drive home the point, I suppose. Of course they leave ME in the dust on the downhill so overall it averages out.
Its sort of fun connecting with another group for safety, which we have done when a couple people wanted to go bushwacking and others of us wanted to stick to the trail.
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Malachai Constant Member
Joined: 13 Jan 2002 Posts: 16092 | TRs | Pics Location: Back Again Like A Bad Penny |
I got 20 mi. of of a set (once) when I well up Grand Teton and my family was in Jackson. Not really a fair test though if you are in one gully and the search party is in the next drainage
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
"You do not laugh when you look at the mountains, or when you look at the sea." Lafcadio Hearn
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croc Member
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croc
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Mon Dec 03, 2007 12:14 am
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i use one-way radio when hunting zeebas because it cheeper than the two-ways version.
hello. heelllo? is this thing on, evun?
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Snow_Knot Member
Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 439 | TRs | Pics Location: Snohomish County |
Anything is better than nothing I guess. Just as long as people remmember that FRS/GMRS ( you do have your license for the GMRS freq's right?) is very limited in the range, and amount of power it puts out. Just treat it like another secondary tool to leaving a detailed trip plan behind for other's to follow. I packed around a little FRS/GMRS and would leave it on scan when I was in SAR..... Never once got a hit, in fact never once did I find anyone after that had a FRS/GMRS radio with them. ( funny cause it seems that everyone and their dog has one on the hike up Wallace Falls). Now that I dispatch, I can say that I have taken several calls of lost/inj persons on the trails, or in the hills with their cellphones being able to at least get through.... I just seems that everyone has little to no batt power left.
Now, in NO WAY am I saying that FRS/GMRS is a waste to pack, just dont depend on it. I would push you into getting your HAM radio ticket ( It really is not that hard anymore) and going for a duel band radio that is hooked up with the repeaters in the area. I almost go nowhere that I cant hit a repeater ( I may have to climb up a little bit, but thats the way it goes sometimes) at least you can extend your range by a huge amount.
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Well, I think so, Brain, but "apply North Pole" to what?
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Well, I think so, Brain, but "apply North Pole" to what?
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RodF Member
Joined: 01 Sep 2007 Posts: 2593 | TRs | Pics Location: Sequim WA |
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RodF
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Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:17 am
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Snow_Knot wrote: | I would push you into getting your HAM radio ticket (It really is not that hard anymore) and going for a dual band radio that is hooked up with the repeaters in the area. |
I'd agree. If you're going to carry something, carry something that you can actually use to summon help during an emergency. A handheld VHF AM transceiver weighs less than a pound. That, and a list of the local forest and park service repeater frequencies, and you can call out from most any location in the northwest (at least, during the hours dispatch is manned). It's a mandatory safety measure during our formal WTA work parties that we establish radio contact with dispatch before starting work.
Last year, I was in a larger organized hike in the Canadian Rockies, where there's no VHF repeater coverage. We did carry a satellite phone, and did have to use it to call in a helicopter to ferry out a guy with a broken ankle. (Fortunately, we only had to carry him a half kilometer to a large gravel bar in the river for pickup. We were 30 km from the trailhead, so carrying him out wasn't a good option.) He was on his way out in 2 hours instead of 2 grueling days.
Gravel bar in Cataract Creek above Cline River, White Goat Wilderness, Rocky-Clearwater (east of Jasper/Banff park boundary), Alberta, 9/06
"of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt" - John Muir
"the wild is not the opposite of cultivated. It is the opposite of the captivated” - Vandana Shiva
"of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt" - John Muir
"the wild is not the opposite of cultivated. It is the opposite of the captivated” - Vandana Shiva
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Criminal Member
Joined: 25 Mar 2004 Posts: 869 | TRs | Pics Location: Cloud hidden, whereabouts unknown. |
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Criminal
Member
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Mon Dec 03, 2007 11:56 am
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RodF wrote: | I'd agree. If you're going to carry something, carry something that you can actually use to summon help during an emergency. A handheld VHF AM transceiver weighs less than a pound. |
I doubt you'll get much on AM.
Seriously though, getting a HAM license is easy and dirt cheap. FRS/GMRS radios you buy in a blister-pack are not exactly mil-spec. It doesn’t do you any good if your radio breaks with your leg in a fall, or gets wet and stops working.
Because I am mad about women, I am mad about the hills
Said that wild old wicked man, who travels where God wills. - Yeats
topohiker.com
Mountainpines
Because I am mad about women, I am mad about the hills
Said that wild old wicked man, who travels where God wills. - Yeats
topohiker.com
Mountainpines
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Snow_Knot Member
Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 439 | TRs | Pics Location: Snohomish County |
Criminal wrote: | RodF wrote: | I'd agree. If you're going to carry something, carry something that you can actually use to summon help during an emergency. A handheld VHF AM transceiver weighs less than a pound. |
I doubt you'll get much on AM.
