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What is your solution for riding in a spot with low reception?

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What is your solution for riding in a spot with low reception?

Old 08-09-20, 10:36 AM
  #226  
phughes
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Originally Posted by GlennR
Moss grows on the north side of a tree. So even at night you're not lost.
At night, it is very easy to find the North Star, in the Northern Hemisphere, and if you know the sky, and the North Star is obscured by clouds, it is still fairly easy to find your directions.
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Old 08-09-20, 10:57 AM
  #227  
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Originally Posted by phughes
At night, it is very easy to find the North Star, in the Northern Hemisphere, and if you know the sky, and the North Star is obscured by clouds, it is still fairly easy to find your directions.
My Garmin 530 has GPS and doesn't need cell service.

Are we done yet or is there something else you guys can nit pick over?
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Old 08-09-20, 11:10 AM
  #228  
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Originally Posted by GlennR
My Garmin 530 has GPS and doesn't need cell service.

Are we done yet or is there something else you guys can nit pick over?
Sorry, who said anything about your GPS? Wow, I simply responded to a post about finding North. Carry GPS, carry your phone, I personally do not care. I do not have a GPS for the bike, but I do have a phone, and it has GPS, and the GPS works without service, and I do carry it, bit rarely use it. I WILL however ride in areas without service.

I simply replied to a post about finding North without the use of a phone, GPS, or compass, replying directly to a comment about doing just that. I'm not nit picking about anything.
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Old 08-09-20, 12:18 PM
  #229  
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Post #235

Just saying.
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Old 08-09-20, 04:43 PM
  #230  
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Originally Posted by DreamRider85
I don't know what to say to this. There aren't solutions for emergencies?
Portable helicopter, airlift yourself.
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Old 08-09-20, 05:05 PM
  #231  
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Originally Posted by GlennR
Post #235

Just saying.
The reception to this thread has been very strong.
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Old 08-09-20, 05:07 PM
  #232  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
Portable helicopter, airlift yourself.
….But I am afraid of heights.
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Old 08-09-20, 06:14 PM
  #233  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
….But I am afraid of heights.
Dinghy/hovercraft?
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Old 08-09-20, 07:36 PM
  #234  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
Virtual reality is the best solution. No need to leave your house.
I think you mean his mom’s basement.
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Old 08-09-20, 10:18 PM
  #235  
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@rosefarts You know, I am just all about the "save every single life." We can worry about blame-casting, ethos, intelligence, risk profile ... later. As Messner once said "all climbing accidents include some degree of human error. Sometimes that error is leaving the house."

And to answer your question, I'm delighted that people with sprained ankles have access to a phone so someone can come and pick them up.

I've seen a lot of suffering. I don't wish more on people.

Greenland sounds like great fun.
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Old 08-10-20, 01:46 AM
  #236  
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Originally Posted by rosefarts
Several years ago I spent a month in a southern fjord of Greenland climbing big walls. I wasn't entirely alone but I think it was frequently several days without seeing anyone. Especially if it rained.

I didn't think too much about it then but later in retrospect, even barring accidents, we should have brought a sat phone. Had my appendix gone bad on me, I may have died there.

So I understand what you are saying.

Haven't you also seen a trend of relying on the phone and rescuers available? I have. An entire days climb and descent, mapped out on a Gizmo that needs service and batteries to do it. The ability to call in a rescue with a sprained ankle or chilly night out? If you haven't tried to use a rope as a blanket, are you even a climber?

I think Pike's Peak had some real issues a while back from people getting tired and calling for a rescue instead of walking out.

I don't know how that relates to cycling, except for big empty adventures. Most bike emergencies are probably car related, in or near a city.
I have noticed a bit of a trend where people put themselves into extremely risky situations and rely on a rescue crew to save them f/when things go bad. I wonder how often those very same people would be doing that if they were told ahead of time that they'd have to pay for or pay a large portion of the rescue costs.

I had a friend who died many years ago when the rescue helicopter he was on crashed whilst trying to perform a rescue in a remote and dangerous location. What po'ed me and his family members was that the people being rescued knew ahead of time that the area they were going into was extremely dangerous to be in.

I see this quite a bit with persons skiing in out of bounds areas.

I think that a lot of times people rely far too much on a cellphone to get them out of a tight spot.

Cheers
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Old 08-10-20, 11:11 AM
  #237  
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Originally Posted by DreamRider85
A lot of lot rides are in country rodes and often times there’s no cell phone service. What is your plan?
Work on my addiction problem with healthy exercise.
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Old 08-10-20, 11:28 AM
  #238  
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No Cell - Safety Consideration

I think I understand where you are going with the lack of cell coverage. For me, I ensure my wife or kids know where I am going and my exact route. Furthermore, like most have said - be prepared for the things that will cause issues. Have a spare tube, tube repair kit, and means to fill up tube once it is repaired/replaced. I like CO2 cartridges, but what about the second or third flat -- hence I have a frame pump with me on the ride (either on my bike or someone I am riding with). Additionally, I will often do a recon of my route at least once in a car before I take that route (if possible) if I know it will take me out of cell coverage. I don't use my phone for anything more than extra navigation and emergency communication. I don't listen to music when riding or take phone calls...both are distracting from the reason I am out riding to begin with.

If you are not thinking safety considerations and worried more about the lack of connectivity to the electronic world while riding it may be time to reconsider why you are riding.
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Old 08-10-20, 11:44 AM
  #239  
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Originally Posted by wolfchild
The reception to this thread has been very strong.
Yes, but quite static-y.
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Old 08-10-20, 12:12 PM
  #240  
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My smartphone *is* my bike computer and emergency call center. A cheap $10.00 handlebar mount securely mounts my Motorola Moto z3 phone. All sound levels are turned off. If a call come in, I won't know about it or be bothered by emails, etc.

