Ray's Camper Stuff
Page 7
Electronic Stuff
A lot of stuff has been done in the category. The items are:
1.Wireless Verizon EVDO Internet access with wifi
2. DIRECTV with Tivo
3. AM-FM CD Upgrade with DVD Player and XM Radio
Internet Access
Starting with the internet. I acquired the following from the 3g Store
Linksys 3g EVDO/wireless router
a 802.11 external high gain antenna
I mounted the Cell antenna to a 28 ft telescoping painters pole (Yellow pole) This allows the Cell antenna to be raised to over 30 feet in the air as need to gain a better signal.
I then mounted the pole antenna assy to a piece of plywood
the plywood was cut to the length of the open roof. This allowed the mount board to be held in place by the roof latch. The white antenna is the 802.11 wifi high gain antenna. This allows the internet access to be broadcast thorough out the camp. The range is around 2000 ft +- depending on the receiving unit.
The cell antenna hooks up to a Wilson 3 watt Cell amp
This amp is bi lateral, so it amplifies outgoing and incoming. This is needed for remote locations.
The output of this amp hooks up to the PC5750 pc card that is in the router
This setup works really well. on my last use in Bruneau Idaho
We were able to broadcast wifi access to the campground with speeds of 1.2 to 1.5 mps down and 300 to 600 kps up if you are in a EVDO area. If in a national access area, speeds varies but is usually 2 to 3 times faster than dialup. (70 to 160 kps) Not bad for a cell device. In the past we used rented Satellite equipment with speeds of 128 to 400 kps down 75 kps up. What a big difference in speeds.
Total cost of the mod was around $600 usd to setup. the service cost $59.95 a month.
When I'm not using it camping, the setup stays in the car. I use it for mobile access when working.
DIRECTV ACCESS
I have a hard time getting my wife to go if she has to misses Regis or her HGTV shows. So this meant i had to install her DIRECTV.
To start, this is what I did:
I went to each of the four corners and drilled mounting holes for the pole mount.
I installed bolts in the holes permanently so to make it easier to mount up.
By doing this I can mount the antenna at any of the four corners of the trailer to see the southern sky. The TV i use in my astronomy, so it stays in the trailer, The DIRECTV Tivo unit, i pull out of the house as needed. Works really good. It's kinda nice to have local TV at times when you out and about
AM-FM CD upgrade
with DVD and XM Radio
One of the first things I did when I got the trailer was to swap out the radio and to add a DVD Player. I started out looking for combo units but they were costing up to a grand in price. So i went with a Voyager Radio and a Flexvision DVD Player. Total cost for the 2 was around $150 on Ebay. After obtaining the units I removed the old one and made a new face out of oak to hide the old holes.
The install was real easy to do. Just take the old one out and swap the wires over. The video / audio from the DVD i stubbed up in the corner cabinet where the TV sits.
The XM part of it was also easy. I acquired a Pioneer Inno mp3/xm player, and I mounted it between the thermostat and the propane leak det. The unit stores 50 or so hours of mp3 or xm music and is also portable. So when I ride my bike I got music to go. It also as a built in modulator. When the unit is docked. it broadcasts on the channel of choice. I set mine for 95.5. Cost of the unit from XM was around $250.
