OT -- Email in the Boonies

What country? What state (if in the US)?

How will he get electricity? (Solar? Wind? 12V from car? Electrical hook-up available?)

Would this work? (He would need a laptop, and a power source to power it with...)

How do the new satellite services work? Do they still require a phone line?

Satellite internet is available. True bidirectional internet is moderately expensive. Here, it's about 4 times that of ADSL, but with a 600 pound (IIRC) setup cost. You may need a phone line to set it up, but you can set it up then move it. (as long as you are still in satellite coverage.)

As already mentioned, Satellite is a definite option and, now, is available from several sources.

Another option - albeit far slower via an Analog connection - is the use of a cell phone with either a data cable or a cell modem.

The "catch" to this is that not all cell phones have both Analog capabilities AND either a data cable or a cell modem available.

I always get irritated when folks don't include such details -- then I forget them myself.

US. Oregon. Douglas County. I'd say "the mountainous part thereof", but _all_ of Douglas County is mountains of one size or another.

He's on a 100 or so watt solar panel. Not on the electric grid -- same $$$ issue as phone lines.

Your suggestion is exactly my first choice -- except that as of a couple of years ago he couldn't reach a digital cell tower from his place. That may have changed, or he may be able to put an antenna up a honking big tower -- but that still requires that there be a tower somewhere close, and within whatever absolute distance restrictions the cell protocols place on phones.

Hello Tim,

If legal in that area or country: He could set up a web access at a friend's cabin that has phone, then rig up a directional WLAN connection. I have read about people doing that and cover several kilometers depending on terrain but it may not be legal in some places. Also, it probably requires to be unafraid of altitude when mounting an antenna high up on a tower or tree. But for a dial-up connection WLAN is overkill.

Then there are the lower ISM bands like 13.56MHz and so on. Again, it'll depend on legality but in the boonies it is very unlikely that there is too much noise on those. Some of the lower bands are a few ten kHz wide.

Somehow the analog cell phone looks like the easiest alternative, at least for the occasional email.

Regards, Joerg

martin

Have him look into 'fixed wireless broadband'. One provider is

of these outfits are pretty active in areas where the wired broadband folks haven't stepped in yet due to infrastructure (i.e. stringing cable) costs.

Tim

A buried fiber optic link would go in easily. Unless the digging is a big issue. There are trenchers/diggers that do the digging, put the line in and back fill as they go along. He would put in a loop at various intervals and be able to sell the service to others to recoup his investment. And not be the first or last to do this. Bringing in some DC with the fiber is possible also. To power things.

Bob AZ

Wow... really expensive. (At least to me.)

To Tim Wescott: can't he just move to Eugene, OR (or lease an office there), if he wants to run a business anyway?

They sometimes have specials here in the US where they give away the satellite equipment when you sign a contract for the service, just like they do with satellite TV service. Call and ask about such deals and a salesman;) will find you one, or come close to it?

Ain't that what salesmen are for? ;)

Alvin in AZ

He's moving _out_ of Eugene.

I have a brother-in-law in rural Arizona who has this problem as well. He believes there is a satellite/Blackberry solution, don't know the details.

GWE

For the price of half a tank of gas, he might be able to ride back to Eugene and check email from a library... ;)

Why's he leaving Eugene, just curious? And what kind of business is he planning on running from the mountainside? (big cheesy grin)

Yeah, we all want to know how to live off-grid on a mountain and still make a living

He's leaving Eugene because it's so dang populous. And he builds high-end bicycles, as well as maintaining and repairing them.

And no, he's not going to run _that_ sort of business, because doing so generally results in getting shot by someone or another. If you're out in the woods and you see that particular kind of plant the best thing you can do is casually get the hell out of there, without looking like you're getting the hell out of there.

Years ago Bob Cringely wrote about wanting to get hi-speed internet access at his mountaintop home in California. He was just a few miles from where the TV cable ended, and too far from a switching office for DSL to be an option.

Being on top of the mountain, he was able to spy (via telescope) a downhill neighbor who obviously had cable TV. He figured out where the guy lived and offered to buy him high speed internet access if Bob could install a special antenna that pointed up the hill to his house. Poke around his archives for the article:

I hear you can get several miles of range (line-o-site) using 802.11 and surplus satellite dishes. Probably not real reliable in heavy rain or snow (which in Douglas County will probably happen for about 6 months out of the year :-) ).

Mark

If he has line of sight to somewhere with phone service, and can make a deal with the owners of that somewhere, then he can use a radio link to go the "last mile". Lots of options here for example

We have a link that transmits DSL about 12 miles. Only a few feet of copper involved at the bottom end, so we get the best speed available.

Two-way satellite is real popular with off-gridders. Lots of heat from the modems though, so check the energy use is sustainable. Generally about 500 bucks up front and 60 a month.

Wayne

If he has power (of some sort) - and a southern sky - there is bi-directional internet via small dish. Being advertised taken over by Hughes lately.

Martin

Martin Eastburn @ home at Lions' Lair with our computer lionslair at consolidated dot net NRA LOH & Endowment Member NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder IHMSA and NRA Metallic Silhouette maker & member

Tim Wescott wrote: