I do 2 or 3 dashes (downwind, upwind ect.) with crew a year, and have found
that the cell phone is just about useless until I am extremely low (in
which case I don't want to be fussing about with it) or on the ground.
Having landed in some of the most remote locations in the west, I have had
very good luck with cell coverage (was Alltel now Verizon). If it doesn't
connect for a voice call I can usually send a text msg with info. That
being said my 1st back up is the spot 1 and is set up to send the GPS
coord's and brief message to my Crew and a back up in Phoenix and of course
is open shared page on SSA and ASA web pages. 2nd is the Radio and the crew
vehicle has a 1/4 wave antenna with a Terra panel mount. I can usually
only talk on the radio to crew when very high or within 50-100 miles of
her. I have yet not to be found or retrieved within a few hours. Of course
there was the one time in Ely that I had to come back the next day to get
the glider, but that is another story

CH

PS: I usually try and land where there might be liquid refreshment for the
wait. That usually doesn't go over well with the crew after driving for 8
hours


Leah and I have had good luck with in flight radio and post flight
cell phone. Although there was this one time in a dust field in NW
Kansas where reception was not so hot. Now I have a SPOT.

I did one Downwind Dash this year with a non-cellphone equipped crew.
That was fun in a vintage experience sort of way. Adds another layer
of thought processes when you know you need to have reasonable access
to a phone after you land.

CH Ventus B

"If we are all "just dust in the wind", then I want to be at the top of a Huge Dust Devil!"