Horizon Herald - Sept/Oct '00
New Horizons Owners Newsletter
Volume 2 Number 5 -
September/October 2000
Bringing together New Horizons™
owners for sharing and fellowship
Published bi-monthly
Editors: Don and Helen
McAnally
PMB 11431
214 Rainbow Drive Livingston, Texas 77399-2014
email: horizonltr@aol.com
Contents
The
Wireless Internet Revolution
Notes from the Editors
Rally time again. We look forward to seeing many of you in just a few weeks. Should be a good rally. And this time I (Helen) will be on my feet and able to move around and visit, instead of that wheel chair and crutches.
Ernie & Sheryl Pica reported a rig count of 54 as of Sept. 5, with more sign-ups and inquiries coming in. Looks like 60 or more. To contact Ernie & Sheryl: ebony@networksplus.net
We trust that all of you have had a good year enjoying your NH trailers. Our summer in Beautiful Colorado has been somewhat restricted as Don developed Shingles early in July and hasn’t felt much like exploring. He’s much better but still suffering from nerve end sensistivity. Miserable disease!
We had trouble putting the newsletter together this time. We had fewer contributions than usual, so were hard put to fill the space—see Page 4. We welcome all contributions, from small tidbits to full articles. Don’t be shy about sharing with us as that is what the newsletter is all about. We love hearing from you and the other readers will, also.
Bob Voelcker wrote an excellent article about the upcoming changes in communication. Many thanks to Bob for his lucid explanation of a complex subject.
And we included excerpts from LIGHT RAYS, Stories from the Pages of the San Antonio Light (1881—1883) by Karen Ballentine, San Antonio, Texas, who says the stories were “joyfully rescued from miles of microfilms.” We appreciate her giving us permisssion to use some of the writings. They provide a true, poignant, humorous, and sometimes tragic portrait of life in Texas 120 years ago. We’ll have more from the Light in future issues.
Some readers have suggested an e-mail directory. It would include only those who want to be listed. We’ll float this idea at the rally to determine interest. (Don & Helen McAnally)
The Wireless Internet Revolution
For the RV traveler, especially the Snowbird and full-timer, communications can sometimes present a challenge. We've all patiently waited in line at the campground payphone and many of us have hurriedly downloaded our e-mail, using the campground office's business or fax line.
And when it comes to accessing the Internet, things can really get grim. If the campground has a nice private area, with a phone line connection for your modem, your time is still often limited by campground rules or excessive line or time charges. I've seen rates running up to a dollar a minute.
For many of us, Internet access has been a blessing. With it we can plan our travels, make reservations, and get a preview of places we will be visiting. We can e-mail friends and relatives and link them to web sites of campgrounds, parks, or areas we are staying at.
For example, as I write this, I am now in Wisconsin, near the town of Hayward (www.haywardlakes.com), camping on the Chippewa Flowage (www.chippewaflowage.com ), at the Lake Chippewa Campground (www.lakechip.com ). As they read the e-mail, they can click on the URL address and go right to the opening page. (This may not work for AOL subscribers.)
The problem for RVers, and people living in remote areas, is Internet service availability and an available telephone line. It's just not economically feasible to offer high tech services in areas of low population density; or to the mobile consumer because of the need for a land line connection. But, that is all about to change - say "hello" to the satellite connection.
Downloading web pages from a satellite is nothing new. Direct TV has been offering this possibility through their DirecPC service for several months now. But there is one shortcoming for many users, such as mobile RVers. You need a telephone line to connect your computer to the service and request the web sites you wish to look at. A two-way wireless connection has not been possible for the mass market, even though it has been available to businesses who are fix-based and can afford the high-priced equipment and monthly charges,
Hopefully, that will all change by the end of this year. Gilat Satellite Networks, Echostar (Dish TV), and Microsoft have announced a partnership that will offer 2-way wireless access to the Internet. For now, they are calling it GTH (Gilat-To-Home). This system has been in the testing stage for some time now, and the results look very good.
The key player in this system is Gilat, an Israeli-based company that supplies satellite-based end-to-end networking and rural telephony throughout six continents. Gilat, Echostar and Microsoft will get a jump start on the competition because the GTH "birds" (satellites) are already in place. Several other ventures are scrambling to get their systems to the market - but they still have to launch satellites.
When the GTH service is ready for the market, you will need some new equipment to utilize it. First, there is the satellite dish itself. It will be about twice the size of present dishes, measuring about 36" by 24". Two cables (send and receive) will connect the dish to a pre-configured personal computer (PC) in your RV/home. The PC will contain special transmitter and receiver cards. In the near future, GTH will offer an external modem option which will contain these cards and can be plugged into your existing PC, provided you have a USB (Universal Serial Buss) port. Connection speeds on the upload side (requesting information) will be similar to that of a 56K modem. Download speed (receiving information) will be about 10 times faster. Of course, your satellite dish can also be used to bring in TV programming signals, through a separate cable, connected to your satellite receiver and TV.
This technology has it pluses and minuses. An obvious minus is the cost of new equipment. Gilat and Dish Network are saying that it will be competitive with other high-speed-access technologies (Broadband). I believe this service will try to get a big head-start on the competition, which may mean some interesting price packages. According to GTH, its service will be offered through Microsoft, Dish Network and Radio Shack's national chain of stores. The first pricing information may appear on Dish Network's Charlie Chat show (channel 100) in October. A third possible minus may be where you are located, at any given time. You need a clear line of sight to the satellite. Heavy foliage, really bad weather, buildings or other obstructions will shut you down. But it's not as bad as it may seem. In the year that I've been using the Dish TV service, I've been "skunked" only a couple of times. Even in heavily treed campgrounds you can often find a "window" in the foliage to locate your satellite. And most campground owners and hosts will allow you to look for a satellite friendly site, especially if you're going to be staying for a while. With my compass and signal strength meter, I can usually "set up and home in" within 15 minutes.
