Cell phone boosters

[WambliSka]

Never understood why folks work so hard to be outside of cell phone reach or even leave their devices behind. Don't you have a silence feature on your phone or the fortitude of mind to just not answer the phone if you don't want to?

First and most importantly, I have a daughter, son, grandkids, sisters, nieces, nephews, and others I love and if they need me for ANYTHING I want to make sure they can reach me instantly. I also have a pretty demanding job with big responsibilities but they CLEARLY understand that there are times I will NOT answer a call because I'm on MY time.

BUT, they also know that there are times I will take the video conference call from the top of a mountain 30 miles away from the nearest cell phone tower, or human. And I do this willingly because I LOVE my job and the freedom to do it from anywhere I choose...

So the thought of willfully disconnecting myself from the rest of the universe on purpose is totally foreign to my way of thinking. I rather have the ability to manage it to suit my needs and the technology to make it happen.

I'm sure others disagree, just wanted to put this out there.

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[LoneWolfUSMC]

I have seen this argument play out many times in different overlanding or backpacking groups. I don’t go into the backcountry to self-isolate. I go because I like being out in nature or in hard to reach, less-populated areas. There are also many parts of my life that require me to maintain contact with the civilized world. I have had to write papers, do research and take tests from the backcountry. My only other option would have been to stay home. I have had to coordinate responses to issues from the middle of nowhere because that is one of the values that I provide to my employer.

I don’t have any issue with people who want to self-isolate by going places that they cannot be contacted. I also don’t have any issue with people who want to play CoD or some other game from the middle of nowhere. The only thing I care about is that you leave the place better than you found it and don’t get the campsite/road/trail closed for the rest of us.

 

[Bandit’s Lair]

Agree with both of the above. I go out to enjoy nature and practice skills in the middle of nowhere and show/pass on those skills to the younglings. Starting a fire, organizing a camp site so it’s safe when it gets dark, primitive cooking, not leaving the tent open for rattlers. All those little things. These things aren’t taught very often anymore.

On the other hand I like a good movie or something if the weather doesn’t cooperate or I’m just out by myself and decide I want to watch one in the middle of the desert. The capability is there. Use it if you want to.

 

[BourbonRunner]

Agree with both of the above. I go out to enjoy nature and practice skills in the middle of nowhere and show/pass on those skills to the younglings. Starting a fire, organizing a camp site so it’s safe when it gets dark, primitive cooking, not leaving the tent open for rattlers. All those little things. These things aren’t taught very often anymore.

On the other hand I like a good movie or something if the weather doesn’t cooperate or I’m just out by myself and decide I want to watch one in the middle of the desert. The capability is there. Use it if you want to.

Agree 100%. I almost always sleep better outside. Cooking over an open fire makes the ex-chef in me happy. Setting camp and being entirely self-sustaining outside my normal creature comforts- even if it's just for one night- is a recharge I desperately need.

Being self employed I'm never really off duty but I do enjoy unplugging periodically. Having the comms ability there to check back in just about anywhere means I can when I need/want to. Beats having a corner office in the C-suite by a mile.

Same time much of my exploring is done by myself so having those comms in a SHTF situation really is just peace of mind in case I forget to close the tent and a rattler stops by.

 

[Gvsukids]

Have you had an opportunity to check the SOS Satellite messaging on the iPhone out and compare to InReach?

I wonder how the Pixel SOS works?

 

[BourbonRunner]

I wonder how the Pixel SOS works?

I dunno. Someone with a Pixel will have to answer that one.

I did google it though- iPhone is using Globalstar with its own dedicated constellation in LEO. Pixel is using Skylo, it sounds like they contract with a number of companies for bandwidth on their sats and uses terrestrial towers for repeating but neither is on Starlink.

And Amazon is in process of acquiring Globalstar. Given Apple and Amazon don't always play nicely, it makes me wonder what Apple will do next. Starlink likely isn't a possibility for now unless Apple dissolves its relationship with OpenAI.

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