From: dleon@seas.smu.edu (David Leon)
Subject: Re: Two-way radios on the slopes
Keywords: radio
Organization: SMU School Of Engineering and Applied Science
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1992 23:06:50 GMT

In article <14981@auspex-gw.auspex.com> johnf@Auspex.COM (John Fereira) writes:
>In article <1992Oct9.041843.9794@panix.com> oppedahl@panix.com (Carl Oppedahl) writes:
>|        You and a friend are skiing down and will have to decide which
>|lift to ski to because there is a branch in the trail.  Without 
>|two-way radios, the conversation would have to take place motionless at
>|the branch.  This means that whoever gets to the branch first has to wait
>|around for the other skier.  On average, the ratio of ski time to waiting
>|time is degraded.  But if you use two-way radios, then you can confer on 
>|such questions while both skiers are moving.  The ratio of ski time to 
>|waiting time is enhanced.


Wouldn't this interefer with other people's radios?  how do you keep the
freqs from overlapping?  Also, if you are skiing on a large mountain,
what is the relative range?

>
>The way I usually handle this is whoever gets to the branch first gets to
>decide which way to go.  The other just has to follow. 
>  
>|        Two couples are at the resort, and they stop for lunch.  After
>|lunch, one couple would like to go back on the slopes while the other 
>|would like to rest a few more minutes.  Without radios, you are faced
>|with two choices -- (1) all four skiers wait until everybody is ready
>|to go, or (2) you give up on ever rejoining until the end of the day
>|during "apres ski" activity.  But if you use radios, you can rejoin
>|conveniently with ski runs coordinated to meet somewhere with no idle 
>|time.
>
>Even with radios you're still going to have to wait for the other party.
>In many cases if I want to go to take a run before my skiing partner
>is ready I just tell them "I'll meet you at the bottom of the chair
>after I take a run."


I guess you could be the spoiled skier and have everyone carry pocket cell
phones.  you can get a conference call on the way down the slope...

>
>|Members of your skiing party get on the lift, but not on the same chair.
>|Those without radios will have to wait until they get to the top to have
>|a discussion about which direction to ski (unless they happen to have
>|planned ahead and worked this out while in the lift line).  Those with
>|radios can conduct the discussion while on the chairs and ski right off
>|immediately after disembarking from the chair.
>
>If I'm skiing with a group I certainly don't mind hanging around at the 
>top of a chair for a few minutes while the group decides which way to
>go.  What's the hurry?
>
>I'm not saying that they're not handy to have but I've been skiing for 
>20 years without one and would rather spend the money on an extra day
>of skiing.
>-- 
>+==========================================================================+
>| John Fereira        | Auspex Systems | "Ask me about my vow of silence." |
>| johnf@auspex.com    | Santa Clara CA |                                   |
>+==========================================================================+

Hmmm.  I wonder if Lake Louise has a celluar phone cell on top of their 
mountain?  I could call my fellow skiers and tell them to remove my dying
carcass from the slope (after I crashed into something while fiddling with
a cell phone)  <G>

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