There are two big pluses with this service. The first is that you are connected to the Internet 24 hours a day. As long as you have your computer turned on, you have instant access - there is no need to sign in, and no passwords to bother with. Whether you use the system 10 minutes or 10 hours a day, your subscription cost remains the same. Of course, for RVers, the big plus is no telephone line. Just set up your dish, aim it, and enjoy.
Gilat-To-Home will not be without competition, however. Even now, big plans are in the works for this lucrative market. For instance, iSKY, out of Denver is planning to have satellites launched and internet ready by the end of 2001. For a really different approach, Sky Station International plans to launch 250 lighter-than-air "platforms" into the stratosphere. The platforms, measuring about 200 by 500 feet, will carry telecommunications payloads with broadband Internet service. The target date, for start-up, is 2002.
Of course, all this satellite communications and Internet access technology will have its price. But, as Uncle Louie would say, "If you wanna dance, you have ta pay the band." Hopefully, the mobile RVer will come out the winner, as we cut the cord and get connected.
For more information on these and other satellite/internet/communication ventures, check these web sites:
http://www.gilat2home.com
http://www.isky.net
http://www.skystation.com
http://www.direcpc.com
http://www.teligent.com
http://www.teledesic.com
Keep an eye on the last one (Teledesic). They plan to cover 95% of Earth's landmass, offer internet download speeds of 64 megabits per second and include voice communications. Their target date is in 2004.
(Robert F. Voelcker)
Your Turn
Comments, ideas, questions, about most anything.
Our NH delivery date is March,
200l. Last April we met some NH owners at an Escapee Escapade. They happily
showed us their trailers. Great to talk to owners, and hear how much they love
their NH.
We recently purchased a used NH
from the original owners. Really happy with it so far.
We’re the proud owners of a NH
35’ 5W. See you at the rally.
We heard about the newsletter
from some new owners. Sign us up!
We got our NH in 1996 and started
full-timing; been in 49 states.
Started dreaming, researching
about four years ago. Got list of best brands from Internet. NH at top of list.
Found a used NH only eight miles from my home, and bought it. Serendipity? Plan
to be at the rally.
Actual Newspaper Headlines:
Two Convicts Evade Noose, Jury Hung
Stiff Opposition Expected to Casketless Funeral Plan
(Ed. note) We need your short items, experiences, humor, for this column. Please send them in.
Tips, Notes & Helpful Hints
Coffee Pot Safety
After you have secured the pot by running the electric cord through the handle and tying it back to itself, place it in a plastic dishpan in your sink.. I lost 3 or 4 pots before I started doing this. ( Roberta Rosseau)
Checking for Leaks
A wet spot appeared in our carpet just in front of the step to the
bathroom/bedroom. We checked the ceiling but no drip. And the spot didn’t dry
up—it kept getting bigger. I looked in the bathroom and finally found water on
the floor in back of the toilet. The water had leaked into the basement and was
slowly making its way to the rear of the trailer. We turned off the water at
the cut-off valve and filled a gallon jug to flush with. A call to Thetford, and
after I described what had happened, they sent a water valve. After about 5
hours of tussling with the toilet (I’m really handy!) the replacement valve was
in place. No more leaks.
Lesson learned: just because there’s no water on the floor in the front of the
toilet doesn’t mean there isn’t a leak. Check frequently in the back and on the
sides—such precautions may save your carpet or stuff in the basement. (Don
McAnally)
Light Rays
From the pages of the San Antonio Light. (1881) Compiled by Karen Ballentine.
The circulation of the LIGHT is 1015 and increasing 10-15 per day.
Grass grows greenest over the grave of the man who always subscribed to and paid for his home newspaper.
Railroad fares are set at three cents a mile by the legislature.
Much complaint is made of people coming in late at the theatre, also the squeaking of the usher’s new shoes.
The cow ordinance and the ten commandments are enforced by the city authorities about alike.
Are you dead? If so, remember that Phil Dei’s stock of coffins and burial cases is complete, and your particular taste can be satisfied.
People have quit dying and Phil Dei is hauling baggage in his undertaker wagon.
Bob Ingersoll traces his atheism to the drinking of boarding house coffee.
A subscription is started for a purse of $100 for the extermination of chicken thieves. One-half of the above amount is to be given to any person who wounds and captures the first chicken thief; and the full amount to the person who kills the thief.
Mr. Rohmer, on his return home last evening, heard an alarm in the coop and discovered a chicken thief in the shape of a pet raccoon. The reward we are getting up for the detection of chicken thieves doesn’t cover this kind of animal.
Measles are epidemic in Waco—about five people a day are dying.
The new version of the Bible has abollished hell, and the scare is over.
Potpourri
Backing the Trailer
We’ve had another comment from a new owner describing problems in backing the trailer. I can empathize; sometimes it slides in nicely, but other times gremlins (or nerves) harass and hinder, and it takes forever. Maybe we should have a backing class, including practice, at our next rally? We must have a lot of experienced, and confident trailer handlers in our group. Any volunteers for Backing Instructors? (Don McAnally)
(Ed. Note): As you can see, we had only one contribution for the Tips & Potpourri sections. We hope you’re feeling guilty. Send them in!