On Saturday 28 October 2006 02:40, you wrote: > There is always the challenge of communicating from a remote or isolated > location with a low-power transceiver using CW. And then there is always > the safety aspect. When we were cruising on our sailboat (Kibitka) we > used amateur radio to participate in several rescues at sea; one of > which included a very low-powered amateur radio transceiver. Having lugged around a CB radio as a safety feature on my first trip in a Klepper, ages ago, in the days before cellular phones, I found the most objectional part the weight and size of the battery pack, and that the frequency range allowed in Sweden also was used by Italian fishermen, using transmitters at least 200 times stronger than the internationally agreed upon, and thus totally swamped the range. Up in the Scandinavian mountains I've also used CBs, communicating the Samis (aka Lapps) in the area, but today a tiny cellular works much better - you just need a way to recharge it after a while (or bring spare batteries). I guess CB radios are still used by truckers ... Ten-four! > And the size and weight of some of these systems is not much of a > factor. Sometimes a tree to throw an antenna over is. As usual, a good antenna is worth millions! But this guy's set up is not an emergency set-up, as I can't see him paddling and transmitting at the same time in an emergency, one hand on the paddle and one on the mike?! If it's for communication off the water during breaks, or for daily reports back to Mum and Dad, why buildsuch an elaborate antenna set-up? If you have to abandon your kayak that fishing-pole thing will get lost, period! And probably the tx, too, unless you carry it on your person, as it seems permanently fixed to the deck, and/or the antenna?! I might be totally wrong, of course: Maybe this guy is going to paddle the far north of Siberia, or North America (say west of Hudson Bay), which are often perfectly flat, thus ideal for ham radio communication, but I would feel easier if he got himself a pair of BOSS amas to keep his vessel right side up while chatting with his buddies back in Florida, or where-ever they are :_)! Tord PS That pole could also carry a small sail ... hmmm ... *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sat Oct 28 2006 - 00:51:21 PDT
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