beware of bears  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / rf-microwave

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2024, 09:49:18 pm
content: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/polar-bears-kill-worker-brevoort-island-remote-radar-site-canada-arctic/They might have gotten a floating differential probe to isolate the scope, but someone forgot to bring a rifle

author: CaptDon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2024, 01:35:10 am
content: Ouch!!! There is only one kind of bear on Iceland, the Ice Bear a.k.a. Polar Bear!!! ANYTHING that moves IS FOOD!!! They used to be killed on sight due to the danger but since they are endangered any ice float hitch-hikers are now tranquilized, loaded on a plane and moved to Greenland. B.T.W. 'Birna' meaning 'bear' is a common female name on Iceland. Most of them have earned it!! Don't piss them off!!! Polar bears are so cute and so damn deadly!!!

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2024, 05:46:36 am
content: I've been alone doing engineering projects in the Boreal forest at sites such as oil wells and substations.There are brown, black and grizzly bears in the forest. The plan is to get in the truck and drive away if they show up. I hate that they are pretty much silent - their weight and fur muffles any twigs or branches they step on, you won't hear a crunch as they approach.Once I drove up on a lease and found momma bear and her cubs, so I did a u-turn and hit the throttle on the truck. If you get between her and her cubs she will attack. Thanks to GM traction control and the wet mud, the truck decided to go extremely slow, I could have walked faster. That was a bad moment.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2024, 06:35:46 am
content: maybe you need a trip wire or portable alarm thingthat is like being in Alien, no thanks. Working on some wiring panel ... they are already scary to wire because you might make a wiring mistake lolI don't think there is any activity thats more focus requiring then electrical wiring.. for me the bear could walk into a bucket and I would not notice if I had to wire somethingand I have a feeling if its the one thats going to attack, chances are it will sneak up, they usually run away if its a accident because it does not make sense to just attack something you run into for no reason, from what I know... I guess unless it happens to be hungry. But I think typically they would smell or hear food and get huntery?I wonder if just leaving the radio on might help, it might want to avoid it

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2024, 08:38:08 pm
content: Yes, the (operator) worker on Brevoort island should have carried a big gun, instead of relying on polar bears to not attack. They ain't zoo teddie bears.Timothy Treadwell'smovie footage about him living with bears in Alaska, used in"Grizzly Man"directed by Werner Herzog will terrify and enlighten a person.Global climate change has made the animal's life harder. Here we have wildfires that displace the bears, drought means less food, and man trapping and relocating bears does make them pissed off.Mainly, the smell of your food will bring them in, that is what they are after. Humans on the menu only if starved and desparate or psycho.I've worked for companies many only want to send one engineer out in the field, to keep costs down.It can be scary, no mistakes and no cell coverage makes you really think twice. You're totally on your own. I bring a Fluke 87 with me lol.Helicoptered in and found the previous guy had no DB-9 so he used a paper clip and wrapped wired around that to connect to the satellite modem. There is no Digi-Key out there lol.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2024, 08:42:42 pm
content: how about training a dog assistant to scare away bears. they don't have salaryor is that like a side dish of chicken nugget with a burger

author: floobydust
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2024, 11:34:26 pm
content: I wonder if the guy killed was working alone, Nasittuq Corp. being too cheap as an employer.A dog doesn't really work if there are more than one bear I think. If you are camping, we make noise banging on pots and pans to scare them off.You have to know your surroundings when you're out in the field.Even then, I went to take a piss by a cornfield and found rattle snakes are commonplace there. Locals know this, but I'm here from the Ivory Tower in the city and kinda don't know.Big ass spider on my laptop keyboard, scared me but later I learned it's an orb-weaver probably considered a snack in Australia.I just have to remember to tell the EIT's, when we do the jobsite hazard meeting, about the critters.I was in Venezuela jungle at 2AM, working on an oil rig (with Fluke 87 lol) and that's when everything comes out, all the creepy crawly bugs and bats etc. I had no idea WTF to do. It's trying to crawl up my leg. Coworkers got annihilated by bug bites. During the day monkeys would steal your lunch sandwich, then the sun would cook you to finish you off.

author: Nominal Animal
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 16, 2024, 12:23:34 am
content: Quote from: coppercone2 on August 15, 2024, 08:42:42 pmAKarelian Bear Dog. Fearless and aggressive towards large animals (both prey and predators) by nature. Independent, but very friendly towards their human family, and can be trained to be friendly towards all humans. Already used in USA, Canada and Japan to reduce human-bear conflicts. Plus, would make for a really good buddy on solitary trips in the woods.

