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Thread: Wifi in the Woods

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    Default Wifi in the Woods

    "Wifi in the Woods" (August 10, 2014) in the Atlantic Monthly website discusses difficulties we now have getting away from connections to the civilized world. It also discusses controversies about extending the internet and other communications into USA and Canadian pars and wilderness area. Worth looking at.
    Last edited by Faiaoga; 08-10-2014 at 10:48 PM.


  2. #2

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    Reading the article about wifi in the woods, I was reminded to check out an reread "A Walk in the Woods (1998y Bill Bryson, a book about walking the
    Appalachian Trail. In the book, Bryson mentions meeting a hiker on Stratton Mountain, Vermont. The hiker had no food, no water, no map or compass, no knife, no matches, no spare clothing....but he carried an Enviro Monitor that measured temperature (Fahrenheit, Celsius and Kelvin), humidity, wind speed, relative humidity, air pressure and albedo to at least four decimal places. Bryson's book also references the demand placed upon park rangers and rescue services when such outdoors recreation seekers run into trouble.

    Probably an extension of wifi into wilderness area will increase the number of people equipped with Enviro Monitors and similar devices but not equipped with the Ten Essentials (matches, knife, compass and so on).
    Last edited by Faiaoga; 08-13-2014 at 08:09 PM.

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    Junior Member Tokwan's Avatar
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    I thought why we go to the woods is to get away from all these hi tech stuffs?
    I'm a Gramp who is not computer savvy, give me a slab and the rock ages tablet..I will do fine!

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    Senior Member natertot's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tokwan View Post
    I thought why we go to the woods is to get away from all these hi tech stuffs?
    we do. But techies wanna go out to the woods to, and alot will be like what faioaga described.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tokwan View Post
    I thought why we go to the woods is to get away from all these hi tech stuffs?
    You beat me to it... Its nice to have 2M or Cell connection, for peace of mind in an emergency, however a LOT of places we go camping, Id need 40m and a dipole to make an emergency call.

    I am looking at the Spot satphone and the dirt cheapest plan they have and even then, its not real real reliable... but for a mayday or a 60 second "Im here and well, love you, bye" call, it would be nice to have.

    EB

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    Junior Member Tokwan's Avatar
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    My wife gave up on me...in the early years, she would insist that I call every nite...now no more calls..hehehe..so do I need wifi?
    I'm a Gramp who is not computer savvy, give me a slab and the rock ages tablet..I will do fine!

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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    Not everyone that goes to the woods is after a "survival experience" or any amount of hardship at all. They are there to enjoy the view, breathe some fresh air, take a hike on a well marked trail and see a real live bear. Doing without phone or laptop is not part of their deal.

    Strangely enough, it is these masses of non-traditional, non-minimalist, RV towing non-survivors that foot most of the bills for the NPS and state parks and wilderness areas.

    I say let them enjoy the woods and their electronics at the same time if they wish.

    Just so happens that I really enjoy my GPS and my laptop, and at my age dialing 911 is an event that could be required at any given moment.
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    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    I see nothing wrong with the ability to use tech when you need/want it.

    I remember an early camping trip when I first moved to Washington State. It was in a civilized campground full of tent and RV campers. One evening I, still rather early, I had to politely ask some other campers to take control of their young children who were boisterously fighting over which TV program to watch. They were very courteous and I never heard another peep from the kids.

    On a side note.....Duct tape is an amazing product. Don't go camping without it.
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    Senior Member hunter63's Avatar
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    Well we did have a "event" involving watching a Packer Game on a picnic table, and the Bears fans that had the permanent site next to us complained that their kids were watching fron the up stair of the Park Home....wanting us to turn off the "Noise".

    Told the Ranger that I couldn't hear what he was saying as they A/C condensing unit was running 5 feet from our pop-up.

    I have to agree....You pay your money, enjoy what you want....as long as it doesn't interfere with me.
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    Quote Originally Posted by ElevenBravo View Post
    You beat me to it... Its nice to have 2M or Cell connection, for peace of mind in an emergency, however a LOT of places we go camping, Id need 40m and a dipole to make an emergency call.

