A good article about a smartphone app that can help first responders locate you if you are outdoors and need help, but don t know your precise location.
https://www.kawartha411.ca/2026/03/01/three-words-could-save-your-life/
I have that app on my phone. I used it to map locations on the Lang Hastings Trail that I was surveying for incursion by vegetation. I did the survey with my trusted iPad, which I used to measure the trail width every 100 m.
Very good Mike.
I will have to download the app and give it a try.
What 3 Words is a fantastic application. I was first exposed to it a few years ago via Amateur Radio and its ties to emergency services. All of our local emergency services (911, Police, Fire and EMS) support it.
Hi Scott. That is interesting. I didn't know that the app was used by the Amateur Radio Emergency people.
It's amazing app. It's also a demonstration of how password phrases of random words are very secure. If three words can play you any place on Earth, that would be a lot of passwords!
Quote from: Scott on March 12, 2026, 10:51:53 AMWhat 3 Words is a fantastic application. I was first exposed to it a few years ago via Amateur Radio and its ties to emergency services. All of our local emergency services (911, Police, Fire and EMS) support it.
Very cool!
The one problem it doesn't solve if you are lost is that you have to have cell service to call for help in the first place. If you are lost or hurt in the bush somewhere and you can't call for help, What Three Words won't do you any good. And I have been hiking in places where you don't get cell service.
Quote from: fox on March 22, 2026, 07:42:00 AMThe one problem it doesn't solve if you are lost is that you have to have cell service to call for help in the first place. If you are lost or hurt in the bush somewhere and you can't call for help, What Three Words won't do you any good. And I have been hiking in places where you don't get cell service.
Yeah, good point. Although, you're probably the only one of us that is hiking that far in. Just don't get hurt or lost. ;)
I wonder how much it costs to have a satellite phone for that.
Actually, I just discovered that I might be covered, even if no cell tower signal is available. An iPhone 14 or later can make emergency calls or texts outside of cellular range via Emergency SOS via satellite. By pointing the phone at the sky, you can connect to satellites to reach emergency services or text, provided you are in a supported region and you have a clear view of the sky. Neat eh?
For Amateur Radio operators like myself, I have a very small, low power, tranceiver which has a built in 12 litium battery that I could send out a Help call, on the HF bands.
I would have to be not injured too much, so that I could string up a wire for the antennae.
Quote from: fox on March 23, 2026, 07:22:17 AMActually, I just discovered that I might be covered, even if no cell tower signal is available. An iPhone 14 or later can make emergency calls or texts outside of cellular range via Emergency SOS via satellite. By pointing the phone at the sky, you can connect to satellites to reach emergency services or text, provided you are in a supported region and you have a clear view of the sky. Neat eh?
Wow, I had no idea that was possible outside of a satellite phone. Is Emergency SOS what they call the feature? Wondering if that's only an iPhone feature or one that is available for other phones but called something else.
I guess soon I can't tell people that cellphones don't communicate with each other through satellites, at least not directly.
Quote from: ssfc72 on March 23, 2026, 09:05:44 AMFor Amateur Radio operators like myself, I have a very small, low power, tranceiver which has a built in 12 litium battery that I could send out a Help call, on the HF bands.
I would have to be not injured too much, so that I could string up a wire for the antennae.
How small is it exactly?
It is 4 X 2.7 X 2.3" in size and weighs around 1 lb and covers 8 HF Bands. It is labelled a QRP transceiver which mean it is low output power usually around 5 Watts.
You can get smaller QRP transceivers but they usually only transmit on a single HF Band and usually need a separate 12 volt power supply.
That's so cool, Bill! What is the range of those? Line of sight to the nearest tower?
On Amateur radio HF (high frequency) Bands, you can communicate with another Amateur radio operator (Ham) for thousands of miles (across the oceans) at night on the 80 Meter (low frequency) and up Bands.
During the daytime on 20 Meters (a higher frequency Band) you can communicate with another Ham, for up to 1000 miles. You would need to have a very good wire antenna strung up at a good height.
Amazing! I can see why amateur radio can be/is used in emergency situations.