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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Dependence on GPS
From: Tom Sult
Date: 2009 Nov 01, 09:28 -0600
From: Tom Sult
Date: 2009 Nov 01, 09:28 -0600
I was in Europe earlier this year and for what ever reason my iPhone would not get a GPS lock. I got a message that I may not have an adaquite view of the sky. At the time I was on the summit of one of the tallest mountains in Slovenia. Seems like I should have had at least a reasonable view of the sky. I don't remember any large UFO's overhead. I wonder if everyone's cell phones seaching for a cell could have been enough to "jam" the signal. Or maybe I spilled some jam on it. Thomas A. Sult, MD Sent from iPhone On Nov 1, 2009, at 8:56, Fred Hebardwrote: > > I would expect GPS units in a wrist-watch or arm-band configuration > would be less prone to "injury" while kayaking than deck-mounted > units. A cell phone or two with GPS should be sufficient electronic > equipment for most sea kayakers, I would think. > > Fred > > On Oct 31, 2009, at 9:15 AM, Apache Runner wrote: > >> >> >> Frank makes a good point about unnecessarily exposing oneself to >> risk and thereby endangering possible searcher-and-rescuers. >> There is this notion of risk homeostasis. Mountain climbers are >> often accused of this. It goes something like this: "I got away >> with X last time, therefore I can get away with it next time." >> And then, they get nailed by putting themselves in some precarious >> situation. The flip side of the coin is someone who analyzes a >> past outing for errors and corrects them. I'm keenly aware of the >> issues of putting SAR'ers in jeopardy. >> >> I was in close proximity to a sea kayaking tragedy. On Columbus >> Day weekend, 2003 (or 2004, I forget), I was kayaking in the fog >> off of Cape Cod. The cheapy compass I was using got jammed with >> sea water, but I did have the good sense to wear a wetsuit - the >> water temperature was 55 degrees F. Two girls went out in sea >> kayaks at exactly the same time as I was out, and they were maybe a >> half mile from me. I used the wind and waves as a natural compass >> and hand-railed my way along the coast to get back home. They got >> lost in the fog, and there was a two day search and rescue. Two >> days later, they found the body of one of the girls. The other >> was never found. >> >> By next spring, I had a brand new kayak and when I was paddling, I >> was about as tricked out as you could imagine. Three compasses, a >> nautical chart, a VHF transceiver, a GPS unit, flare gun, combat >> knife (the kind SEALs use), you name it. >> >> Over time, I got more experience and learned that it actually is >> important to unclutter the deck of the kayak - having lost a lot of >> gear to waves, and also the junk gets in the way of rescues. As >> mentioned, I experienced two GPS failures in conditions where I >> could've used them the most. >> >> My main kit now consists of a deck mounted compass, a hiker's >> compass in my PFD, a chart if in unfamiliar waters, a flare gun and >> flares, water, back-up food and protable VHF transceiver. For >> longer trips, there's the usual camping gear, and I probably throw >> a GPS in a dry bag, but mainly as an afterthought. In the fog, >> I'll bring a portable fog-horn. >> >> I've participated in six or seven rescues over the past five years, >> including 3 cases of helping motor-boaters who were lost in the fog >> and even had GPS'es. Of course, they also had a few cases of beer. >> >> The main gripe about GPS'es for me is in the vein of the Charlie >> Brown comic story about Lucy and the Football. Lucy convinces >> Charlie Brown, against all experience, to once again charge and try >> to kick the football, and she yanks it away as usual. Last year, >> I found myself again shelling out $200 for a spiffy GPS unit. Now >> my third - thinking to myself "you're throwing away money...". >> >> This fall I'd given my students an exercise to walk from the chapel >> of the college to a tall building about a mile away and try to >> estimate the height of the steeple using the distance walked and >> the angular height. I wanted to check the accuracy of my dead >> reckoning and brought out the $200 GPS unit to the college yard, >> and lo-and-behold - no signal. Lucy pulled the football away >> again. >> >> There is a definite sympathy to the issue of exposing would be >> rescuers to unnecessary danger by taking imprudent risks, but my >> own experience is that the GPS receivers end up being costly >> unneeded baggage. This is not a Luddite statement, I will >> certainly carry a VHF any time I'm out on a kayak, but my >> experience is that these tend to be more reliable and a much more >> valuable piece of equipment than a GPS unit in terms of safety. >> >> >> >>> > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ NavList message boards: www.fer3.com/arc Or post by email to: NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList+@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---