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2024, 02:49:37 am
content: It's Canada, the once common sense backwoods rifle permit is very difficult to get now. RiP radar specialist and condolences to the family.Polar bears barely show up on most thermal imaging systems due to a unique coat. Compared to a black bear, they are tennacious, smart, and patient.I have a good friend who put nine rounds into a cougar with a pistol. Even though he had an observer with him, he had near zero warning in a desert cliff situation.. He would rather meet a bear, as the cat grabs you with the front paws and eviscerates you with the hind claws.Steve

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2024, 03:10:32 am
content: It sounds military, you would think they would be armed in case enemy commandos are trying to steal it or something, let alone bears. its like a military targetnot to mention the arctic region is becoming militarily active and it probobly effects the wild life more then they think (more flying, ships, shooting practice etc). It probobly causes more migration and confusion to animals when they have started to do training and setup more equipment in that region. The animals can probobly hear it from far far away when its dead quiet out there and suddenly they are doing military things.and it might disrupt the ecosystem, i.e. cause birds or game to leave, then big predators are more hungry and have a tougher time finding food, and happy meals walk in there with torque wrenches

author: LaserSteve
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 19, 2024, 03:20:44 am
content: NwS sites are automated and extremely remote. Most of them barely have emergency shelters.If the generator and satcomm are working, there really is no reason to stay on site.

author: djsb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 20, 2024, 09:14:10 pm
content: What kind of remote sites/infrastructure is being worked on when there is a possibility of meeting bears? In what countries? Just curious. Thanks.PS Kind of a silly question as my questions are being answered as I read. Fascinating reading and makes me realize how my boring commute to work is really a blessing in disguise.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2024, 12:10:12 am
content: As mentioned previously polar bears are uniquely dangerous. But in the US anyone working a remote site has the chance of encountering their lesser cousin the black bear, in the northwest of the US it can even be a grizzly bear (some would say those are on par with the polar bears). Cougars (aka mountain lion) are also present in much of the US. I have seen cougars in my yard in both Arizona and Oregon, and black bears in the yard in Oregon. Fortunately encounters with those animals are usually benign, with the animal as frightened as the human. But there have been a small number of fatalities. It pays to remain alert when working remotely.

author: Wallace Gasiewicz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2024, 12:27:22 pm
content: List of Fatal Bear attacks in North Americahttps://rollingfox.com/map-fatal-bear-attacks-state-north-americaIt is often said that black bears cause the most attacks (not necessarily fatal) but there are far more black bears than any other kind.While working as a Mechanic, my brother was chased by a Brown Bear in the Aleutian Islands. He safely made it into his truck but noticed that the passenger window was down..... fortunately he was able to get the hell out of there but it was a bit scary....He did carry a big rifle with him at most times. A 338 Winchester as I recall. At one time the rangers in US parks carried 10 Gauge shotguns when dealing with troublesome bears. I go not know if they still do this.I had a close encounter with a black bear (about 6 inches) and I eventually chased it off with a shotgun after it ate my lunch..... In Canada where I used to hunt and fish, Moose were considered more dangerous than bears. Anything that would charge head on into a freight train could be dangerous. A moose did charge at me once, it is customary to have a large tree to hide behind near at hand.

author: CatalinaWOW
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 21, 2024, 07:35:54 pm
content: Quote from: Wallace Gasiewicz on August 21, 2024, 12:27:22 pmI'm glad your uncle escaped. And glad he used the mobility of the vehicle to get safe rather than depending on the vehicle as a fortress. I have had the door ripped off of a full sized SUV by those relatively harmless black bears. Just caught his claws in the door seam and pulled. They rip apart logs in the wild to get at the grubs inside so a little sheet metal doesn't slow them much.