[MilCom] Mount Hood Climbers.

[sdaitch at mor.ibb.gov]

Yes, agreed, a $65 FRS radio on the climbers and a $65 FRS radio with the searchers might have located them much faster, but, the fact is, as I understood it, the climbers did have at least one cell phone and the reports were that cell phone did make contact with the cell network at one point.

With that in mind, can the cell phone companies and the techncial industry devise a cell base station that operates like a paged two way radio and can communicate with a specific cell phone?  

I could be wrong, but the number of cell phones in use in the US, for example, probably far outnumbers the FRS radio population.  Cell phones generally have far better battery life than FRS radios, granted most FRS radios can use field replaceable cells, typically AA or AAA, while cell phones use flat packs.

I don't know the three climbers lost on Mount Hood were relying on the cell phone as a replacement for proper planning in regards to weather concerns and routes.

----- Original Message -----
From: lrk <milcom1 at ovillatx.sytes.net>
Date: Tuesday, January 2, 2007 2:55 am
Subject: Re: [MilCom] Civil Air Patrol Not Called To Help Kim Tragedy

> On Mon, Jan 01, 2007 at 02:58:28PM +0000, sdaitch at mor.ibb.gov wrote:
> > 
> >    In  addition to the emphasis on the FRS angle of 
> communications, maybe
> >    for someone far more astute than I am on the technical 
> aspects of cell
> >    phones, is it possible for the search units to have and use a 
> portable>    master  base cell system that would emulate the cell 
> network, but have
> >    two-way contact with the cell phone?
> > 
> >    In the last mountain search, there were reports of sporadic 
> cell phone
> >    contact  from  one of the missing climbers, and it would seem 
> possible>    for the air rescue teams to have aircraft to cell 
> phone communications
> >    available that would "duplicate" the cell phone to system 
> connectivity>    wihtout actually hving the cell phone reach the 
> cell network.
> 
> It is more of a human problem than a technical one. How do we 
> teach people
> to not think they can always just dial 911 on their cellphone when 
> theyneed help? Since they think that will work, they don't check 
> the weather,
> check the route they need to take, etc. They won't buy a radio and 
> keepgood batteries in it.
> 
> There was one news report about the mountain search where a local guy
> built radios for climbers to check out at the ranger station free. He
> had a receiver and directional antenna in hand. He said 'if they 
> had 
> one of these, I WOULD find them'.
> 
> It is a matter of keeping safety in mind. People often don't.
> 
> 
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