Seriously though, getting a HAM license is easy and dirt cheap. FRS/GMRS radios you buy in a blister-pack are not exactly mil-spec. It doesn’t do you any good if your radio breaks with your leg in a fall, or gets wet and stops working. |
OK, since I braught it up, here is a link... QRZ Amateur Radio Practice Tests...
There are 100 tests that put into random order. The exact questions that will be on the test. The majority of people will only need the technician level. There is no longer a Morse Code requirement. So go grab yourself a copy of the latest Amateur testing book from your local library, or use your Google-fu. The test is 35 questions, and you can miss 8 or 9 ( sorry I dont remmember) most people are in, and out of the test in 20 min's or less.
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Well, I think so, Brain, but "apply North Pole" to what?
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Well, I think so, Brain, but "apply North Pole" to what?
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Mike Collins Member
Joined: 18 Dec 2001 Posts: 3096 | TRs | Pics
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I recently purchased a product called SPOT Satellite Messenger. It is sold at REI and Joe's. The device weighs less than 8 oz and offers three push button options. One sends a message (to a chosen email address)that you are OK. Another sends a message (to a chosen email address) to Send Help. The third is a 911 button. They will contact the emergency responders for the GPS location. The device costs $150 but requires a support fee of $100 a year.
The benefits are several. For whatever reason sometimes you are late getting back from an outing. The "I'm OK" button will allay any worrying of family/friends.
I was on a climb of Triumph last year where the "Send help" button might have been useful. Our double rope rappel snagged and we couldn't retrieve the rope. Sending a message for help would have brought the rope without using the 911 emergency button.
The 911 option is just for the reason of medical emergency. I haven't received the SPOT product yet as I bought it on-line. It works anywhere in Canada, the US, and Mexico. I will let you know how the shake down cruise goes for it.
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GeoHiker Rocky Walker
Joined: 26 Feb 2005 Posts: 6033 | TRs | Pics Location: Off the Deep End |
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GeoHiker
Rocky Walker
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Mon Dec 03, 2007 11:01 pm
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Mike, you'll have to keep us up to date on how you like the SPOT. Coasty is doing a product review and so far I haven't seen anything about how well it works or any specifics.
I would second the advice on getting your Ham ticket. It's very easy to do and you won't have a subscription fee to pay. Many of the repeaters have access to a phone line that you can activate if needed. There's a broad network of repeaters that cover most of the state, so coverage is excellent.
You call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye......Eagles
You call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye......Eagles
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Snow_Knot Member
Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 439 | TRs | Pics Location: Snohomish County |
SPOT hummm....
Edited out my rant
I would not trust that to save my bacon. Another tool, COOL!... I like toys, but I would trust that much more if It had an emergency voice feature for the 9-1-1 part.
Just keep in mind that as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, I am not allowed to Guarantee that help will arrive, I can only tell you that I will pass on the information I get to someone else. If all I get is a GPS grid out in BFE, from a 3rd hand party with no details... You may only get the local deputy to roll by a trail head to see if your car is in the area, and try and put it in action from there. That could be a huge delay.... something with Voice contact will always paint a better picture of the situation.
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Well, I think so, Brain, but "apply North Pole" to what?
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Well, I think so, Brain, but "apply North Pole" to what?
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Nisquaww Hot balls
Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 1239 | TRs | Pics Location: Red of Mond |
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Nisquaww
Hot balls
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Mon Dec 03, 2007 11:51 pm
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Walk more yha shmucks. No piece of electrono- bullshiit necessary
"I carry" wits about my limbs and limitations
"Why do you have a beard?"
"I don't have a beard. It's just the light; it plays funny tricks." ~ Shel Silverstein
"Why do you have a beard?"
"I don't have a beard. It's just the light; it plays funny tricks." ~ Shel Silverstein
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Snow_Knot Member
Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 439 | TRs | Pics Location: Snohomish County |
StarHumper wrote: | Walk more yha shmucks. No piece of electrono- bullshiit necessary
"I carry" wits about my limbs and limitations |
That is what everyone says...
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Well, I think so, Brain, but "apply North Pole" to what?
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Well, I think so, Brain, but "apply North Pole" to what?
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Nisquaww Hot balls
Joined: 09 Jan 2006 Posts: 1239 | TRs | Pics Location: Red of Mond |
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Nisquaww
Hot balls
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Tue Dec 04, 2007 12:15 am
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So lets jump off this bridge here...
Me first?
"Why do you have a beard?"
"I don't have a beard. It's just the light; it plays funny tricks." ~ Shel Silverstein
"Why do you have a beard?"
"I don't have a beard. It's just the light; it plays funny tricks." ~ Shel Silverstein
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Snow_Knot Member
Joined: 15 Jul 2006 Posts: 439 | TRs | Pics Location: Snohomish County |
NotSurIQualfyAsWkendWaryr wrote: | So lets jump off this bridge here...
Me first? |
GOOD GAWD DONT DO IT MAN!!!!
We could never get along without you...
OUr Electronic gear may not work, and SOMEONE will have to walk out.
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Well, I think so, Brain, but "apply North Pole" to what?
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Well, I think so, Brain, but "apply North Pole" to what?
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