No doubt many are saddened by the senseless loss of James Kim, the
family man that perished in the mountains of Western Oregon early this
week. I think what makes it all the more tragic is that here was a
person who was on the cutting edge of all the latest and greatest high
tech computer and communications technology. Blackberries, photo
cellphones, wifi PDA's and laptops, etc. I'm stunned a person in such
a high tech vector could become so completely isolated in such a short
distance from the mainstream.

This worries me because it highlights the shortcomings of all this new
high tech gimcrackery. As I understand it, even satellite cellphones
require a service provider with a nearby uplink antenna. So, this
brings up my question, as a non ham:

How long do you think it would have taken James, or anyone in that
situation, to make contact with outside help and get him and his
family out of there if he'd had something like a basic QRP tranceiver
and antenna and knew how to use it?

Any thoughts you may have on this issue would be appreciated.

nb

"notbob" wrote in message
. ..
This worries me because it highlights the shortcomings of all this new
high tech gimcrackery.

I'm not sure what "shortcomings" you're referring to; no cell phone or WiFi
vendor suggests that you're somehow going to be able to get service out in the
middle of nowhere, miles from any populated town.

As I understand it, even satellite cellphones
require a service provider with a nearby uplink antenna.

No, plenty are 100% standalone. You're probably thinking of models that
effectively act like traditional cordless phones back to a basestation so that
the handset itself can be small and light and have good battery life.

How long do you think it would have taken James, or anyone in that
situation, to make contact with outside help and get him and his
family out of there if he'd had something like a basic QRP tranceiver
and antenna and knew how to use it?

(Assuming an HF band transceiver...) Not long at all.

If he had made various short hikes from the car to the surrounding hill tops
perhaps he could have managed to hit a cell phone tower as well and
successfully made a call.

Any thoughts you may have on this issue would be appreciated.

Although we'll probably never know exactly what he was thinking, I've been on
the road in question and to most people it justs scream "do not enter!" in
winter... at least not without much better equipment and supplies, including a
different vehicle.

I'd be curious to learn if he used a piece of mapping/routing software to
choose his course; I've seen some that will choose the road he did because it
is shorter, in mileage, than the main highway out to the coast -- not
considering that the road is narrow, gravel, and otherwise rather treacherous
in winter. (Even in summer it's significantly slower than the main highway.)

---Joel

On 2006-12-07, Joel Kolstad wrote:

I'd be curious to learn if he used a piece of mapping/routing software to
choose his course;

I'm sure I've heard he had a mapquest or similar generated map.

considering that the road is narrow, gravel......

That would have been a flashing red light for me. In fact, I think I
took that hwy (42?) from 5 to the coast back in '75. Is that the
highway that's the usual detour to the Coast when 5 at Grant's Pass is
closed? If so, we did take it in snowy weather at night and were even
less prepared than he was (I was real young and real stupid). But, I
was smart enough to stay on the road that actually had traffic,
including trucks, on it despite it becoming pretty lonesome on some
stretches. We also put on chains (the state patrol required it).

nb

Official Oregon State maps indicated in red ink the roads
that are closed in winter, off the shelf Rand McNally map did not.

with all the trees out there, too bad he did not carry a leatherman
tool.

burning the tires was smart.

wonder if he knew how to build igloo or other type of shelter.


I'd be curious to learn if he used a piece of mapping/routing software to
choose his course; I've seen some that will choose the road he did because it
is shorter, in mileage, than the main highway out to the coast -- not
considering that the road is narrow, gravel, and otherwise rather treacherous
in winter. (Even in summer it's significantly slower than the main highway.)

---Joel

In article ,
notbob wrote:

[snip]
This worries me because it highlights the shortcomings of all this new
high tech gimcrackery. As I understand it, even satellite cellphones
require a service provider with a nearby uplink antenna. So, this
brings up my question, as a non ham:

How long do you think it would have taken James, or anyone in that
situation, to make contact with outside help and get him and his
family out of there if he'd had something like a basic QRP tranceiver
and antenna and knew how to use it?

Any thoughts you may have on this issue would be appreciated.

Well, the _right_ high tech gimcrackery (a "personnel locator beacon",
e.g. http://www.landfallnavigation.com/spwff1.html) would almost
certainly have been effective. And I'm sorry for his family's loss, and
can appreciate that Mr. Kim must have felt that taking action was
necessary to save his wife and children, but had he _stayed_put_ he'd be
alive today.

