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G4EBT > DESERT 01.10.03 01:19l 92 Lines 3358 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : C21612G4EBT
Read: DB0FHN GUEST
Subj: "Lost in the desert"
Path: DB0FHN<DB0RGB<OK0PPL<DB0RES<ON0AR<VK3TE<GB7FCR
Sent: 030930/2226Z @:GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU #:17709 [Blackpool] FBB-7.03a $:C21612G4
From: G4EBT@GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU
To : DESERT@WW
Relax, guys, it's all good clean fun, but VK's of a nervous disposition or
who don't like a challenge, ought not to read this! The rest of you guys,
read on:
This is a hypothetical scenario - any resemblance to living persons
is entirely co-incidental:
Once upon a time, there was this urban-dwelling radio amateur in Southern
Australia who'd been told by someone from a faraway land that he'd read in
a book that there were lots of deserts in Australia - millions of sq KM's
of them in fact.
Now as this VK he lived in a concrete jungle of urbanisation and didn't
have to hunt for food or search for water, which came from the local
supermarket, he wasn't too sure about this fanciful tale of vast deserts.
Being of an enquiring mind, and dedicated to the concept of lifelong
learning, and self-improvement, he thought he'd like to check things
out for himself.
So rather like Tin-Tin would, he chartered a light aircraft, and set off
on his little adventure. All went well for a while, then lo and behold,
not long after the city limits, he saw what did indeed appear to be
deserts. A complete lack of lush, green, temperate, grasslands - just
mile after mile of arid desolation.
This seemed to go on for an eternity, but when he asked the pilot how far
they were from home, he said "Oh, we're only 75 miles" (120kms) away.
"Oh well", said the VK, smilingly, "I think I've seen enough of this -
maybe it's true what that tiresome chap said he'd read in the geography
books and atlases - I think we should head for home now".
The pilot dutifully pulled on the rudder control to turn back, and horror
of horrors - the control came off in his hand! Oh crikey, he thought -
"we're really I deep do-dah now". To make matters worse the engine
sputtered to a halt, the pilot wrestled with the controls, managed to
crash-land the 'plane, and he and the VK crawled out of the wreckage
unscathed.
It was the height of the summer, the landscape was almost totally barren
and featureless - not a billabong in sight, not even a pub with no beer,
and the heat was unbearable. Luckily, the 'plane didn't catch fire so the
searched through the wreckage to salvage what they could, which might aid
their survival. (The radio was wrecked in the crash).
These are the items they found, in no particular order:
Magnetic compass
Bottle of vodka
Pistol
Knife
Sunglasses
Bottle of salt tablets
Sectional map
Small mirror
Two 2 Litre bottles of water
Parachute
A ballpoint pen
Some plasters and bandages
Book on edible animals
Plastic raincoat
A torch
An overcoat
(Sorry, no tinnies!)
Now from the comfort of your shack, suppose you were this hypothetical VK;
how would you rank these items in order of importance to maximise your
chances of survival, what would be your rationale for the rankings, and
what would be your survival "game plan"?
I'll send a bulletin in a day or two to let everyone know what a team of
survival experts had to say about this, but meanwhile, don't spoil the
game by letting your secrets out until after the answers have been given!
73 - David, G4EBT @ GB7FCR
Eddystone User Group Member
G-QRP Club Member No: 1339
QTH: Cottingham, East Yorkshire.
david@crofters89.freeserve.co.uk
Message timed: 18:52 on 2003-Sep-30
Message sent using WinPack-Telnet V6.70
(Registered).
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