Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!unix.cis.pitt.edu!dsinc!telecom-request From: njs@cpunk.watson.ibm.com (Nicholas J. Simicich) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Cellular Telephones on a Bicycle Message-ID: Date: 15 Mar 91 16:29:15 GMT Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Reply-To: Nick Simicich Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 20 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 205, Message 7 of 11 I mentioned this in email to the originator, but for the route they want to travel, cellular phones are a really bad idea. There will be lots of dead spots where people will be cut off. They would be better off renting VHF radios or using CB's, as Rick Zellich suggested. Besides, do they really want to dial a bunch of numbers and pay two airtime fees every time the bike at the front of the pack wants to call the bike at the back of the pack? They won't have any broadcast capability, either, so if the manager wants to broadcast to all of the workers, it will mean a bunch of separate calls. I think that they just want to key a mike and say who they are talking to, and then talk. Having cellular phones in the cars to call EMS or the police would be a good idea. But to use them for primary communication sounds really bad. Nick Simicich (NJS at WATSON, njs@ibm.com) ---SSI AOWI #3958, HSA #318