altonj
Member
Forgive me if this is off-topic but it seemed the most logical place (to me anyway) to post this question based on the apparent knowledge level of those actively posting in this section and the regional nature of the situation.
I have some good friends who live and work in an area south-east of the French River and south of the 'west arm' of Lake Nippising. These people spend a lot of time travelling remote areas and could use a communication system for emergency purposes, updates on ETA, and requests for additional equipment to be sent into the field. They need to cover an area with an approximate 15 km radius from 'home'. Terrain is an issue and they accept they may have to get to a ridge in order to call for assistance. They travel through some heavily wooded areas, often making their own trails, so any antenna system will need to be flexible - or cheaply replaceable.
This needs to be relatively inexpensive and the units going into the field need to be rugged as they will be in boats and snowmobiles in temperatures as low as -30 C. They have a preference for systems that do not require monthly fees.
On the wish-list of features... since it's hard to hear much of anything over an outboard or snowmobile engine... some form of persistent visual indication that someone wants to talk to you would be very helpful.
One of my first thoughts was to erect a tower with a GMRS repeater... but it seems those are not yet legal in Canada.
Another thought was to use CB units with SSB but I couldn't quickly locate any handheld CB units with SSB capabilities. Then there is the limit on tower height for CB base stations.
Another thought is VHF Marine radios. The last time I looked into them (around 1998) you had to be licensed to use one in Canada but some research showed me that, for certain conditions, is no longer the case. However, after reading those certain conditions I'm unsure whether or not the above conditions qualify for unlicensed VHF Marine radio usage.
For those that may be familiar with the area... had the Blue Sky Net initiative actually met it's objectives these people would likely only need to carry cell phones now.
As such I'm throwing it open to this group in the hope of soliciting some ideas and information.
Regards,
Jim
I have some good friends who live and work in an area south-east of the French River and south of the 'west arm' of Lake Nippising. These people spend a lot of time travelling remote areas and could use a communication system for emergency purposes, updates on ETA, and requests for additional equipment to be sent into the field. They need to cover an area with an approximate 15 km radius from 'home'. Terrain is an issue and they accept they may have to get to a ridge in order to call for assistance. They travel through some heavily wooded areas, often making their own trails, so any antenna system will need to be flexible - or cheaply replaceable.
This needs to be relatively inexpensive and the units going into the field need to be rugged as they will be in boats and snowmobiles in temperatures as low as -30 C. They have a preference for systems that do not require monthly fees.
On the wish-list of features... since it's hard to hear much of anything over an outboard or snowmobile engine... some form of persistent visual indication that someone wants to talk to you would be very helpful.
One of my first thoughts was to erect a tower with a GMRS repeater... but it seems those are not yet legal in Canada.
Another thought was to use CB units with SSB but I couldn't quickly locate any handheld CB units with SSB capabilities. Then there is the limit on tower height for CB base stations.
Another thought is VHF Marine radios. The last time I looked into them (around 1998) you had to be licensed to use one in Canada but some research showed me that, for certain conditions, is no longer the case. However, after reading those certain conditions I'm unsure whether or not the above conditions qualify for unlicensed VHF Marine radio usage.
For those that may be familiar with the area... had the Blue Sky Net initiative actually met it's objectives these people would likely only need to carry cell phones now.
As such I'm throwing it open to this group in the hope of soliciting some ideas and information.
Regards,
Jim