cone of silence?

[psmart]

It seems to arbitrary to me -- you already can't bring a Segway or a bike into a wilderness area because they're "mechanical" but you can bring a watch.

The exclusion is actually of "motorized equipment and mechanized transportation." A bike is for transportation, the watch is not. A chain saw is motorized. A segway is both motorized and mechanical transporation.

 

[adkleaddog]

Then all the satellites orbiting above pinging signals to the ground would have to be removed.....or turned off....

 

[Motabobo]

Then all the satellites orbiting above pinging signals to the ground would have to be removed.....or turned off....

I don't know how it works exactly but I'm sure of one thing, there's a lot of army bases in Death Valley. My GPS stopped capting satellites for hours in several places

 

[DougPaul]

I don't know how it works exactly but I'm sure of one thing, there's a lot of army bases in Death Valley. My GPS stopped capting satellites for hours in several places

Most likely you were misusing your GPS or it was screwing up. Consumer GPSes have been known to lose reception when near radio transmitters. (This is the fault of the GPS, not the transmitter.)

The military also has local area jamming capability. Check the NOTAMs for notification of when it is tested.

Just for the record, it is a federal crime to operate an intentional jammer for GPSes, cell phones, or PLBs.

Doug

 

[Kevin Rooney]

I don't know how it works exactly but I'm sure of one thing, there's a lot of army bases in Death Valley. My GPS stopped capting satellites for hours in several places

In my experience (Garmin Vista, and an older one at that) when you move from one coast to the other, it can takes many minutes for it to recalibrate and lock-on to satellites the first time you use it. Could this have been the issue?

As for army bases in Death Valley - I'm not aware of any in Death Valley itself, and I don't live too many miles from it. There is a US Navy Weapons Research Center at China Lake, which includes the Coso Range to the west of DV, and a US Air Force base at Nellis, NV to the east. There's also a radar site in Searles Valley (just west of the DV's Panamint Range) used by the military and DEA, and there's probably other US military outposts scattered around the perimeter.

And let's not forget the infamous "Area 51" somewhere in Nevada ...

Hope this helps -

Kevin

 

[Mats Roing]

Me like caveman technology...........

Me club you long time!

 

[BLE]

Um... Can't anyone who wishes to have a 'silent cone-like' experience do so simply by not bringing any 'non silent-cone-like' items with them on their journey?

 

[doc99]

I think that we're too close to roads and developed areas to have true wilderness areas... at least in the northeast. Looking at the Great Gulf Wilderness Area, you have Mt. Washington and the Auto Road right next door. A family could get out of their car, walk 20 feet, and now it "man vs. wild" territory, where cell phones and other electronics stop working. I could see a lot of people getting hurt and a lot of lawsuits. I don't think a defense would be to easily say, "too bad for them, they should have realized they were entering a Wilderness Area."

Also, the USFS has a terrible budget... they would never spend money on technology like that. They should hire a trail crew first!

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Um... Can't anyone who wishes to have a 'silent cone-like' experience do so simply by not bringing any 'non silent-cone-like' items with them on their journey?

One of the reasons for having a non-GPS area would not be for the experience. It would make the place less accessible. More skills would be required to get in there, and there is a smaller population with these skills.

Also, the USFS has a terrible budget... !

This is reality.

And let's not forget the infamous "Area 51" somewhere in Nevada ...

Yep! Passed it on my way to Death Valley, where I went to acclimate before climbing Whitney. Took this picture.

http://newmud.comm.uottawa.ca/~pete/tmp/area51.jpg

 

[Motabobo]

I'm talking about 10+ more satellites locked for hours and in less than a second (for real) they all went dead (no bars) *clac*. I've been next to radio transmitter and it's screwing up but not killing all reception in less than a second

 

[DougPaul]

I'm talking about 10+ more satellites locked for hours and in less than a second (for real) they all went dead (no bars) *clac*. I've been next to radio transmitter and it's screwing up but not killing all reception in less than a second

Transmitters transmit on a wide range of frequencies at a wide range of power levels. Just because the GPS continues to receive when one transmitter is on does not mean that it will continue to receive when another is on. This can be an issue with any radio receiver.

Look up, for instance, "front end overload".

Doug

 

[Motabobo]

Hmmm, they must have been BIG ones since there was nothing in sight, miles around, just plain desert

 

[Motabobo]

Upon reflection I think it has more to do with aliens than radio transmistters or army bases

 

[Gris]

Interesting Q actually

In my younger days I spent a fair amount of timem knocking around the wilds of West Virgina (damn, i love that state). Anyway, in one very rural area we used to visit and pass through there was - voila! - the world's largest fully steerable single aperture antenna telescope, NRAO's Green Bank Observatory. Well, lemme tell you there is no cell phone, car radio, no NOTHING, on the airwaves for many MILES around that thing. It was a cool feeling being out there. Another weird thing, dunno why but there are herds of hundreds of wild deer around there. Rumor also has it there are a lot of moonshine stills in that county and the corn-boilers always manage to stay one step ahead of the revenuers who are handicapped by lack of radio signal...

 

[marchowes]

In my younger days I spent a fair amount of timem knocking around the wilds of West Virgina (damn, i love that state). Anyway, in one very rural area we used to visit and pass through there was - voila! - the world's largest fully steerable single aperture antenna telescope, NRAO's Green Bank Observatory. Well, lemme tell you there is no cell phone, car radio, no NOTHING, on the airwaves for many MILES around that thing. It was a cool feeling being out there. Another weird thing, dunno why but there are herds of hundreds of wild deer around there. Rumor also has it there are a lot of moonshine stills in that county and the corn-boilers always manage to stay one step ahead of the revenuers who are handicapped by lack of radio signal...

Isnt that the place where you are only allowed to drive diesel engines cause the spark plugs on regular gas engines register on the ultra sensitive antenna?

 

[funkyfreddy]

Suppose that a new technology that was inexpensive and caused no harm to the environment allowed masking all radio signals to a designated area including GPS, cell phone, and PLB. This was originally developed by the military to hamper enemy forces but it has been suggested that it be applied to Wilderness areas to make them more "natural". Visitors would have to navigate by traditional means and could not instantly request rescue. Aircraft would avoid the area so they wouldn't have temporary communication outage.

Back to Roy's original question.....

I would like to see Roy's cone of silence implemented in certain areas.....
I would also like to see areas outside the rule of law where anarchy is allowed to flourish as well....
I would also like to see certain areas on the planet where the grizzly, tiger, lion, or crocodile is allowed to rule......

I guess I believe that certain sections of the planet should be undisturbed by human BS and litter such as strip malls, pavement, government, religion, automobiles, ipods, iphones, TV, computers, fast food, helicopters, lawmen, military, tourists, etc, etc, etc, etc.......

 

[UNFROZENCAVEMAN]

I've lost my appetite.

 

[Mats Roing]

Me like caveman technology, anyone say otherwise me crush with club.

Me club you long time........what I mean is that in certain ways evolution has made good progress and made our habitat areas more hospitable......from "Me club you long time" to "Me love you long time"......

 

[dvbl]

...I guess I believe that certain sections of the planet should be undisturbed by human BS and litter such as strip malls, pavement, government, religion, automobiles, ipods, iphones, TV, computers, fast food, helicopters, lawmen, military, tourists, etc, etc, etc, etc.......

You consider the military to be "human BS and litter"?

How very sad.

 

[Gris]

Isnt that the place where you are only allowed to drive diesel engines cause the spark plugs on regular gas engines register on the ultra sensitive antenna?

Naw, you can drive right up in yer reglar ole car...