Received: from hplms26.hpl.hp.com by opus.hpl.hp.com with SMTP (1.37.109.8/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1) id AA05477; Tue, 14 Nov 1995 16:45:22 -0800 Return-Path: <sdubois@advent.com-DeleteThis> Received: from mozart.Advent.COM by hplms26.hpl.hp.com with ESMTP ($Revision: 1.36.108.11 $/15.5+ECS 3.3+HPL1.1S) id AA113746318; Tue, 14 Nov 1995 16:45:18 -0800 Received: from smtp_out.advent.com (smtp_out [204.243.141.5]) by mozart.Advent.COM (8.6.12/8.6.12) with SMTP id QAA11080 for <wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis>; Tue, 14 Nov 1995 16:25:08 -0800 Received: from cc:Mail by smtp_out.advent.com id AA816395063; Tue, 14 Nov 95 16:21:39 PST Date: Tue, 14 Nov 95 16:21:39 PST From: sdubois@advent.com-DeleteThis Message-Id: <9510148163.AA816395063@smtp_out.advent.com-DeleteThis> To: wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis Subject: Re: Cellphones and VHF
I have had a similar setup with the first bag only. never had a
problem. I check the battery of the radio before I go out. The whole
thing fits in the back pocket of my gorge gear flotation vest so I
don't have to worry about a fanny pack... It has worked well for more
almost 2 seasons now.
All I need to buy complete piece of mind is a POD (Protective Oceanic
Device) to keep sharks away.
-stephane
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Cellphones and VHF
Author: wind_talk@opus.hpl.hp.com-DeleteThis at Internet
Date: 11/14/95 4:04 PM
Last Spring, there was a discussion on wind_talk
about waterproof bags, cellular phones, and VHFs.
I did some experimentation on these this season, and
since I have nothing to do now that the season is over,
I thought I'd report back to you all on my findings.
If you have additional information to contribute,
please chime in, or send me the info and I'll update
my info and send it out again. Here's what I found:
There are no waterproof cellular phones available, to
my knowledge.
For those of you not familiar with VHF, it's easy to
make an emergency call to the Coast Guard. It's probably
better than a cellular phone in that it's a direct line
to them or to their rescue boat/helicopter. The
reception should be excellent anywhere on the Bay.
You can talk to boats that have their VHF turned on.
You do need to buy a license, but it's good for 10 years.
[Of course, PLEASE don't call the Coast Guard unless you
have exhausted all other self-rescue avenues and you
are in immediate danger of death, injury, or hypothermia,
and PLEASE don't be lulled into ignoring safety issues
because you have a VHF!]
You can buy handheld VHFs somewhere like West Marine
(stores in Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, S San Francisco, etc).
There are several "waterproof" VHFs available, where
"waterproof" means that they'll repair or replace
them for water damage. The problem is:
(1) The $300 VHF I tried (Apelco 510) is not waterproof
enough. I returned it and got my money back after
a few times out.
(2) There are more expensive (and presumeably more
waterproof) VHFs available (the ICOM M-15 and the Navico),
I hear that some windsurfers have had success with them.
They are bigger (bigger than a cellular phone),
and cost $430 and $600, respectively.
(3) All of the waterproof VHFs utilize NiCad batteries.
This is not great for an emergency device because
NiCads run down by themselves every few weeks, and
you can't charge them every week because it's bad
for NiCads.
West Marine sells a waterproof bag (actually, two different
ones, theirs and ICOM's) designed for use with non-waterproof
VHFs. It would probably work with a cellular phone too.
However, I did extensive experimentation with these and
they are not reliably waterproof on submersion.
The solution I arrived at that has served me admirably
for at least two dozen times on the Bay this season:
(1) I bought a very small non-waterproof VHF that takes
alkaline batteries (shelf life 2 years), and that is
not nearly as expensive ($200): the ICOM M-10.
(2) I put it in the waterproof VHF bag that West Marine
sells, sealed it well, and I didn't remove it for most of the season
(I assume each resealing wears on the seal). It's transparent,
so you can see if the radio is OK, and you can operate
the radio with the bag on.
(3) I put all of the above inside of a SeaPak waterproof fanny
pack that you can get at REI or Western Mountaineering
(Cupertino on Homestead or San Jose on Winchester, respectively).
A friend of mine also bought the same setup, i.e. (1) inside (2)
inside (3), and he has also had success with it this season.
The waterproof fanny pack is available in two sizes, one that the VHF
barely fits in (you really have to bend the rubber antenna) and one that
is very roomy (you can keep lots of other stuff in with the VHF).
I've tried both, I like the bigger one.
The bag can leak a TINY bit when you do a lot of bump and jump crashing
on top of it, but only a few droplets get in and the inner bag repels
them fine. The seal derives from rolling up the top and tightening it.
I often open it to check the status of the contents.
That's it. This works for me. I've never had to use it,
and I hope I never do, but you never know. Hope it's of help to you
when you write your Christmas list...
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