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Would it kill them to put a radio morse code link in the cabin? It could be done with $3 worth of parts, plus a solar cell or dynamo. What is with this insane

Would it kill them to put a radio morse code link in the cabin? It could be done with $3 worth of parts, plus a solar cell or dynamo. What is with this insane desire to rough it as living without emergency comms is somehow nobler than having them? There’s no reason why every log cabin should not have a HF voice link to anywhere. I think that in the real old days there were probably tons of people walking everywhere. You just had to sit down in a trail and somebody would walk by. Wild places today would seem deserted by comparison.

jneumann004 4y ago
You're assuming somebody is going to be listening. Many organizations that would have been listening 50 years ago have had funding taken from them.
jimnotgym 4y ago
HF transmission is highly dependent on atmospheric effects to get any reception at all. That is if anyone is even listening. Retuning to a different band requires running the antenna etc... not that easy for dummies who can't even see the benefit of a map, compass and water.
- hasmanean 4y ago
  If the distance is less than 600km then NVIS comms would be enough. A 100’ sloped antenna would do the trick, attached to the chimney of the log cabin. It would not have to be that high off the ground.
GTP 4y ago
I would not use morse code, as most people aren't familiar with it. But putting a simple radio with solar-charged batteries is a good point.
oefrha 4y ago
> He hadn’t packed a GPS device, paper map, or compass, instead relying on a cell phone mapping app that was useless without service. He had failed to bring a headlamp or flashlight, instead relying on his phone’s built-in light. While he had brought two large knives, he hadn’t brought a first-aid kit or any method of signaling for help in an emergency. He wasn’t, she said, even on the right trail: Instead of the 17-mile, moderate Cabin Loop, he was hiking the 18.8-mile Taylor Cabin Loop, a full 50 miles away, which his guidebook rated as strenuous. You think someone like this is prepared to use a radio morse code link?
wl 4y ago
> Would it kill them to put a radio morse code link in the cabin? > It could be done with $3 worth of parts, plus a solar cell or dynamo. As an amateur radio operator who does these kinds of things for fun, no, just no. It takes a lot of technical skill and practice to be able to operate these kinds of radios. Morse code also takes a lot of practice to send effectively. And it's not going to be $3. The proper technological solution here is a SPOT beacon.
- hasmanean 4y ago
  Touché. Or a simple voice link. Technically the only word it would have to transmit is “mayday”. Practically you’d need a voice link to make sure it was a real emergency.

jneumann004 4y ago

You're assuming somebody is going to be listening. Many organizations that would have been listening 50 years ago have had funding taken from them.

jimnotgym 4y ago

HF transmission is highly dependent on atmospheric effects to get any reception at all. That is if anyone is even listening. Retuning to a different band requires running the antenna etc... not that easy for dummies who can't even see the benefit of a map, compass and water.

hasmanean 4y ago
If the distance is less than 600km then NVIS comms would be enough. A 100’ sloped antenna would do the trick, attached to the chimney of the log cabin. It would not have to be that high off the ground.

GTP 4y ago

I would not use morse code, as most people aren't familiar with it. But putting a simple radio with solar-charged batteries is a good point.

oefrha 4y ago

> He hadn’t packed a GPS device, paper map, or compass, instead relying on a cell phone mapping app that was useless without service. He had failed to bring a headlamp or flashlight, instead relying on his phone’s built-in light. While he had brought two large knives, he hadn’t brought a first-aid kit or any method of signaling for help in an emergency. He wasn’t, she said, even on the right trail: Instead of the 17-mile, moderate Cabin Loop, he was hiking the 18.8-mile Taylor Cabin Loop, a full 50 miles away, which his guidebook rated as strenuous. You think someone like this is prepared to use a radio morse code link?

wl 4y ago

> Would it kill them to put a radio morse code link in the cabin? > It could be done with $3 worth of parts, plus a solar cell or dynamo. As an amateur radio operator who does these kinds of things for fun, no, just no. It takes a lot of technical skill and practice to be able to operate these kinds of radios. Morse code also takes a lot of practice to send effectively. And it's not going to be $3. The proper technological solution here is a SPOT beacon.

hasmanean 4y ago
Touché. Or a simple voice link. Technically the only word it would have to transmit is “mayday”. Practically you’d need a voice link to make sure it was a real emergency.