CNET Editor's body found by Searchers (Update #941)

CNET TV ^ | 12-04-06 | From CNET TV

[sockmonkey]

Wife and two daughters of senior editor James Kim found in Oregon; search is still on for James Kim, who left the car on foot two days ago.

The wife and daughters of missing CNET senior editor James Kim have been found alive and airlifted to a local hospital, authorities announced at a press conference in Merlin, Ore., Monday afternoon.

James Kim left the car on snowshoes two days ago to seek help and has not been found, the official said. The search for him continues.

According to the official speaking at the news conference, the conditions of Kati, Penelope and Sabine are not yet known. More details are expected at a press conference at 5 p.m. PST, which CNET will stream live.

Kati Kim reportedly flagged down a helicopter rented by families of the missing persons.

After searches in Oregon's Curry and Douglas counties, new information on missing CNET senior editor James Kim and his family narrowed the search back to the Bear Camp area in Josephine County, according to reports Monday.

A cell phone tower received a signal from one of the family's cell phones at about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday near Glendale, but officials say the signal is only an indicator the family could have been within 26 miles of Glendale at that time, according to a report in The Oregonian.

[Issaquahking]

Merlin, not Malin...better chance of survival there than in the high country.

[cgk]

The 1st doesn't sound familiar, but the 2nd does - was it down near Australia or is that a different one?

[ArmstedFragg]

That frequency is the standard frequency for aviator's emergency locator beacons. It's monitored by satellite, and produces a fairly fast response when there's an activation on it. There's a similar emergency calling frequency in the Marine radio spectrum.

And now..... there's one available for outdoors folks. Here's one site that offers info on personal ELB's.

http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s1168.htm

[cva66snipe]

They don't use the chips in the phones for triangulation. As I understand it... You always have two towers you have contact with (in fact when you drop a call it is because you lost contact with one of the towers). So they measure the signal from reaching the cell tower...translate the strength of the signal into distance you know you can figure out the point of the call. In this case they had a ping from the cellphone tracking to one tower. So he probably determined the strength and calculated a radius around the tower to determine the search area.

Both methods work on triangulation but with 911 the phone tells the 911 center where it is located instead of the cell company using tower triangulation. It is a GPS Chip and the phone triangulates itself via GPS. IOW it has the data and sends it to 911.

IWO if you dial 911 into a 911 system set up to receive the phones data from the chip you are located. Number 2 as I understand is basically the same thing I believe a second GPS chip which is optional use by the owner. Number 3 is the basic tower ping you mentioned and still effective but not as defining in exact location. I might be wrong. But this explains some of it also Cell Phone Pings I heard a rescue on the scanner one night several years ago and it sure impressed me to the accuracy.

If he has share location on they might be able to get his chip to tell his location or if they can by chance intercept a 911 call and the location data. Third option is him getting through to anyone anywhere and doing the towers triangulation. The GPS data if they can get it from the phone chip would be a sure bet.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Oregon State Police Lt. Doug Ladd told the Associated Press that the family was seeking a scenic route to Gold Beach.

Odd, in that they hadn't even left the restaurant in Roseburg until 9pm (if the report from the waitress was accurate) and it gets dark up there before 5pm this time of year. However on many maps (including mine) the road from I-5's exit 66/Merlin to Gold Beach is shown as just a regular secondary road, and the most direct (fastest) route from Roseburg. But that runs about 15 miles south of Glendale, and the connecting road from Glendale is shown as turning to dirt for a segment, but perhaps late at night in the dark of a car with just the overhead light the distinction might not be easily seen.

[cgk]

Thank you for that link. Everything you wrote before it made me feel rather like Alice in Wonderland. ;). Those PLBs are really something else.

[GOPJ]

Another point: pack a "go bag" in the back of the car. Food, water, space blankets, matches, signal mirror, first aid kit, maybe a tarp and some tinder (dryer lint works great). Then you can set up camp, light a fire, and keep warm while you're waiting to be rescued.

Words of wisdom - maybe we should start a freeper survival thread - what to do and not to do in emergency situations.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

Does it say how they got to be where they were?

I read between the lines. It says, "...through a series of poor decisions and even worse luck...."

