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There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

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Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#161

Post by nickvanw »

shagie wrote: post #107
randomfool wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're super common now for backcountry hikers and trail runners. The plans start at $15 a month on a per-month plan (no lock in). There has been speculation that Apple would build this into their phones, which IMHO would be a killer feature. Imagine having an emergency feature that could be used anywhere on earth. How much would you pay per text? $5 per text message would be an absolute bargain in many of these rem…

> There has been speculation that Apple would build this into their phones I'm not sure how... the InReach (and similar products) are a Iridium satellite communication system that requires a bit more heft in the signal (up and down). When you look at the iridium phones ( https://www.iridium.com/product-type/satellite-phones/ ) those aren't small things (look at the antennas). Then you've got: > Enhanced Battery Life…

There are a number of providers that have been purporting to be on the edge of offering Satellite coverage to existing cellphones:

- https://ast-science.com/spacemobile/

- https://lynk.world

The former even inked a partnership with AT&T and Vodafone: https://www.lightreading.com/ossbss/vodafone-atandt-sign-up-...

It looks like they've even successfully tested it: https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/29/lynk-demos-global-satellit...

This would likely be a very high-cost option, but it does seem to be possible. The key is that these satellites are much closer to earth than Iridium, I guess.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#162

Post by r00fus »

mattmanser wrote: post #80
dleslie wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Castanet is gloriously imperfect. I hope they never change and never fade away. It's exactly what it looks like: a hodge-podged effort by some local folks with little experience and ability among them, besides an earnest desire to report local news with a local perspective, that has stood the test of time (it launched in 2000!).

So, an outsider's perspective: 1. It loads super quick 2. The list of articles is clear and easy to scan 3. There aren't a shit ton of adverts 4. There are no bloody popups, cookie notices, donate banners, etc. 5. The entire page doesn't load, me start reading then suddenly completely greyed out with an overlay because of badly implemented 4 6. No auto-playing videos that are impossible to find to stop If this is 90s…

and no paywall!

This site is great!

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#163

Post by beebs93 »

cf100clunk wrote: post #148
mikestew wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does your family member do that they have one? Goes on a hike and realizes that a lot of BC doesn't have any cell service? I haven't used mine for an actual emergency, but it did come in handy in Yukon with an irreparable motorcycle tire. I mostly use it as a backcountry text message device to let the spouse know I'm not dead, or just general chat if I have messages left. Regardless, "long hike in a remote area"…

There are still some of us who have CB radios (with all their limitations acknowledged) in our vehicles for back country emergency use, and I occasionally see mobile ham radio operators. A Garmin inReach seems like it would be a good addition.

Agreed.

Said family member mentioned in the parent thread keeps a handheld radio (I don't know the exact tech specs, sorry) for such occasions. That said, they mostly use it to just listen for any logging trucks calling out checkpoints so they can avoid getting in their way when travelling to their remote campsites.

Coupled with a Garmin inReach w/ backcountry maps installed, it gives us peace of mind in case something goes wrong out in the bush.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#164

Post by arcticbull »

cf100clunk wrote: post #157
zaptheimpaler wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I live in Vancouver and had no idea until a friend in another country saw the news and asked me about it. Not to say people elsewhere in BC weren’t impacted (one town had to evacuate) but the media is not painting an accurate picture.

Perhaps the picture being painted by the media is not being accurately assimilated by you? This is real, and magnitude of the circumstances is dire.

Dire in what way? Vancouver still has the YVR airport, a seaport, ferries, a downtown float plane airport and both road and rail access to the US. There will be some impact to prices, I imagine, while the road and rail links to the rest of Canada are rebuilt.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#166

Post by jacquesm »

lhorie wrote: post #100

For just a bit of context/anecdata, I'm talking to my brother who lives in Vancouver and he wasn't even aware this was a problem. The road closure[0] on hwy 1 near Abbotsford/Chilliwack is a good one hour drive away from Vancouver core[1]. So while it sounds noteworthy for an entire city be technically flooded in, unless you were driving to the boonies, you're probably not actually impacted in any meaningful way. He…

"The boonies", does that include Calgary? There is quite a bit of road traffic between Vancouver and Calgary via Kamloops and Banff. Or did you mean just West of the Rockies?

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#167

Post by Scoundreller »

ashtonkem wrote: post #76
javajosh wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That garmin is a cool toy, but pricey ($400 for the device plus $50/mo for unlimited text service). What does your family member do that they have one? It seems like the kind of thing a park ranger would have, or that someone might rent before going on a long hike in a remote area.

You don’t have to be particularly intense to find value in a full fledged GPS. We just do a lot of day hikes and a few overnighters, and the 64st ($300-400) has been immensely valuable. Considering that the inreach eliminates the need for a separate rescue beacon, that’s a cost and weight savings. If you’re even more marginally intense than I, one of these is less a toy and more a life saving necessity. Dedicated GPS…

It’s too bad google offline maps only supports driving directions.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#169

Post by arcticbull »

cbhl wrote: post #123
rsync wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"So while it sounds noteworthy for an entire city be technically flooded in, unless you were driving to the boonies, you're probably not actually impacted in any meaningful way." Where do truck shipments come into Vancouver from ? Is it all through the US/CA border ?

Isn't Vancouver a port city? I imagine there'd be more truck shipments out, eastwards towards the rest of Canada.

They should be able to continue, albeit delayed, via the US.

Should be possible to head south into Washington State and re-enter Canada at Oroville-Osoyoos.

Re: There is currently no way to drive between Vancouver and the rest of Canada

#170

Post by emodendroket »

beebs93 wrote: post #34

One of my family members has been stuck just east of Hope, British Columbia[1] for almost two days now. There is currently no cell service, but luckily they have a Garmin inReach so we can communicate via its SMS feature. For anybody with friends/family in the area, the BC subreddit megathread[2] on this is a good starting place to get information on evacuations, power outage status, road closures, official relevant…

The Reddit thread seems to be largely given over to speculation about the complete collapse of society globally which is, in my opinion, getting just a little bit carried away and anyway not really informative.
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