Stupid helmet question ...

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:17:24 +0100, Ace wrote:

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:10:11 +0000, Champ wrote:

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 11:05:43 GMT, Mike Clark
wrote:

I had a friend who served in the Chamonix
mountain rescue services (Sadly he died in an avalanche himself when out
skiing with a group of his friends. All were experienced local French
skiers from the Chamonix area) who could switch on his analogue
transceiver to recieve and then simply by listening for a few seconds
he could tell how many individuals in the group had a transceiver
switched on, which model transceivers they were wearing, and also if
they needed a battery change. He'd gained that ability by practicing
regularly as well as undertaking real rescues.

I suspect he was winding you up.

Why? It's true that different transmitters have a slightly different
sound, and certainly when I've done multiple searches one can hear
this, bit in the pitch and the repeat frequency of the beeps.

OK, I'll take your word for it. In every test I've ever done,
including the normal "ski by" test with a group, the sound has seemed
identical to me. Because, surely, the sound is being generated by
*my* transceiver, picking up a radio signal from the other one?
--
Champ

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 19:01:49 +0000, Champ wrote:

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:17:24 +0100, Ace wrote:

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 15:10:11 +0000, Champ wrote:

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 11:05:43 GMT, Mike Clark
wrote:

I had a friend who served in the Chamonix
mountain rescue services (Sadly he died in an avalanche himself when out
skiing with a group of his friends. All were experienced local French
skiers from the Chamonix area) who could switch on his analogue
transceiver to recieve and then simply by listening for a few seconds
he could tell how many individuals in the group had a transceiver
switched on, which model transceivers they were wearing, and also if
they needed a battery change. He'd gained that ability by practicing
regularly as well as undertaking real rescues.

I suspect he was winding you up.

Why? It's true that different transmitters have a slightly different
sound, and certainly when I've done multiple searches one can hear
this, bit in the pitch and the repeat frequency of the beeps.

OK, I'll take your word for it. In every test I've ever done,
including the normal "ski by" test with a group, the sound has seemed
identical to me. Because, surely, the sound is being generated by
*my* transceiver, picking up a radio signal from the other one?

It's the signal that varies, and your transceiver, in playing it back,
is just passing on that difference. Try putting it next to, say, a TV
remote control, and pressing some buttons and you'll realise that it's
just acting as a simple radio receiver.

--
Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
Ski Club of Great Britain - http://www.skiclub.co.uk
All opinions expressed are personal and in no way represent those of the Ski Club.

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:15:23 +0100, Ace wrote:

Why? It's true that different transmitters have a slightly different
sound, and certainly when I've done multiple searches one can hear
this, bit in the pitch and the repeat frequency of the beeps.

OK, I'll take your word for it. In every test I've ever done,
including the normal "ski by" test with a group, the sound has seemed
identical to me. Because, surely, the sound is being generated by
*my* transceiver, picking up a radio signal from the other one?

It's the signal that varies, and your transceiver, in playing it back,
is just passing on that difference. Try putting it next to, say, a TV
remote control, and pressing some buttons and you'll realise that it's
just acting as a simple radio receiver.

TV remotes use infrared, tho. While I understand that IR is on the
electromagnetic spectrum, can it be picked up by a radio receiver?
--
Champ

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 09:24:57 +0000, Champ wrote:

On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:15:23 +0100, Ace wrote:

avalanche transceivers

Why? It's true that different transmitters have a slightly different
sound, and certainly when I've done multiple searches one can hear
this, bit in the pitch and the repeat frequency of the beeps.

OK, I'll take your word for it. In every test I've ever done,
including the normal "ski by" test with a group, the sound has seemed
identical to me. Because, surely, the sound is being generated by
*my* transceiver, picking up a radio signal from the other one?

It's the signal that varies, and your transceiver, in playing it back,
is just passing on that difference. Try putting it next to, say, a TV
remote control, and pressing some buttons and you'll realise that it's
just acting as a simple radio receiver.

TV remotes use infrared, tho. While I understand that IR is on the
electromagnetic spectrum, can it be picked up by a radio receiver?

AIUI they're all very imprecise and emit quite a wide scatter of all
sorts of EM frequencies. I'm sure some of the ukrm FOAK could explain.
x-posted

--
Ace (brucedotrogers a.t rochedotcom)
Ski Club of Great Britain - http://www.skiclub.co.uk
All opinions expressed are personal and in no way represent those of the Ski Club.

