Another Outback Tragedy

[bigjackbrass]

If ever we required further proof of how sorely needed even the simplest of bushcraft and survival training can be, here's a story from the BBC news today:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3315061.stm

Of course I don't know all the facts of this incident, only what's been reported, but from that it sounds rather sadly as though watching a half hour programme of "Ray Mears' Extreme Survival" before he took the trip, or reading any of a dozen simple survival guides, might have saved this man's life.

A happier ending to this tale, though:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/w...re/3314895.stm

Interesting to note the comments on how hard it was to use survival techniques under the conditions he experienced.

[Mikey P]

Good spot, bigjack.

I agree - 2 sides of - essentially- the same story. One guy did as he had been instructed and stayed with his vehicle; the other hadn't a clue, wandered off and dies. There was a whole Ray Mears programme on this very issue and the fundamental lesson was STAY WITH THE VEHICLE. I thought vehicle hire companies were obliged to give rudimentary advice now?

A good point made on the difficulty of bushcraft skills but, then, I feel he did pretty much everything right, except carry a HF radio. I'm interested to know what kit he did have with him, in terms of water, fuel, flares, signalling mirror, water treatment stuff, etc. It's a moot point now but I wonder how long he could have survived there?

[Stuart]

More proof that a little information is not as some think dangerous

a little bit of information (half a ray program on deserts etc) would have stopped him from leaving his car and trying to walk out

a bit more and he would have done what the other guy did and would have been rescued

and if he had all the training he could get and got it from local people he could not only have survived but he could have lived quite happily there just as the indigonus people do

Information the most precious and powerful commodity in the world

this is the information age we live in and it has never been so available so make use of it

[Roving Rich]

A point well made Stu. And we know what a mind of imformation you are.
So Mr Mears has probably saved a few lives by now. Although a little common sense goes along way in such situations.
So, i'd stick with the vehicle (and the water), and try and get a signal fire going, spare wheel if neccesary. Sounds like he may have survived if he had just stayed put as another vehicle passed the next day.
Ho hum, :-( life is a fragile thing.
Rich

[Doc]

If stranded with a (petrol) vehicle and the battery is fine, it is, in theory, possible to use the ignition components as a spark transmitter - this will radiate on all kinds of frequencies, but in a critical situation you probably won't be worried about breaching the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949.......
I can dig up references if anyone is interested. You would need to know your location, and know morse well enough to send your location. You would have to hope you were heard by amateur or certain coastal radio stations, as no-one else uses morse nowadays. And you would have no way of knowing if anyone heard you.


Should've fitted HF radio.

[Stuart]

sounds intresting, tell me more

[Doc]

I did see a useful diagram on how this is done, but seem to have mislaid it. Here is a brief description I found on the web:


Spark gap transmitters were banned early, early, early in radio
history as they;

1) Typically transmitted thousands of miles, and

2) Since there is no tuning feature other than antenna length,
they were heard all across the radio spectrum.

Think of lightning strikes. Every time one occurs, you get static
on your radio. At least if it's nearby (50-100 miles). Now think
of a man made device that is designed to make static
intentionally. You can get a LOT of range out of it.

I could make one with an ignition coil, a spark plug (optional,
as any gap will work), the car battery, and a length of wire, the
longer the better.

Run a piece of wire up the highest thing around and secure it at
the top.

If it's a tree or anything wet, make sure it doesn't ground out
anywhere. This is the antenna. At the other end of this wire,
connect it to the pointed end of the spark plug, i.e., where the
spark plug wire attaches.

Take a short piece of wire and run it from the screw threads on
the spark plug to the high voltage output on the ignition coil.

Take another piece of wire and run it from the negative terminal
on the ignition coil to ground.

I mean, stick the wire in the ground, the more the better. Bury
it. If the soil is wet, better still. Take another piece of wire
and connect it from the negative terminal on the ignition coil
(yes, this is the same terminal that the last piece of wire
connected to) to the negative terminal on the battery.

Take another piece of wire and connect it to the positive
terminal on the ignition coil. Leave the other end unconnected.

At this point the transmitter is complete. Connecting the
positive coil wire to the battery will energize the coil and
*may* produce a spark at the plug.

Don't worry if it doesn't. When you disconnect the wire, a spark
*should* be produced. If it doesn't, check all wiring
connections. Make sure the antenna isn't grounded.

Make sure the ground wire is. You may have to change your spark
gap as well. Be advised that making and operating a transmitter
of this type will bring the wrath of the FCC and possibly other
government bodies down on *YOU*.

Rapidly making and breaking the battery connection with the
positive wire will enable a person to send a morse code type
distress signal. Doing this as long as possible will alert the
appropriate authorities and give them ample time to triangulate
your position. I would continue doing this until someone arrived.

Doing this in a non emergency situation (testing) will get you
busted big time. Fines are usually $3000 - $5000 for a first
offense and can go a lot higher.

[Stuart]

Fantastic

let us know if you find that diagram

thanks Doc :-D

[Doc]

Will do.

Drifting off in to 'survival' rather than bushcraft, there is a lot to be said for sitting the Foundation Amateur Radio License Exam. A weekend of study, and you have reasonable knowledge of radio, and a license with which to practice on air, on various shortwave bands with capability for intercontinental communication.

[Tony]

Will do.

Drifting off in to 'survival' rather than bushcraft.

I feel that it's all from the same well. It's the situation that dictates the term survival. I know this is a topic well covered in the forum but it is how I see it. And bushcraft does not have to be neo tribal or primitive, it absorbs all that is useful for wilderness survival. And on and on and on and... :rolmao:

Back to the subject, it's cool to know what you can do and how things work. I just wish I could go out and practice it!

[Mikey P]

The Foundation Amateur Radio Course sounds good - my only question would be 'Which frequency bands does it allow you to use?'.

The reason I ask is that , from what I remember when I took mine (unfortunately, never used it in anger!) about 5 years ago, it was for the 'A' class license (I think) which limited you to use VHF/UHF bands. This is fine but they are pretty much 'line of sight' and aren't a great deal of use far out in the middle of nowhere. Ideally HF is the way to go but that, I seem to remember, required a 'B' license with morse for use in the UK.

There are alternatives: for those with lots of cash, there's INMARSAT and IRIDIUM satphone systems, which will work anywhere. Used these in the Gulf and they were pretty useful in emergencies.

The other alternative (and I do not condone this) is Citizen's Band (CB) radios with AM/sideband, as these are effectively HF radios. They are illegal in the UK although may well be legal in the country you are travelling in.

I suppose the best thing to do, certainly when abroad, is check with the police/local travellers and see what they recommend.

[Doc]

Mikey, if you passed the Radio Amateurs Exam with City and Guilds, then you can apply for a full Amateur Radio Licence, with full HF privileges and 400 watts straight away. It used to be a requirement to pass a 12 words per minute morse test for HF, but this was recently abolished. There is no longer a Class A/ Class B distinction.

27MHz CB radios are certainly capable of long distance communication, but not reliably so, especially in winter as the sunspot cycle is falling off. Very reliable for a few miles on groundwave though.

The Foundation license lets you use all HF bands except 10metres, but with a 10 watt limit. Satellite working is not allowed. If you're on foot and carrying batteries, you wouldn't be wanting much more than 10 watts anyway!

Something like this:
http://www.yaesu.co.uk/amateur/hf/index.htm
would be ideal for the wilderness. Also, it can be persuaded to transmit on the Alaska emergency channel, Marine HF channels, CB channels, etc in an emergency. And it picks up Radio 4.....


The Foundation course is a weekends study. Anyone on here could easily pass it, no problem. Details on the Radio Society of Great Britain's website


http://www.rsgb.org/

http://www.radio.gov.uk/topics/amate...lepaper_bw.pdf

[Doc]

Sorry - on the Yaesu link look at the FT817 portable backpacking rig.