Woke this morning playing out all the things that needed to get done. It’s been an awful week for weather, as I gather it is all up and down this longitude. I’ve been out in it rather more than I liked, what with the new neighbors’ water problems. But mostly I’ve been hiding inside, reading books and watching loose items fly past the window. At least it was mostly sunny yesterday and I should have taken that opportunity to wash some stump sox while I could. But I let the wind deter me, and now I’m awake to full socked-in overcast.
The problem, it seems, is that I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Wednesday. Weather was supposed to be better on Thursday, so I put some things off – only to find that I had missed my Thursday window.
But a little laundry wasn’t the worst, by far. I woke this morning convinced – absolutely convinced it was Thursday, and that was an important day because on Thursday D&L were going to the city for a medical exam and didn’t think they’d get home in time to tend dogs and horses, so could I please stand by to…
I didn’t forget it! I didn’t! I just … forgot what day it was. So imagine my delight, upon realizing my mistake and snatching my lately-near-useless cellphone off the desk, to find a voicemail waiting. It almost certainly said something like, “Yeah, we’re trapped in [name of city] and can’t get home before midnight. Would you please [tend dogs and horses]? Thanks for not being the sort of terrible person who would forget all about it.”
Gods, I’m a terrible person…
Fortunately, Uncle Murphy gave me a break. The voicemail said, “We sailed right through and will be home in lots of time, so go ahead and stand down.”
This cellphone situation is giving me fretfulness. I get texts and voicemails, but sometimes not until hours after they’re sent and usually without notification. And it’s not just me or my cheap-ass phone, either; everybody complains about it. We need better comms.
I can recommend this http://www.aesham.com/product/ham_radios/ham_radios_handheld/ham_radios_handheld_multiband/yaesu-ft-60r/
For better coms. It’s not a cell phone, but will reach out to 10-15 miles, and might provide the comms your tribe needs. It would require a fcc license, though.
I suggest you stay far from the BaoFong and other ChiCom handhelds, as their programming is very difficult, and their quality is pretty low.
Motorola (I think- I need to check my notes when I get home) makes a 900MHz rig similar to this that “frequency hops” for those who need more secure communication, no license needed. And they are available on epay. I’ll try to remember to get the model number to you over the weekend.
Be careful what you wish for Joel. Better comms would eventually lead to more neighbors. Which would lead to…
Ham stuff is neat so long as you don’t mind the FCC issue.
Wyowanderer, I had a Yaesu handheld – and a ham license – back at the height of my militia involvement 15-20 years ago. Still have the radio in the powershed, though the battery is surely long since toast. It had a manual heavier than it was, and I found it nearly incomprehensible. The thing could be programmed to do so many things – with such a limited keypad – that I could barely get it to do anything.
Also, a ham network only works if you’re in a network of hams. I raised the possibility of getting CB base stations and towers, and got shot down every time I opened my mouth. Nobody’s interested.
I really hear you about forgetting what day it is sometimes. Unless I have something important to anchor a specific day, I really have to work at it to keep things straight. I have the shooting clinic one day a week, and I work four days a week at the greenhouse in town from the last of April until July. I’ve worked the same days and hours for three years now, so didn’t have trouble remembering when to go… but now the schedule is changed by ONE DAY. I work Tuesday instead of Monday, and remembering NOT to show up at 8AM on Monday may trip me up a few times. 🙂
The fun part was changing the shooting clinic day from Wed. to Thurs. That day and time had not changed for more than four years, and this week was the first time on the new day. Several people who didn’t come very often before said Thurs. was even better for them… and I almost forgot to go. LOL
So it’s not just me that forgets what day it is and the cell phone thing, I am ssooo near tossing the damn thing away. I don’t because a little bit screwed up is better then need it and not have it.
“Also, a ham network only works if you’re in a network of hams.”
Indeed. There’s a whole infrastructure that has to be in place and everybody has to have the appropriate equipment and understand all the technostuff and frequency operations to make it practical for daily communication with EVERYBODY. The cell ‘phone pretty much takes care of all this with the purchase of a working ‘phone . . . and the availability of a cell tower network that somebody else constructs and maintains. In remote areas, however, this network can be spotty because of the limited number of users and therefore the limited justification for tower construction.
Now, if we could all get into satellite ‘phones . . .
“Also, a ham network only works if you’re in a network of hams. I raised the possibility of getting CB base stations and towers, and got shot down every time I opened my mouth.”
Exactly right, Joel. Pity that so many absolutely depend on cell service.
And if the folks around won’t even get a CB, there’s no point.
Anyway, it’s the Motorola DTR series, just in case the neighbors ears open up.
wyowanderer: Free CHIRP software allowed me to easily program my Baofang without wanting to smash it with a hammer. Yes, it’s a cheap radio in more than one sense but it doesn’t need any mods for out of ham band operation.