I agree, good advice.
Caveat Emptor where wireless telcom is involved.
Most cell providers will start to get more with it now that PCS is at the
door in the form of competition.
I never heard of charges for no connections or busy!
Many of the new PCS (personal communication service) carriers give you the
first minute free, and we're starting to see those plans move to analog
cellular.
No matter how you slice it though, an Internet connection can be lengthy.
To keep it affordable on a wireless basis, think along the lines of the
water conservation you do in the coach if you dry camp.
Get connected, get your mail, get off.
Write your reply off line, get connected, transmit and get off.
Web browsing is too slow, so that rules out stuff like hotmail or other
graphic based mail programs.
I've recently had good luck with Outlook 98, which follows the dial,
connect, get off model if you set it up that way.
Mark
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-gmcmotorhome
> [mailto
wner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of Chuck Botts
> Sent: Monday, October 05, 1998 10:50 AM
> To: gmcmotorhome
> Subject: GMC: Cell phones & internet
>
>
> The internet is very time consuming using a telephone modem. Cell phones
> are expensive per minute. I had to use that combination to keep in contact
> with a job while I was traveling. I only downloaded and uploaded e-mail
> messages every other day. Average cost = $230/mo two years ago. I found
> that a lot of the charge time was dialing and re dialing to get connected.
> That may have changed now, but a lot of my local internet connections were
> busy. On our cell phone contract, we pay for that time on line when you
> start the call, not after the person at the other end receives it. We paid
> for all busy signals.
>
> I transferred over to using the Family motor coaching message
> center, which
> is free for 31 calls/mo with membership. Longer messages were much cheaper
> on either cell phone directly or station long distance at the campsite.
>
> Today, I connect to the local phone hard line system at the
> campsite to use
> the internet. Since I have a portable, that part is easy. Not all
> campsites
> are internet ready so access is limited.
>
> I would recommend that you estimate your internet time and figure how much
> it will cost you before you invest in a cell system.
>
Caveat Emptor where wireless telcom is involved.
Most cell providers will start to get more with it now that PCS is at the
door in the form of competition.
I never heard of charges for no connections or busy!
Many of the new PCS (personal communication service) carriers give you the
first minute free, and we're starting to see those plans move to analog
cellular.
No matter how you slice it though, an Internet connection can be lengthy.
To keep it affordable on a wireless basis, think along the lines of the
water conservation you do in the coach if you dry camp.
Get connected, get your mail, get off.
Write your reply off line, get connected, transmit and get off.
Web browsing is too slow, so that rules out stuff like hotmail or other
graphic based mail programs.
I've recently had good luck with Outlook 98, which follows the dial,
connect, get off model if you set it up that way.
Mark
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-gmcmotorhome
> [mailto
wner-gmcmotorhome]On Behalf Of Chuck Botts> Sent: Monday, October 05, 1998 10:50 AM
> To: gmcmotorhome
> Subject: GMC: Cell phones & internet
>
>
> The internet is very time consuming using a telephone modem. Cell phones
> are expensive per minute. I had to use that combination to keep in contact
> with a job while I was traveling. I only downloaded and uploaded e-mail
> messages every other day. Average cost = $230/mo two years ago. I found
> that a lot of the charge time was dialing and re dialing to get connected.
> That may have changed now, but a lot of my local internet connections were
> busy. On our cell phone contract, we pay for that time on line when you
> start the call, not after the person at the other end receives it. We paid
> for all busy signals.
>
> I transferred over to using the Family motor coaching message
> center, which
> is free for 31 calls/mo with membership. Longer messages were much cheaper
> on either cell phone directly or station long distance at the campsite.
>
> Today, I connect to the local phone hard line system at the
> campsite to use
> the internet. Since I have a portable, that part is easy. Not all
> campsites
> are internet ready so access is limited.
>
> I would recommend that you estimate your internet time and figure how much
> it will cost you before you invest in a cell system.
>
