[GreenKeys] OT: emergency communications

[dmm at lemur.com]

I have a question primarily for the amateur radio folks on the list.
It's clearly off-topic, but this is the only venue I know of with
a deep knowledge of ham radio. 

Since my wife's recent and unexpected death, I'm now living in our
rural home alone.  It's 50 acres, and the terrain is complicated.
To cover it all line-of-sight would take half a dozen positions.
Adding to this, it's all within a valley in which there
is basically no cell reception.  We have land-line telephone
and terrestrial-radio-based Internet (ex-Motorola Canopy) 
at the house (only).

This has been made more difficult for me because last year
I injured my back rather severely.  So a real possibility now exists
that if I'm out working on something remote from the house and
re-injure myself so that I can't make it back, it might be too
late before anyone notices and comes looking.

What I need to find is some kind of device that I can carry with me
on foot which can, perhaps with the aid of a base station at the house,
permit me to make an outgoing emergency call (or at least send a signal).
It can't require line-of-sight, and it can't depend on the cell network.

What, if any, are my options?

Thanks very much for any and all advice.

Regards,
David M.
===
Dr. David M. MacMillan  -  dmm at lemur.com

"Whatever you're meant to do, do it now. 
The conditions are always impossible."   - Doris Lessing

www.CircuitousRoot.com   *  www.Lemur.com