    I am looking at the Spot satphone and the dirt cheapest plan they have and even then, its not real real reliable... but for a mayday or a 60 second "Im here and well, love you, bye" call, it would be nice to have.

    EB
    I carry a 40 meter MFJ Cub radio, a very small end fed wire tuner and a length of thin gauge insulated wire 67' long to toss into the trees. This complete station along with a mini CW key will fit in a coat pocket along with an 8 cell AA battery pack that will run it for a few weeks. But of course you need to be able to operate Morse code with his station !
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    I have a cottage/cabin/really ambitious gazebo (take your pick) about 20 km up a logging road, a couple of hours from here. Everytime we get up there, my first act is to take out my cel phone, see that there is no signal, and sigh contentedly, because I go to the woods to get away from the constant flow of information, and I genuinely enjoy being out of reach for a few days.


    That being said....my mother also has a place up there, and she's got a heart thing. Be really nice to be able to dial 911 if we are up there together and she has a problem, rather than driving an hour and a half to the nearest hospital. So there's arguments for and against.

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    Tech is handy to have. On your schedule. I shut my phone off quite often, especially on non-working hours and especially when outside.
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    Quote Originally Posted by LowKey View Post
    Tech is handy to have. On your schedule. I shut my phone off quite often, especially on non-working hours and especially when outside.
    I used to have my cell phone on me at all times when I was out of the house. But after one too many calls from part timers while I was walking my dog on my day off, I started to "forget" it.

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    At my age (74) I seldom venture into real wilderness any more, However a serious emergency can arise anywhere., so I carry the SPOT emergency locator beacon, especially if I am riding my ATV on some of the back roads and trails here in the UP of Michigan. I have found that cell phone coverage seldom exists in the places I most like to visit. Normally, I do not even carry my smart phone (sorry I ever got it!). I really have come to detest cell phones. I do not see the attraction in always "being Connected" And I refuse to "text" with my cell phone! And don't even get me started on the social media fad!

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    Alaska, The Madness! 1stimestar's Avatar
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    I'm on call for my job 24/7. When I go on vacation, that sucker is OFF!
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    Quote Originally Posted by natertot View Post
    we do. But techies wanna go out to the woods to, and alot will be like what faioaga described.
    That pretty much says it. I'm a dyed in the wool techie, and I like having my GPS, ebooks, videos, radio gadgets and internet connectivity with me much of the time; though I wouldn't be one to try to replace essentials with such luxuries.
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    Quote Originally Posted by canid View Post
    That pretty much says it. I'm a dyed in the wool techie, and I like having my GPS, ebooks, videos, radio gadgets and internet connectivity with me much of the time; though I wouldn't be one to try to replace essentials with such luxuries.

    Hey, books are kind of crucial, so the ebook reader might not be a bad call.

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    reclinite automaton canid's Avatar
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    not to mention maps, historical data about areas I visit, etc.
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    For wilderness techies something like the Earl might be handy. Www.meetearl.com
    I live where there is already no cell service so I carry a handheld VHF radio almost everywhere. My house has a VHF base with 12' antenna and my pickup also is wired for VHF. I can get 10-15 miles of communication with this, and can almost always reach the Coast Guard if things get really bad. I don't have internet at my house at all so I don't really feel too needy when I get out into the woods, since I already live daily life without cell phones and internet.
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    Senior Member kyratshooter's Avatar
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    I suppose I fall into a half way category of sorts.

    If I want to "get away from it all" I do not go to a public campgrounds where other people sitting at the picnic table talking on their smartphone or working on a laptop would occur any why.

    One of the things that bugs me at "Rondys" is to see a person dressed in 18th century clothing talking on a cell phone! Same for sitting around a campfire at a primitive event and hearing phones beeping all around. Most of my camps have rules that prevent their use in sight of others. You have to hide inside the tent to make a call.

    But at my age I now want a signal on my phone if possible. I often will scan for a signal, then turn the phone off and never see it again until I plug it into the charger when I load up the truck.
    If you didn't bring jerky what did I just eat?

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