Thanks for the post Eric!
For those of you not aware of the great Mountain Radio Service check out:
http://www.nzlsar.org.nz/mrs/wmrs/wmrshome.htm
(But note that the WN booking contact has changed)
“The WMRS is a safety communications service, run by volunteers with a sound knowledge of the New Zealand mountains. It provides a daily 2-way voice link (known as a “sked”) with the base station.
During skeds the base operator provides mountain weather forecasts supplied by MetService and calls each party in turn. Users can indicate their location, intentions or changes of plan, and pass messages to the base operator for forwarding to their contact person.”
It is a much better option than cellphones if you plan to go off the beaten track in the back country.
The service operates thanks to the dedication of a smallish number of volunteers and provides a great service. I’m sure many lives have been saved and much misery prevented as a result of their efforts.
Cheers,
Shane Connolly
(Occassional WMRS user)