I agree...here in the Northern U.S. where we (usually) get plenty of
snow and ice, we were taught to stay with the vehicle (and it's always a
good idea to have an emergency supply of food and water in the car,
especially in the winter months). In the case of an air search and
rescue, it's far easier to spot a car on the ground (which is usually
very near to a road) rather than spot a person in the woods...

Scott



BakersT wrote:

Well, the _right_ high tech gimcrackery (a "personnel locator beacon",
e.g. http://www.landfallnavigation.com/spwff1.html) would almost
certainly have been effective. And I'm sorry for his family's loss, and
can appreciate that Mr. Kim must have felt that taking action was
necessary to save his wife and children, but had he _stayed_put_ he'd be
alive today.

That is really rugged country... And even with a determined multi day
search by air and snowmobile they only found her by accident... Likely
if she hadn't had the umbrella they would have sailed right on past
without seeing her... It is sheer happenstance that any survived..
Given this coddled, technological world we live in, we have lost our
fear of nature... We walk around in freezing weather wearing only a
light jacket, get into a self heating car and drive away from the
suburban streets into rugged country with the Sirius music playing and
the kids banging on the gameboy...But when our technological tools
fail, we are totally unequipped to survive in a situation of being
stranded in a hostile environment...

Could I have made the same mistake? Maybe... But, I am the product of
Northern Michigan, I live in a rural area, I drive 5000# of 4X4 truck,
I usually wear a -20F parka, even to run to the store 2.5 miles away...
Maybe my inherent caution would have made me question that road and
turn around... Maybe not... Glad it was not me...

denny

Well put.

Living in northeast Montana teaches one to NEVER go out, anywhere, unless
you are prepared to spend time in a hostile environment. There are those who
do the same thing every year up here, fortunately it usually has a happier
ending. Nature is very unforgiving and could care less who you are, where
you are from, what you do, etc., etc. Lose sight of that and forget to
respect nature and some hard life lessons will bestow themselves upon you,
some of them can, unfortunately, be self critiquing.

we never travel in that type of area but
when we do travel by car, got plenty of food,
several boxes cereal for me not the kids !,
cooler with drinks and h2o and several
road flares (makes fires fast) and my 2m/440 mobile kenwood
and ht.

also have old cb from 1975 and it works.


Scott wrote:

I agree...here in the Northern U.S. where we (usually) get plenty of
snow and ice, we were taught to stay with the vehicle (and it's always a
good idea to have an emergency supply of food and water in the car,
especially in the winter months). In the case of an air search and
rescue, it's far easier to spot a car on the ground (which is usually
very near to a road) rather than spot a person in the woods...

On Fri, 08 Dec 2006 08:26:28 -0500, Lois wrote in :

Scott wrote:

I agree...here in the Northern U.S. where we (usually) get plenty of
snow and ice, we were taught to stay with the vehicle (and it's always a
good idea to have an emergency supply of food and water in the car,
especially in the winter months). In the case of an air search and
rescue, it's far easier to spot a car on the ground (which is usually
very near to a road) rather than spot a person in the woods...


we never travel in that type of area but when we do travel by car,
got plenty of food, several boxes cereal for me not the kids !,
cooler with drinks and h2o and several road flares (makes fires
fast) and my 2m/440 mobile kenwood and ht.

also have old cb from 1975 and it works.

Yes, indeed. Any road trip into the western half of the US (New Mexico
and points west) this time of year will see me do these:

o Move the HF rig into the van, as well as the FM dual-bander;
o Install the HF antenna mount on the van;
o Carry a straight key and antennas for 40, 20, and 10 meters;
o Carry both 2m HTs, spare batteries, and battery chargers for them;
o Load up with food, water, cloth blankets, flares, kitty litter,
reflective Mylar blankets[1], 2 shovels, and flashlights; and
o Give _very_ serious thought to what _else_ I should carry.

We've got to drive from OKC and back over this weekend, and that's how
I'll load up the van today, even though the forecast is for good wx.
I've been called an over-cautious fuddy-duddy because I think like
that, and I'm still alive because I think like that.

Even on well-traveled roads, you can get into Too Much Trouble in bad
weather; back roads in untraveled country are, as we've just seen, far
more dangerous.

Garrison Keillor said it very well indeed:

"Life is complicated, but winter narrows it down to a
few simple problems: heat, food, shelter, plumbing.
And it focuses you in wonderful ways. You don't have
to search for your personal identity in winter; winter
gives it to you. You are prey in winter; nature is
making a serious attempt to kill you."

[1] Life-savers when it's _cold_.

--
Mike Andrews, W5EGO

Tired old sysadmin