if i were hurt or lost or stranded - could i count on cpf to help?

here wait a second , my reply will say it all

yesterday while offrouding on my bike i busted a part. fortunatlyi was not hurt aand was only a mile from civilization and was able to get out before dark(not that daarkness would have hindered me any ) as i was walking out i took stock of what i had on hand. i noted that my wireless pda was in my pocket as it always is an was wondering - if i got hurt and could not move could i have any reason to believe that cpf woud see too it that my parents knew of my whereabouts.

i would most likely post in the led furum with this format:

number to dial-

message -

location-

of course the only timme i woulask this of cpfers is in an emergency so no feearr of me crying wolf .btw- iidont have a cellular phone

so would i be able to count on you guys to relay the message ?
it would be a nice security blanket.

I wouldn't worry about it. If there are people on CPF who would give their last twenty bucks, there are people on CPF who would also pick up a phone.

This type of situation has actually happened; somebody who was having a medical emergency of some kind sent out a message on a chat board before collapsing, and she got the help she needed by somebody 3,000 miles away seeing the message and calling 911.

Yeah, I remember reading about that story. Wasn't it someone in the US who was chatting on IRC or similar with someone in the UK, and then collapsed, so the UK person called the local police, who relayed the message etc etc. Or maybe it was the other way around.

In any case, its great that it can work that way, but I wouldn't rely on it - not knowing how soon someone will see a message. If you think there is a chance you may be in such a situation, investing in a cell phone is probably the best way to go.

Graham

I think if this situation came up, you'ld get some help pretty quick. My 1st thought was, if it happend in the middle of the day, you might have a problem. But then I remembered, CPF extends so far, someone will be on it, no matter what time it is locally. I think I'ld post on the "general" board, not the "LED" board. Remember, you have Darell in CA, & he's on about 22 hrs a day. That would probably worth 4 or 5 more post for him. TX

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by txwest:
I think I'ld post on the "general" board, not the "LED" board<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I almost never check the General board, or Mods, Spotlights, or HID either. I'd be more likely to see it either on the LED board or here in the lounge.

I should actually check Mods more often, since I now have a few.

Just a quick moment of confusion by a rather unwell-feeling Welshman here Trev, but:

If you don`t have a cellphone, how are you going to get the message from that little PDA out onto the internet? I thought "wireless" meant it would interface with a wireless modem nearby, or in places like libraries or Universities that have wireless Lan systems installed.

If you`re stranded someplace, will it still connect to the internet- ie, is there a cellphone-type transmitter/reciever built in? I don`t have one but always thought they needed a "bluechip" (is that the right name?) phone or wireless modem/Lan/whatever nearby to go online?




BTW, might like to turn the spellcheck on- those little touchscreen keys seem to be giving you some troubles!

...mmm, would you be carrying that green Arc LS on your person at the time of your accident?...

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by txwest:
Remember, you have Darell in CA, & he's on about 22 hrs a day.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Tex -

What would you do with little "Wavy" there if you didn't have ol' Darell to kick around? I'm glad I could give him life...

While I'm sure any CPF member who saw your message would respond appropriately, you'd be much better off being able to raise help locally. Lots of options.

1. Whistle - super loud, super cheap, super light weight
2. Cell phone
3. Amateur radio (for areas where cell reception won't cut it)
4. mini self-launching flares
5. Emergency kit - foil blanket, matches, signal mirror, etc. You know... Boy Scout stuff.
6. And finally, the answer you've been waiting for: This life-or-death situation is the ONE TIME you would be expected to shine your green laser at anything you could hit that would garner attention.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by The LED Museum:
I wouldn't worry about it. If there are people on CPF who would give their last twenty bucks, there are people on CPF who would also pick up a phone.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Doh!

cell phone is not an option- non necesary expence at the moment

it is very likely that a whistle would not be heard- middle of nowhere remember

flares are out- no way they would be seen in this wooded area

radios are to expencive to justify

as a BSA scoutmaster i do carry the essencials- but doya really think a bandaid will help a broke leg? yeah im an eagle so i know about the splint thing

yes laser would work- at night- still probly just **** off the pilots

pda- always with me and the wireless cradle allows connection every where ive been so far- including nowhere

better test first tho- gimme about an hour to get to "nowhere" and i will post a test "can you hear this" in the cafe i will wait for a responce of some sort and delete the "test topic"

STAY TUNED

Man, I'm tellin' ya - If you're spending the money on wireless internet, you might as well cancel that and spend the money on a phone that could REALLY be used in an emergency.

"Too expensive" is all but irrelevant when your safety is at stake. I'd go so far as to say that you could make do with one less $100 flashlight for the sake of your safety...

I go with the rest...buy a mobile phone! Mine's got me out of a mess many-a -time!

A mobile phone is a particularly useful emergency tool for one other reason - GPS. I remember from somewhere that it has been legislated in the US that every cellphone sold from (2002/2003?) *must* contain a GPS chipset. I think this is for safety locating purposes and not privacy-intrusion/tracking.

Even without GPS, I'm fairly positive that even using the "keep alive" signal that a cell phone sends out to the nearby base stations, the cellphone operator can technically triangulate your position based on which base station last received (or is still receiving) those keepalive signals in an emergency.

Here in Japan the latest cell phones now offer a 'gps' style navigation application.

Since the latest phones here offer high resolution colour displays (some can even do 3D graphics, as well as Java..), they have a small navigation program which shows a graphic map, and pinpoints your location, all on the little phone display. I believe it will download maps to give directions to where you want to go, as well. From what I've seen, it looks very similar to GPS car navigation systems, although the graphics are simplified.

Hmm, well I just checked, and although I didn't think so, they do use true GPS signals..
Have a look here for a bit of info on the capabilities of the latest phones in Japan..
Here

Also, here is a page which shows some of the GPS functionality. Unfortunately they only have it in Japanese, but you get the idea..

Graham

My cell phone is number one. If not for DSL, I would consider getting rid of my wired phone.

As nice as CPF members are, I'd probably call my ex roommate or semi-girlfriend if stranded in need of help. Barring that, I'd call the police and ask for suggestions.

Not sure but do the wireless PDAs use satellite technology? My brother in sticks of northern NH, has a pager the supposedly works in the Satellite system so it will reach him wherever he is.

not sure but i think its sat. system

i wont get rid of the pda because i have a business to run with it and it makes me more efficient. the getting help is a side feature- i dont need a phone as i always use the phones around me or wait. remember the pda is a business tool - not a emergancy tool

OK, but aren't you *talking* about using it as an emergency tool? Nothing like the right tool for the job. Using your PDA to summon help would be like using a hot glue gun in place of a soldering iron

Or a G2 for an impact weapon... TX

Or a green laser pointer for eye surgery.

darrell- i did not think you knew thats what i used to do. or was it coincidence?

if the pda works more power to me.