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 10:34:11 +0100, Ace wrote:

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 09:24:57 +0000, Champ wrote:

TV remotes use infrared, tho. While I understand that IR is on the
electromagnetic spectrum, can it be picked up by a radio receiver?

AIUI they're all very imprecise and emit quite a wide scatter of all
sorts of EM frequencies. I'm sure some of the ukrm FOAK could explain.
x-posted

Wild, wild guess, but maybe it's radiation from the electronics in the
remote that are getting picked up, not the IR itself.

The only IR devices I've worked with, a sort of early touch-screen,
modulated a carrier onto the IR, so maybe it's this that's getting
picked up. They probably switch a square-wave signal to generate it
and square-waves generate wodges of harmonics.

Odd though, 'cos it's very low-power electronics and the radiated
power output should be tiny, especially in these regulated days.

--
-Pip

"Champ" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:15:23 +0100, Ace wrote:


Um ... me again. The answer to the op is that I settled for shoving it in my
backpack which did the trick nicely. Thanks to all.

My supplementary questions are these:

1) Do most skiers believe in god and if so does this lead them to ski more
or less recklessly?

2) Who contributes most global warming? Skiers or boarders?

TIA

[ducks for cover]

A.D.

Le Dieu wrote:
"Champ" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:15:23 +0100, Ace wrote:


Um ... me again. The answer to the op is that I settled for shoving
it in my backpack which did the trick nicely. Thanks to all.

My supplementary questions are these:

1) Do most skiers believe in god and if so does this lead them to ski
more or less recklessly?

2) Who contributes most global warming? Skiers or boarders?

TIA

[ducks for cover]

A.D.


Simple, Boarders, they stop for a Fag break just below each ridge and
produce more drag on the lifts with their fashonable baggy clothes

[Ducks even quicker than Champ]

Chris *:-)

On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 15:32:19 GMT, "MoonMan"
allegedly wrote:

Le Dieu wrote:
2) Who contributes most global warming? Skiers or boarders?

Simple, Boarders, they stop for a Fag break just below each ridge and

It's odd, but none of my boarding nor skiing friends smoke.

produce more drag on the lifts with their fashonable baggy clothes

I think this is a teenage thing. Some of the stuff they wear looks
ridiculous to me.

- Dave.

--
The only powder to get high on, falls from the sky.
http://www.vpas.org.uk/ - Snowboarding the worlds pow pow.
Donek Sasquatch 162, Prior Pow 181, Burton Canyon 162

"Switters" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 15:32:19 GMT, "MoonMan"
allegedly wrote:

Le Dieu wrote:
2) Who contributes most global warming? Skiers or boarders?

Simple, Boarders, they stop for a Fag break just below each ridge and

It's odd, but none of my boarding nor skiing friends smoke.

produce more drag on the lifts with their fashonable baggy clothes

I think this is a teenage thing. Some of the stuff they wear looks
ridiculous to me.

- Dave.

--
The only powder to get high on, falls from the sky.
http://www.vpas.org.uk/ - Snowboarding the worlds pow pow.
Donek Sasquatch 162, Prior Pow 181, Burton Canyon 162


I was behind two (German) boarders in a lift queue not long ago, a boy and
his girlfriend. You could see his goatee when he turned to talk to her.
After a while she turned to say something back to him and it was then that I
realised that she had a (fine, blonde) goatee too.

No kidding.

Coincidentally it was a German boarder who wiped me out from behind on a
near empty and extremely wide slope in Cervinia a few weeks ago. I made a
right turn and I could hear his scream but it was too late for both of us. I
was anticipating big injuries but thankfully we were both unhurt. He
gestured that he thought I was going to go the other way. If he'd given me a
wide berth it wouldn't have mattered which way I went.

We had a fruitless conversation in our own languages as his mates collected
my skis and poles and without him actually saying sorry in either of them I
could tell he was contrite. After a manly touch of knuckles we went on our
way.

To stray back on topic briefly it was my first day with a helmet and I
remember being thankful for it for a nanosecond pre impact. In actual fact I
don't think my head was hit at all. I got used to it very quickly and will
continue with it.

A. D.

In message
"Le Dieu" wrote:

[snip]

To stray back on topic briefly it was my first day with a helmet and I
remember being thankful for it for a nanosecond pre impact. In actual
fact I don't think my head was hit at all. I got used to it very
quickly and will continue with it.

A. D.


Perhaps it was the same trend as the evidence from a study of cycling
and helmet wearing.

If you wear a helmet, people give you less room.........

;-)

Mike
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark
\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing,
" || _`\,_ |__\ \ | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and
` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"