I use the Wahoo Fitness app to read off of the Wahoo HR chest monitor. Syncs with Strava.

I also wear 24/7 a Fitbit Charge 4, which gives another viewpoint on the ride, but more importantly, monitors caloric intake and sleep studies. This, too, syncs with the phone, so that at the end of the ride I have all the data online by the time I open my browser.

No GPS issues on the country roads I ride.

My rides are short, and will continue to be until I can build up my stamina and leg strength to where it was before the accident. Even then, I don't have the time to ride for hours--too much to do.

Everyone has their own notion of what is important: safety, security, monitoring. This works for me. Better than using an expensive bike computer that still requires cell phone connectivity at some point, and if like me, you never want to be out on the road without the means to call for help---or get a quick phone pic of a driver being an ass.
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Old 08-10-20, 12:19 PM
  #241  
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I could still take pictures of stuff until I return to the cell tower area..

Late adopter Still not very dependent on it..





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Old 08-10-20, 12:24 PM
  #242  
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Took along time to scroll through this.
I carry a phone to take pictures. I've used it a couple times to help others.

To answer the OP. How to communicate in areas with no cellular telephone coverage?

There was mention of a satellite tracker called SPOT.
Spot uses the GlobalStar satellite constellation which have a design flaw limiting bidirectional communications.
GlobalStar took many years to bandaid this problem.
I used SPOT devices as emergency beacons for many years on off road motorcycle trips.

There is a better satellite tracker.
Garmin bought a company called Delorme for their InReach satellite tracker technology.
InReach uses the Iridium satellite constellation and is bidirectional.
Meaning you can send text messages to anyone, anytime to anyplace on the planet from anyplace on the planet.
I switched to InReach many years ago.

You can use the tracking service to show you location on an online map so your family can see your progress.
I used this so my family could follow me on the Death Ride and for multi-day MTB trips from CO to UT.

You don't have to use the tracking service to use the global texting service.
The InReach Mini is really small, works stand alone.
Creating a message on the InReach is a bit slow or you can pair it with your phone.
I was camping I Panamint Springs and texted a friend to bring more beer.

I use the InReach for long rides with areas no coverage.

You don't have to.
Happy pedaling

------- __o
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---- (*)/. (*)
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Old 08-10-20, 12:37 PM
  #243  
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Pedal on! Ride with someone or at least tell someone your route and worst case return.
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Old 08-10-20, 01:36 PM
  #244  
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Originally Posted by indyfabz
Fortunately, I was close enough to the I-90 corridor to get a strong enough signal to check Google Maps.
Fyi, there are map apps (like google maps) that let you download the map to your phone so the app still works without reception. I've used Nokia HERE when driving across the country and hit a spot where I didn't get any cell service with TMobile.

Last edited by PaulRivers; 08-10-20 at 01:45 PM.
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Old 08-10-20, 02:57 PM
  #245  
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I keep riding.
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Old 08-10-20, 05:07 PM
  #246  
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Originally Posted by BlazingPedals
LOL this is another first-world issue. How did I ever survive my childhood without a cell phone???
I'm 70 and as a late adopter I didn't have any kind of cell phone until seven years ago. Having a phone for emergencies is good thing, but it seems to have made us a lot less independent and more worried about a lot of things that never happen. I only carry my phone in case I get a flat...so that I can call my wife. In the event of something more substantial, I always figured I would just flag down a car and take it from there. But that's me.
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Old 08-10-20, 08:20 PM
  #247  
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Originally Posted by DreamRider85
A lot of lot rides are in country rodes and often times there’s no cell phone service. What is your plan?
Leave the silly phone at home. The ride is more important. Imagine the time when dial phones were at home. We didn't do so bad now did we?
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Old 08-10-20, 09:09 PM
  #248  
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Originally Posted by fitcat
Leave the silly phone at home. The ride is more important. Imagine the time when dial phones were at home. We didn't do so bad now did we?
Lets see, our clothing was wool, chamois were actually made from deer hides, no carbon anything, brakes sucked, sucked even more when it rained, rims were soft and wore quickly, 5 in the back, down tube shifters, bearings needed repacking after a couple rain rides, headsets indexed all the time, tubulars were a pain in the ass, toe clips with goofy cleats that you nailed on the shoes, friction shifting, everything was heavy. I had some great times riding back in the day but will take the awesome developments with enthusiasm. These posts going on on how tough they were back in the day sound like guys reliving their heroic high school football careers.
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Old 08-10-20, 09:12 PM
  #249  
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Originally Posted by DreamRider85
A lot of lot rides are in country rodes and often times there’s no cell phone service. What is your plan?
Same plan as when I rode back in the early 90's before everyone had mobile phones. Carry some cash, credit, my bus pass, and ID.
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Old 08-11-20, 03:37 AM
  #250  
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Originally Posted by velopig
Lets see, our clothing was wool, chamois were actually made from deer hides, no carbon anything, brakes sucked, sucked even more when it rained, rims were soft and wore quickly, 5 in the back, down tube shifters, bearings needed repacking after a couple rain rides, headsets indexed all the time, tubulars were a pain in the ass, toe clips with goofy cleats that you nailed on the shoes, friction shifting, everything was heavy. I had some great times riding back in the day but will take the awesome developments with enthusiasm. These posts going on on how tough they were back in the day sound like guys reliving their heroic high school football careers.
Not one person in this thread has suggested or advocated that we all go back stone age of cycling technology...If you ever scrolled through the post your pic section in various sub forums you would also notice that there are still plenty of people who enjoy owning and riding their vintage bikes...There is absolutely no need to purchase a brand new bike every two years just to keep up with the trendy techno geeks.
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