Communication devices used in my GMC as of August 14, 1999.

Voice:

Nokia 6160 with AT&T Coverage has been good and with their one-rate plan cost have been reasonable to me. Especially when comparing to earlier cellular plans.

Data:

Wireless CDPD and MobiTex cards in Laptop and handheld(s). This service is via GoAmerica and while coverage is not great yet service is good when the coverage is available. CDPD is the best of the 2 and allows me to be "on the network" as if I'm at my desk, just a little slower. Since signing up with GoAmerica I've not used my cellular phone for data. I have in the past with very dissapointing and expensive results. Modem via cellular is not quite there. Once digital modems become available it'll probably be a different story.

The exception has been during my current travels in Northern BC. AT&T lacks roaming agreements in the remote areas and temporary sign-ons are expensive. Worthy of note though, in case of a real emergency... communications are still available. While in these remote locations and actually while communicating north of the 49th parallel I've reverted back to an analog cellphone that I have a PC Card modem and cellular cable for and it's been working sufficiently well for email, actually quite well. Seems the Canadian cellular networks are currently much more modem friendly than most networks in the US. Perhaps it's because in Canada there are really only 2 networks versus the gazillion little cellular pockets one encounters travelling across the US.

The Rig itself:

The backbone/core of my computing setup is a 10baseT network. Connected is a Pentium II with 3 EIDE hard disks installed and 2 slide-outs connected to an Adaptec SCSI card. It also contains DVD and RW CDROM drives, an LS120 and stock 3.5 floppy. Workstuff is usuall SCO UNIX and/or Linux and playstuff such as Engine Monitor, GPS's, etc. is Win98.

I use one disk for travel and one for at home, changing the boot drive in the CMOS as necessary to get my desired effect. The computer (P2) is connected to a 4-way box that allows 4 screen, keyboards, mice, etc. I use 2 Apple Studio displays as they double as TV monitor, running off the ceiling mounted VCR.

Also connected to the backbone is a WebRamp 300 which acts as a 4-port hub and gateway to the internet when landline is available. Dial-up is via a 56k US Robotics Courier modem. The best part of the backbone is a wireless access point that allows me to connect to laptop, handheld and also other 'fixed' networks without the hassle of wires. Range varies, but is between 100-500 feet. In the laptop/handheld it's a PC card with built-in antenna. It makes for easy/lazy sitting by the campfire and still getting some work done :-)

When on a customer site or at home I use the wireless to connect The Bus to the rest of the world permanently... while there.

My laptop is an NEC Versa 6230. I also use an HP820 and HP620 handheld. Within CDPD coverage it's the HP820 that is dedicated to email and webstuff in general. That setup allows me to take it with me as needed. I also use a Palm Pilot but it's being replaced by a Casio E105. I'm finding that the monochrome screens are harder and harder for me to read. Color screens are much, much easier to see in various lighting conditions. The only exception would be in bright daylight, then the monochrome LCD screens are better. Unfortunately I don't find myself in bright sunlight that often, hence the swing to color.

The Nokia cellphone lives in the hands-free cradle of the car kit most of the time. I like its ease of removal so that when I do leave the Bus it's easy to take along. I also have 2 handsets connected, one being right up on the left ledge by the driver and the other in the rear bedroom area. Front or rear handset is selected by an A/B switch. This allows continued connection to the external antenna and makes usage much easier when hands-free is unsatisfactory.

There is additional stuff about the people 'puter elsewhere on this website but if you have specific questions please ask away either by gmcnet or direct email, your choice.

Heinz
heinz@bytedesigns.com