broadband internet while riding?

Does anyone know of a means to achieve mobile broadband access to the net. I can get sufficient
power storage from a dynamo system no problem but I guess I'll need some sought of satellite
connection. Whats the coverage like out there in the woods? I want access to internet while riding
round australia. I'm studying a masters degree online and need to get net savvy to get a job
eventually. Also, I can download information as I go about my surroundinsg. I know of one website
that takes a postcode and retrieves all the native flora/fauna to that code, even bushtucker
information particular to the area. As one might imagine, such mobile facility has awesome
potential, finding out where the fish are, what bait to use, all of this at your fingertips.

 

It's a peice of cake. Down here in Australia we are very Web savvy. In the cities of course you can use normal or mobile phones to access this new Internet thingy that you are talking about.
Out in the bush, it's a bit more difficult but still possible. Our National Parks people have wired a special mob of kangaroos. All you have to do is flag one down and gently put your hand into its pouch to find the little connector that you can plug your phone into. All very high tech but capitalising on the Kangaroos' natural inquisitive nature. Just a word of warning though - make sure that you warm your hands first before you delve into a kangaroo's pouch.

 

On Tue, 03 Jun 2003 22:16:26 -0700, Midex wrote:

> Does anyone know of a means to achieve mobile broadband access to the net. I can get sufficient
> power storage from a dynamo system no problem but I guess I'll need some sought of satellite
> connection. Whats the coverage like out there in the woods? I want access to internet while riding
> round australia. I'm studying a masters degree online and need to get net savvy to get a job
> eventually. Also, I can download information as I go about my surroundinsg. I know of one website
> that takes a postcode and retrieves all the native flora/fauna to that code, even bushtucker
> information particular to the area. As one might imagine, such mobile facility has awesome
> potential, finding out where the fish are, what bait to use, all of this at your fingertips.

Satellite is theoretically possible - but don't forget to carry a 60cm - 2m dish, and be ready to
position it every time you want to use it. And then you also need a decoder card - not usually an
option in your average laptop.

GPRS might be a more useful options, but apart from being frightfully expensive, (and correct me if
I'm wrong) would only be available in towns of > 1000 people, if much at all.

There must also be some sort of satellite telephone options, but this I know nothing about.

Most major towns would have an internet cafe though.

cheers, -kt

 

no offense...but it ain't going to happen. You will not be able to get a broadband connection while
travelling around Australia.

There have been several suggestions, but none will work:

(1) Wireless broadband.
a) IEEE 802.11
- Only available at a very few airports (IE Sydney), and a few internet cafes and
"hotspots".
b) GPRS
- Telstra's service runs up to 144kbps (Thats about twice as fast as your
56kbps modem)
- That is not broadband.
- It is only available at GPRS enabled mobile base stations. You will be lucky to
get a consitent GPRS connection while riding around Sydney, let alone 99.99% of
the rest of Australia.
- Ain't going to happen.
c) Satellite
- You need to carry a 1m dish and know how to realign it.
- You won't find an ISP who will hook you up to travel.
- You still need a return path. This means a phone line or mobile coverage
(see below)
- It ain't going to happen.

(2) Fixed Point Broadband connections.
a) These are things like internet cafes, and people's homes. Available in towns that cater
to the tourist market. I would not bet your masters degree on the hope that the next town
you visit, at only 600km away, will have an internet cafe.

(3) Mobile Phone connections (CDMA or Digital)
a) Not broadband.
b) Only available in an area with mobile phone coverage.
c) Coverage is good in large towns and cities.
d) Coverage is workable on MAJOR highways.
e) Coverage is sparse in most towns in Australia.
f) Coverage is non-existant on non-major highways and roads. Check out:
http://telstrawholesale.com/products/p_ml_cd.htm for maps of mobile coverage.

Let me put this simply....You can not get wireless broadband while traveling around our country.
Forget your dynamo, cause the only places you will be able to get a broadband connection will be in
large towns and cities...and there will be plenty of power around.

The ONLY way you will even get a constant connection is if you have a Satellite PHONE. And this is
hardly broadband.

The facts won't change no matter how many times you post the question, nor how much money you
through at the problem!

Forget the idea of going around Australia with a broadband connection. Consider connecting at
Internet Cafes in major towns.

If you really need to be able to connect from everywhere, and can handle it being very slow (and I'm
talking about 9.6kbps...or max 1kilobyte per second) and expensive, consider a Satellite Phone.

You Have Bucklies chance, about as much as the pope turning baptist, and to us it sounds like you
have a few roos loose in the top paddock, or at the very least you are one short of a six pack.

Mike

Midex wrote:
> Does anyone know of a means to achieve mobile broadband access to the net. I can get sufficient
> power storage from a dynamo system no problem but I guess I'll need some sought of satellite
> connection. Whats the coverage like out there in the woods? I want access to internet while riding
> round australia. I'm studying a masters degree online and need to get net savvy to get a job
> eventually. Also, I can download information as I go about my surroundinsg. I know of one website
> that takes a postcode and retrieves all the native flora/fauna to that code, even bushtucker
> information particular to the area. As one might imagine, such mobile facility has awesome
> potential, finding out where the fish are, what bait to use, all of this at your fingertips.

 

> (1) Wireless broadband
> (2) Fixed Point Broadband connections
> (3) Mobile Phone connections

OT for the broadband question, but probably still relevant for anyone going bike touring:

I wonder...if the old-style 'acoustic' modems would still work today, allowing you to just
rock-on-up to any nearby payphone in the middle of nowhere, and then do a (long-distance) dial-up.
(For me, using UUCP, with calls ~20 seconds, it'd be practical.)

The acoustic-coupler modems were never very reliable even in the days of 300-1200cps, and Telstra
have a nasty habit of compressing the hell out of outback phones so that modem DSPs can never manage
more than 4800bps.

(I guess I just answered my own question...)
--
Chris,,

 

Chris Baird wrote:

...snip....

> The acoustic-coupler modems were never very reliable even in the days of 300-1200cps, and Telstra
> have a nasty habit of compressing the hell out of outback phones so that modem DSPs can never
> manage more than 4800bps.

That is the whole point. The acoustic coupler allows you an internet connection (at STD rates) at
any telephone (depends on handset). So long as you are prepared to live in a text world, it is very
adequate for staying in touch, dealing with email, etc. Part of the equation is defining exactly
what you need.

for GUI, there is internet cafes.

--
Terry Collins {}}} email: terryc at woa.com.au www: http://www.woa.com.au Wombat Outdoor
Adventures <Bicycles, Computers, GIS, Printing,
Publishing>

"People without trees are like fish without clean water"

 

"Mike Doyle" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> (3) Mobile Phone connections (CDMA or Digital)
> a) Not broadband.
> b) Only available in an area with mobile phone coverage.
> c) Coverage is good in large towns and cities.
> d) Coverage is workable on MAJOR highways.
> e) Coverage is sparse in most towns in Australia.
> f) Coverage is non-existant on non-major highways and roads. Check out:
> http://telstrawholesale.com/products/p_ml_cd.htm for maps of mobile coverage.

For CDMA, data coverage is the same as voice coverage. For GSM, data coverage is more restricted.
Check the maps. I've used CDMA circuit switched data to retrieve mail. You want an email client that
can be configured to not download large messages. It may max at 14.4kbit/s, but expect to get half
that in reality. http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/products/wireless/mobileinternet.htm Off peak it
works out at $10 per hour, so you don't hang around online.