> << or a fully charged Cell phone and a phone book. >>
>
> Take my word for it, a cell phone is not worth a #$@%@# in the mountains. I
> broke down going through the Rocky Mountain NP last June at Iceberg Pass,
> 13,000 ft +/-. (Alabama van didn't like the high altitude.) Had three cell
> phones in the van, two analog and one digital. None of them would get any
> signal. My 15 year old son had his 2 meter ham radio, and it was the only
> thing that could communicate at that altitude. As I understand it, it has
> something to do with the fact that the cell phones are FM and more or less
> line of sight, and in the mountains you are well above the line of sight for
> the cell towers. At least that has been my experience.
Both a cell phone and (probably) your sons 2 meter ham radio are FM. In the
remote areas of the country you just plain get out of range of most cell phone,
cell sights. in-addition even most hand-held 2 meter ham radios can put out
atlest 5 watts of power compared with 600 mw (0.006 watts) for a hand-held cell
phone and 3 watts for a bag phone.
Later
Michael Clark
ham call kb0yev
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