Touring with the Internet
Do you miss using the Internet when touring? Do you suffer from Internet withdrawal symptoms when touring? Fret no longer. The solution is here. You will however require a BOB trailer for this.
However due to lack of room in the trailer, you will have to jettision the stove and tent. This can lead to other problems, but who needs food and shelter when you have the Internet?
In the picture below you will see the BicycleWA laptop wired to a very large dish for sending and receiving. Using it is simple. Wait for a very dark night and look for a satellite in Australia's clear night time sky. You point the dish in the general direction of the satellite and move it slightly until the signal strength is strong. You then have Internet access and can satisfy your Internet fix.
The laptop and dish.
If you can remember the general direction of the satellite, you can use this rig during the day by waving the dish around until the signal is strong.
We did however find there was one slight problem with this setup. We did not have much room for luggage in the BOB trailer, so the tent and cooking equipment had to be jettisioned. But who needs food and shelter when you have the Internet?
The other minor problem I found after testing this while on my last tour, was that the laptop battery only lasted for about an hour. Unfortunately because I had left the tent behind due to lack of room in the trailer, I had no powerpoint to plug the laptop into for a recharge as the only powerpoint I carry with me on tour is in the tent.
