I.T in the hills, good or bad?

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jamie maguire
02/03/2002 at 14:42
do toys such as mobiles and GPS enhance, detract or not alter at all from the experience of playing in the hills?
P.s if any body knows of any publications about this subject can they please tell me about them. Thanks.
Mal Johnson
02/03/2002 at 23:31
I always carry a phone in my sack just in case I ever need to get help, whether it be for my self or any injured persons that I meet on the hills. As for GPS systems, whilst being no substitute for learning to read a map they do come in handy for getting a fairly accurate (approx 6m on a good day)fix on your position if you do get lost.
Ben Hedley
02/03/2002 at 23:35
Mobile phones are always usefull, esp when running/biking where a broken collerbone in the middle of nowhere isn't ideal. also as mal said, reading a map is vital but when in zero vis on featureless moorland in fog maps arn't that usefull. GPS' gives u your position and piece of mind so are recomended. BUT they are not a substitute for a map!
Ninja Marmot
03/03/2002 at 00:02
I always carry the mobilly phone altho' it doesn't always work in the places I go to. It is good for emergencies - although I have never had to use it this way. 'Tis also good for checking up what the twinkies are up to if we are out without them.

Never tried GPS - they are by reputation fantastically accurate but beyond my financial reach.
Mal Johnson
03/03/2002 at 11:47
Here we go schoolteachers pleading poverty again.
Orange Alex Ford
03/03/2002 at 12:22
lol!

My mate has a GPS and we used it to great effect to find out position on the hills just outside Dockray before we got to the Greenside (?) Path...VERY usefull cos we did not have a scooby of where we were cos of the thick mist!

Another pall has one and he can use it to record his actual path over the ground wna then hook it up to his pc and then produce an overlay onto an OS map...Pretty cool stuff, but not cheap!

(Interestingly enough a Garmin E-trex in the US is about $100) not a bad deal if you ask me! and yet over hear they are about £150...why???)
neil rich
03/03/2002 at 15:05
£115 last time I looked (last week, we bought some for work) from www.gpsw.com
I got my own Etrex when they first came out from this place for an introductory offer of £99 ! A superb bit of kit.
neil rich
03/03/2002 at 15:07
ps
If you can't afford a gps unit then think about an altimeter, The extra accuracy of knowing how high you are makes life considerably easier in some situations
Clive Clasby (Old Git)
03/03/2002 at 23:23
Or stand on top of a cliff. That should give you an idea of how high it is!
How is the endlessly futile EP work Neil?
Since I came back from Dahn Sarf I cant seem to get interested in it!
Si
04/03/2002 at 10:35
Mobile hpones and GPS's are (or should I say CAN BE) a great help in emergencies. Obviously you need to be able to read a map and use a compass, but it can't hurt to take along your mobile or GPS if you have access to one.

However, it annoys me when people are sitting on a summit yammering away on their mobiles. Not sure why it annoys me, maybe because it seems to me that they're missing the point of being out there in the first place? Or maybe I had a hangover and was sensitive to noise!

Si
Richard Paterson 1
04/03/2002 at 10:38
I recently bought an E-trex Summit GPS and find it an indispensable piece of kit. Although I am a bit scared that one day I will slip or trip on something out there and smash the thing to bits! that would be a very expensive accident.
Ninja Marmot
04/03/2002 at 10:44
Ahem. On New Year's Day morning I used my mobile on top of Ingleborough in a quiet spot away from other people to wish my sister in law a happy new year as she was sitting on top of a mountain near La Plagne.
Bit surreal, really.

As regards to the 'impoverished teachers' remark... I'm from Yorkshire so my anthem is supposed to be:-
"'ear all, see all, say nowt;
Ate all, sup all PAY NOWT."

I can use a map and compass and have never actually *needed* a GPS. I have no doubt that like most things once I've used one I'll be hooked. But not felt the need to spend £100 on something that isn't essential. There are too many other things that have a higher priority.
Ben Hedley
04/03/2002 at 13:32
i think a gps would be usefull if you walk/bike alot around dartmoor/pennines/peaks as there aint much to pinpoint where the hell you are. Lakes and scotland......erm in nthick mist prob, but for general use in the lakes, just follow the masses along the well worn paths!
Mal Johnson
04/03/2002 at 14:55
If you want a phone that will still work after its been dropped or been dunked in a stream try the nokia5210. Its not the most stylish of phones but it doesnt half take some punishment (even rumoured that it will survive one of Clives anti-tw@t mines)
John Bailey
04/03/2002 at 18:29
Just to add my opinion to this debate.

Some people come down on the "they're terrible" or "how can you live without them" side of these things.

As far as Im concerned, these items are in no way essential but can be usefull.

My mobile travels in my bag in a switched off state and normally does not emerge untill I reach the pub. It doesnt make sense to leave it behind as it has a nominal safety value in that it could allow you to summon help earlier but I definatley dont weant to spend my time in the hills being hassled by people who want to phone me.

Regrds GPS systems, I dont have one and am unlikely to even consider buying one untill the price is well below the £100 mark. I have used them with people who have them, some of whoom are a little too obsessed with the things. The only place I have found one usefull is during training exercises where members of the group disagree about your precise location.
Ben Hedley
04/03/2002 at 19:11
the 5210 ain't bad but the bat lifes crap. mine only lasts about a day now. Also 3210's are quite sturdy. a mates got one and its still working even after she's thrown it across the room, dropped it in tha sink etc.


Orange Alex Ford
04/03/2002 at 19:12
Once when on a services expedition to the Isle of Arran, we took a couple of military phones with us (safety reasons and all that).

They had to be on whilst we were out in the hills, but they were kept in the leaders bags. We split into two groups and thought that only the other group knew the number.

Imagine our suprise for the phone to go off at the crux of a difficult scramble. So we rush, at considerable danger to the carrier to get the phone out thinking that it was the other group in trouble but for it to be one fella's Warrant Officer phoning from base to tell him he's been posted!
neil rich
04/03/2002 at 19:32
Hi Clive
I can't pick up a publication at work without seeing a picture of you, well, a picture of a man in a balaclava anyway.
The novelty of EP hasn't worn off yet, aren't waste transfer stations exciting!
my diary is full of training courses so I've booked easter week off to escape it all for a while. Scotland Munro bagging
Dave O aka Jungle Dave ;)
04/03/2002 at 19:32
On the subject of making your phone waterproof buy the dolphin case that has been reviewed on OM, its a darn sight cheaper than a new phone!
Mark Phillips
05/03/2002 at 11:55
IT in the hills..... Pah!

Nothin' buggers up a bit of IT kit better than a bit of moisture.

Personally, I rely on map & compass but I do stick the mobile (turned off & in a waterproof bag) into the rucksack as a backup.

In the car (vehicle based expedition....), although the GPS will be the main navigation device, I will still carry the map & compass as the GPS will be worse than useless if I manage to submerge it. (I've been know to drive the car while being waist deep in water!!!) However, current position and the days route will then be transfered to paper every evening.

In other words, IT kit is nice but at times of emergency you need some thing that's fail safe.

M
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