[Paddlewise] Bottom Line of VHF and Cell Phones

I think putting all the posts together that the bottom line on this is todo
your homework for the area you are in.

Different areas use different protocals.

different areas use different location reference points.

For example I have lived here all my life adn listened to boats for 50 years
on teh radios they used at whatever decade it was.

The intracoastal waterway has mile markers from Florida to Texas, but here is
I tell someone on VHF ch13 that I am approaching the schoolhouse or north
forty they know exactly where I am.  If I have done my homework, then I know
also.

YOu cannot wait until you have a need to see if it works.  With EPIRBS you
simply have to.  That is why they have a 90% false alarm rate.  Too many
people "trying it to see if it works".  That increased response time.

I, like others would expect it to work rather slowly, but I would take one
into remote areas.  In fact I have been contemplating exactly that in Summer
2000 on a canoe trip into remote Canada.  I figured exactly what was posted
becasue I had studyied it a lot.  That made me feel good.

The bottom line is to be as familiar with what you are doing adn where you are
doing it as you can.  Right here is where to start.  Each day brings many
posts requesting information.  If we freely give factual information including
the "I don't know, so I'll just read adn learn"  that is a good beginning.

Sometimes you have to realize that "authorities" have an "official position"
that they tell you when you contact them which may or may not be "filtered"
information.

Dave Kruger seems to have a grasp on the drawbacks of ni-cad batteries.  If
you don't mind Dave, could you share which hand held VHF models you find work
well with alkaline.  I have only ceen one advertized and know nothing about
it..

John LeBlanc
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