At the risk of sounding like the quintessential anti-yuppie, I'm inclined not to use telephones much ("I'm so important that I can't be reached."), and the cell phone routine is something that I'd like to avoid completely . . . along with liver and onions. The problem with the cell phone is that you have to sign up for service and pay hook-up and monthly service charges. . . in addition to user charges for the calls. And then, any jerk with a quarter in his pocket and your number can interupt your train of thought at he press of a few buttons. Now, in the half-century that I've been on this planet I've never needed a phone so badly that I was unable to wait until I got to one. I can't justify the expense for the use I'm going to get out of the whole system. . . maybe an emergency call once in five years. Watching the fly-anglers on the Deschutes with their color coordinated Patagonia waders and vest, a Sage rod, Hardy reel in one hand and the cell phone pressed to the ear just makes me retch. Sitting around the campfire at night and calling my broker for stock quotes is not my idea of getting away from it all. There's times when I'd like to get away from the telephone. Kayaking seems to be one of those times. I'll rely on my VHF radion and my kayaking skills. But that's just my opinion. I could be entirely wrong. Geo. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
> Date: Sun, 1 Mar 1998 12:03:46 -0800 (PST) > To: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net > From: "Geo. Bergeron" <heritage_at_europa.com> GEO WROTE: > The problem with the cell phone is that you have to sign up for > service and pay hook-up and monthly service charges. . . in addition to user > charges for the calls. And then, any jerk with a quarter in his pocket and > your number can interupt your train of thought at he press of a few buttons. > Dear Geo. There is a button for taking the alarm signal off (yes! though some ignore them...), but you can still usethe phone in case of emergency. On some occasions last summer the accu lasted more than six days, because I used it only daily at 6 pm. - about 15 minutes to check if someone was willing to reach me. My friends were aware of this "reception time", not very many calls, fortunately. People do know that I am able to get irritated sometimes. When the phone was off the calls were turned to my home: to answering recorder with a message to the caller to a) leave a message b) quit bothering me during my fabulous adventures. The additional GSM text messages are kept in the server of the tele company about 1 week (you can change the settings), which is a cheap way to send messages to your famil, or people willing to know when you are goming back (about 20 cents/maximum. 140 letters). I am really understanding your point about yuippie stuff, but GSM phones are very cheap here and the network is covering the coastal line very well up to some 10 to 15 kilometres to open sea - fortunately, I havenīt tested it with my nose in the water :-) There are always dead angles in the net. All this because of safety, better with a phone which is easy to put on than without anything at all. I personally did not consider the phone very disturbing... the longest trip taking seven days, some three-day-trips solo. Only negative point was that the water-proof package lasted three seasons well (at some situations below zero degrees of Celsius!), but broke during last September and repairing the damages to the phone got a little bit expensive. Salt water, you know. Ari Saarto "Think about your hips - a good sea kayaker is also a worthy partner in samba..." Kannaksenkatu 22 / P.O. 92 15141 Lahti - Finland - Europe GSM +358 - 50 - 526 5892 fax. +358 - 3 - 828 2815 e-mail: asaarto_at_lpt.fi *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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