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Page 8, News, Tuesday, March 24, 1992 THE BUSHWHACKERS LOOK! \T'S OLD GUS AND HI5 CATTLE! WHERE You COMIN' FROM % J BROUGHT CLEAR OVER TWO MOUNTAIN RANGES. THAT MUST BE PWFOL HARD ON yf AIN'T NUTHIN? RUEUMATIZE MEDICINE CAN'T FIX. 2 igi WE -2: HA. HOME LIFE IS SO GREAT SINCE WE WENT To THAT MARRIAGE COUNSELLER . HOwW'S IT HELPED @ MABLE THROWS ME OUT, BUT | KEEP ComMING BACK. Northern Insights continued from page 5 tution-framing is likely too late, when he pointed out: "even if the demand (for constitutional status for municipalities) is shelved, at least it is on the shelf for further considera- tion." Shelving the issue for later consideration puts Canadian taxpayers in an awkward situation. Assum- ing that Ottawa and the premiers manage to work out a power-sharing formu- la of "decentralized feder- alism" that satisfies Que- bec and aboriginal con- cerns in this "Canada Round," municipalities will remain on the outside, continued on page 13 Intrepid snowmobiler: The communicator's the best so far by Craig Nicholson Lately I have seen several local sledders with strange antennas on the sides of their helmets. These were attached to a small black box with "The Communicator" stamped on --_ WE SEciALiZe = 1 (8x10), 2 (5 x 7) and 16 friendship wallets (2x1) for only... the side, which has proved to be the most convenient new safety accessory of recent years. I tried one and was impressed. Manufactured by a Canadi- an Company, The Communica- Heirloom h2= + $2.00 Sitting Fee for each subject in portrait. + Advertised package is on blue background (poses our selection). + Personality portrait, props, scenic, white and black backgrounds not available in advertised package. LIMIT ONE SPECIAL PER FAMILY NORTHERN SCHREIBER 1 DAY ONLY TUESDAY MARCH 31ST, 1992 10 AM-1PM 2PM- 4:30 PM tor allows you to talk with your companions without having to stop. Having already tried sev- eral different voice-activated head-sets, I was skeptical. They had each proved unsatis- factory for snowmobiling due to varying combinations of poor reception, low tempera- ture sensitivity, fragility, and/or transmitting problems caused by wind and engine noise. The Communicator over- comes more of these problems than any other headset. My initial concern was that the apparatus would be awk- ward or insecure. Neither proved to be the case. The little box that attaches to the left exterior side of any helmet rim and a velcro fastener. They withstood branch whipping, helmet dropping, freezing rain and being gnawed at by a curi- ous pup. If you decide to use the included earphones, there is very little other installation involved, but putting the hel- met on and off can be awk- ward. ; Opting for the accessory helmet speakers will make them a permanent helmet fix- ture, but alleviates both the inconvenience and possible discomfort of the ear plugs. I recommend the helmet speak- ers as being much easier on the ears over the long run. The battery pack is separate so that it can be clipped or car- ried near your body warmth to prolong battery life. The 6 AA batteries last a long time, but as I became more dependent on communicating, I began to carry spares just in case. Rechargeables cannot be used since the six that will fit in the pack don't have sufficient power to run the unit. Operation takes some get- ting used to. The system is voice activated and only one person can talk at a time. I've - found that shorter messages are more easily understood, and that the use of the word "over" when your finished signals that it's the listener's turn. Singing or whistling to yourself can be embarrassing, but now you won't miss those deer that everyone else is ££ PP THE THUNDER BAY COUNCIL ON POSITIVE AGING INVITES: SENIORS, AGENCI SENIORS; GOVERNMENT ' THE WORKSHOP: "AN EXERCISE IN POSITIVE THINKING" A forum for seniors and service providers working together to address issues and concerns. FRIDAY APRIL 10, 1992 ELK'S HALL, 112 FOURTH STREET, NIPIGON 9:30 AM - 3:30 PM. Registration fee - $10.00 pp. (includes lunch) Contact C.0.P.A. 270 -C Bay St. | THUNDER BAY, P7B 1R5 Tel: 345-0086 WORKING WITH ORKERS ETC. TO always seeing. More than one Communica- tor in a group of sleds can be tricky, since the odds of "cross talk" increase and it's more difficult to I.D. each speaker. The best orientation is to go for a ride to test operations before you start trail riding. The advantages of the Com- municator are obvious. In the majority of situations, the range is more than adequate for the leader and the snowmo- biler riding drag to talk. So there is no longer any excuse for those annoying times when someone wants to stop, but can't get anyone's attention, or a machine breaks down and the front riders cruise merrily off into the sun- set. From a safety aspect, the lead machine can report back on upcoming trail conditions, unexpected stops and oncom- ing traffic; my wife, particular- ly, likes this feature and rides with more confidence knowing what's ahead. . The Communicator requires some adjustments. Your spark plugs and perhaps spark plug wires may have to be changed to resistor types to eliminate engine interference. If you are riding with several Communi- cators in the group, any one machine with improper plugs or wires can cause uncomfort- able static, as do overhead wires or low batteries. The mouth piece micro- phone must be tight against your lips to avoid wind inter- ference and until you get used to this, transmissions may be garbled. The speaker must learn to maintain a constant piely. ore - gh ee eR SL RR tape