[paulat]

This is the map offered by the Lodge they were going to:

http://www.tututun.com/images/tututun_map.pdf

[woodbutcher]

And now..... there's one available for outdoors folks. Here's one site that offers info on personal ELB's.

---

Thank you for that info. I had heard of and forgot about the PLB and I have a personal need for something like that.

It does look bulky.

You notice when you read the link that it must be registered for them to take it seriously. That is why I doubt that a call on 121.5 without a valid call sign (tail number) would bring out the Marines. Without some verification that you were for real, it would be easy to take it for a prank call. As you, there are slimes that do that regularly.

[raygun]

Yeah, what you said. The Yukon guy left a wife and infant baby in the car when he hoofed it. He was pretty messed up when he made his presence known to the local driving home from a provisions run to the "local" store, and the wife was in pretty bad shape too, the baby was merely seriously dehydrated and had a serious case of diaper rash (think 'bout it: pooping in the same diaper for days).

I remember yelling at the TV when the guy fell down in the snow "GET UP! AND MOVE IT soldier!" I also recall using the voice of authority at the TV when he brushed off the snow to the sign saying 45 miles this way, that "now", not "later", not in 10 minutes, was the time to start hoofing it. My heart literally broke because I was self-actualizing that situation. There were only two things that were motivating that guy's feets.

As far as the other, he went on to be the first double-amputee to climb Mt. Kilamnjaro. The show went on to say that the guide (amputee), and his "fare" remain good friends to this day. And as far as I understand he still goes into out of doors despite the ordeal he went through. And let me tell you, he went through some real bung-hole crap getting down that jungle infested mountain side as fast as he could.

[Purrcival]

"Hopefully James Kim will be found okay."

Ditto that. Prayers up.

[steve86]

maybe we should start a freeper survival thread - what to do and not to do in emergency situations.

There have been many such preparedness threads but they tend to bring out the pollyanna types who ridicule and mock those who suggest that any kind of threat to health and well-being might exist.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Thanks. See how the lodge is actually east of Gold Beach on the Rogue River? That is the road from Merlin I was talking about. Coming from Roseburg it would be the most direct route, and compared to going via Hwy 42 and Hwy 101, would be on winding 2-lanes for less than half the distance of going via those routes. In bad weather and based on my map I might have been tempted to take it, too, though not in icy/snowy weather.

[cgk]

[freeper survival thread - what to do and not to do in emergency situations.]

-----
OooOOO I've got two tips (two NOT to dos)!!!

When driving down a dirt road, should you come up to the BACK of a bullet-ridden road sign and decide to stop and turn around to read it... if it says "DANGER! NOW ENTERING WEAPONS TESTING SITE! UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE MAY BE PRESENT!" (or similar...) ...

DO NOT, NEVER NEVER, turn back around and head back the way you came to "get a second look at what you missed."

AND - don't assume if you have a flashlight that anyone living today understands morse code and thinks you're really in trouble and not just some stupid drunk camper messing around.

[Billthedrill]

No-longer-active general aviation pilot myself. I'm trying to imagine landing a Cessna 150 (my favorite plane, BTW) with four boxes of bees loose in the cockpit. Snakes on a plane? You ain't seen nuttin' yet!

It would be me. Yep. I'd be the guy it'd happen to...

[LenS]

The online maps like Google and Microsoft have satellite and (and increasingly, birds-eye aerial images) to go with the regular road maps. With one click you can get a satellite image (in populated areas, they can show you stuff in your backyard). However, even in the remoter areas where the resolutions are much further away, you can still get a picture that gives you a nice topographical picture to show you what that simple road map doesn't. But even the road map part can show you a lot. Zooming in real close often makes it very clear just how remote a road is (something the Rand McNally's don't show with their greater scale). The one the Kims were on has so many curves and doglegs that it's obvious that this is very mountainous terrain.

[raygun]

NO way....no way....no WAY. I'm dying here...

ROFLMAO dying here...

[Prokopton]

"There have been many such preparedness threads but they tend to bring out the pollyanna types who ridicule and mock those who suggest that any kind of threat to health and well-being might exist."

Yea, the type that often don't survive such threats if they (surprise) encounter them.

[pepperdog]

My kids bought me a flashlight that has a crank to energize it, it also has a plug in for my cell phone. So I can have light and phone home, haha. I think you can get them at Sharper Image.