Tim Kendrick wrote in a message to Ed Germain:
 TK> The critical question is what type of RELIABLE reception
 TK> coverage is common to all the areas in which you operate?
There appear to be two possibilities.  Cellular phones are marginally more 
reliable.  The areas we are in are the shoreline ocean in ME and NH, the 
White Mts of NH, the Gunks in NY, various rivers in NH, MA, ME. 
The second way to go, much cheaper right now, is HAM.  We have just had a 
gift of 6 dual-band UHF/VHF tiny transceivers.  They cover the 2 meter and 
70cm bands, but appear able to be extended so that we could reach the marine 
band (for ocean rescue calling to Coast Guard).  These are 2-5 watt radios.  
In nearly all of the areas we use there are repeaters on frequencies we can 
access--at least so I have been told.
However, I now have to face the issue of getting us all Technician Licenses, 
which is a pain if you're not otherwise an enthusiast.
 TK> Someone has raised the idea of ELBs but I agree they are not
 TK> really designed for this kind of thing, although they are
 TK> made for marine use as well as air. Incidentally, despite
 TK> what someone said, the air ones won't go off when jarred
 TK> unless they are 'armed', so that is not a problem - you
 TK> would just carry them unarmed.
ELB's are a hot political issue here; I can't touch them.
 TK> If the areas are all covered by cellular, then I suggest
 TK> this is the way to go - with a corporate or individual
 TK> sponsor. After 35 years you surely have many grateful
 TK> graduates - some probably rich - and a little PR blitz might
 TK> do the trick. If you only operate at weekends maybe rental
 TK> phones would suffice.
Not that rich.  We're funded entirely by alumni, but manage nicely though 
careful purchasing.  Can't afford this.  On the other hand, perhaps we could 
encourage our school to buy them, and then borrow them... hmmm, I'll see what 
happens in this direction.
 TK> And what about CB, if REACT covers the area? Even a 4-watt
 TK> walkie-talkie can go a long way if it has an efficient,
 TK> light wire antenna set up properly. You should be able to
 TK> find someone to advise you on this (and maybe even do a
 TK> little 'tweaking' to turn it into a 'power' CB, legally or
 TK> otherwise, for emergency use). 
REACT doesn't cover, and where it does, there is less likelyhood that someone 
is listening than on HAM frequencies (I've been told).
Thank you and everyone else for helping us think through this problem.  I'm 
still not sure what the answer is, but I have these little radios....
--- timEd 1.00+
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