---------------------------------------------------------- Avionics-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Tue 04/20/04: 2 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 01:24 AM - Re: cell phone antenna (Greg Campbell) 2. 04:15 PM - (Mark Taylor) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 01:24:59 AM PST US From: "Greg Campbell" Subject: Re: Avionics-List: cell phone antenna --> Avionics-List message posted by: "Greg Campbell" I like the headset idea. Thinking outside the box at it's finest! Not to be a "the glass is half empty" kind of guy, but... I can almost hear the profanities as the cable slips off and you watch your cell phone drifting lazily up & out of sight. (Not to mention the wonder of the person who finds it!) At least it would give you a great... "and you think you're having a bad day!" story to tell. Kind of like the "lawn chair balloonist", the late Larry Walters, who flew back in 1982. His 15 minutes of fame is well documented at: http://www.MarkBarry.com/lawnchairman.html SO... remember to take along your pellet gun before you loft your cell phone! Plan your flight - fly your plan - then shoot out the balloon as a last resort ;-) For the truly "life & limb" kind of scenarios - you might want to consider a "Personal Rescue Beacon", also called a "Personal Locator Beacon" You can start by reading: http://www.equipped.com/plb_legal.htm PRB's (aka PLB's) saved over 200 lives in Alaska over a 9 year test period. They've been using them for more than 12 years in Canada with great success. They are now legal throughout the United States - average cost is around $600. They work in areas without cell phone coverage - with much quicker response than ELT's. For a lower cost option, an ELT like the Ameri-King AK-450 ($179) with voice transmit is a good choice as well. Some pilots still monitor 121.5 while cruising along at high altitudes. (I once relayed a Mayday call near Crescent City CA - that sure wakes you up!) With voice transmit you can explain your predicament, and if you leave it on long enough - someone will eventually come looking for you after a few days. http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/avpages/ak450elt.php My $0.01 ;-) Greg --> Avionics-List message posted by: "Richard E. Tasker" Get a headset and make an extension for it then lift the whole phone. No coax loss, no designing an antenna. My $0.02. Dick Tasker ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 04:15:25 PM PST US From: "Mark Taylor" --> Avionics-List message posted by: "Mark Taylor" Yep.. Bluetooth is wonderful! Mark Taylor Get a headset and make an extension for it then lift the whole phone. No coax loss, no designing an antenna. My $0.02. Dick Tasker Denny wrote: >--> Avionics-List message posted by: "Denny" > >This is not by any means a professional answer but you would also have to >factor in the signal loss in the coax, especially in 174. The higher the >frequency the higher the loss per foot, I cant remember what cell phone >frequency is right now but I know it is way up there so your loss would >really be high. Sounds like a neat idea but not sure if you can pull it >off. >Might be better and a lot easier to get ham license and go 2 meters. Just 2 >cents worth >Denny > >-----Original Message----- >emergency cell phone antenna elevated by a small helium balloon. The idea >would be to have it "just in case" I get stranded in the wilderness.