[ale] Misc ramblings of a diseased mind

[Robert Reese]

Hello tom,

Tuesday, July 21, 2009, 11:51:17 AM, you wrote:

> Due to vehicle size, there were a couple of times when we needed to convoy
> rather than ride the same bus. While cell phones have some use here, 
> answering the "Is anybody as hungry as I am?" type questions, lets face
> the fact that they are expensive to use for much longer conversations 
> while traveling,

Not so anymore; roaming is for dinosaurs and buffalo now.  Forget expensive 'Nationwide' plans and opt for the UNLIMITED EVERYTHING for $50 and no contract cellphone plans.  Sprint has the best deal going on right now, IMO, which includes the unlimited nationwide Walkie-Talkie service along the unlimited nationwide minutes all for $50.  Keep in mind, too, that Sprint concentrated on providing service along all the interstates and major freeways and highways.  When my wife and I drove from Cartersville to south of Dallas TX, we lost service for just 20 minutes just one time.  That was nearly five years ago.  BTW, you can get a Sprint phone with the Walkie-Talkie, text, etc. for $49+tax and they come with a $5 credit.

Since there is no contract, you can get the phone for $49+tax and get a month's service for $45 (which includes all the taxes and fees).  After the first month, cancel the service and throw the phone and its charger in your glove box.  It will always be able to dial 911 if it has battery regardless of its status of service and as long as you are in range of a Sprint cell tower.

If you decide to use it later, just sign up for the $50/mo. unlimited plan OR buy some minutes cards, or just call the service and give them your credit card and tell them how many minutes you want.

Don't call Sprint and ask about it.  Their subsidiary Boost Mobile is the one to call.  You can buy Boost phones just about anywhere, too.



> increase the risk of accident for their management when
> there is a single person in the car

The same risk as using ANY communication device.


>, and are not really a general 
> solution despite being in almost every pocket/pocketbook around.

Why do you say that?  Speed dial is a wonderful thing, everyone has a phone, and knows how to use them.


> I have
> seen a hacks book suggest setting up a two car communications system with
> laptops and ad hoc settings on the wireless setups, but I don't think that
> the setup would scale at all well to a three or four vehicle convoy of
> family/friends/what have you. At least the hardware would be frequently
> available.

You spoke above about risks.... I love my laptop too much.


> With a family reunion coming up in December, having a nice multi-vehicle
> convoy voice-com system with moderate range, decient privacy settings,
> and ease of use, would be an interesting item to have.

Did I mention that the cellphones are private?  So is the Walkie-Talkie function on the Boost phone.


> First one would be something setup with an Arduino type controller using
> XBEE mesh networking type connections. Of course, I'm in over my head at
> this point, and would probably need to hire somebody to design and 
> implement if I _needed_ it. Or turn it over to the general public (like
> ALE) and see if anything turned up if I don't _need_. It's an idea but
> poorly concieved at the moment.

Sounds like fun, but also sounds lengthy, complicated, expensive, and illegal without FCC approval.


> Second would be to do mesh networking with Linux and VOIP technology. Put
> things on a thumb drive, tell people to bring lappies and possibly USB
> style networking equipment, and go nuts. 'Course I don't know much of 
> anything about getting mesh networking going, and even less about things
> like security and range so...

Risks, anyone?  Lonely driver + laptop? :D


> Off the top of my head, I suspect I'd like to shoot for the ability to
> have ranges of near a mile over the highway between any two vehicles, 
> automatic reconnection, voice level bandwidths with a little extra for
> comfort or expansion, encrypted links for privacy since this isn't CB, and
> the ability to automatically scale up to multiple (shoot for 20?) 
> vehicles.
 

How about going LOW-TECH.  I'm talkin' 1970's Low Tech!  YES, I *AM* recommending CB.

Last I saw, CB's were around $50 in Radio Shack, and the antennas were around $20.  There are also hand-held ones as well.  The cost is roughly the same, or lower even, then getting a Sprint/Boost phone.  The installation is a real pain in comparison to getting a Sprint/Boost phone, however.

If you want a more permanent and higher quality, drop into any TA truck stop and take a gander at any of the nice Cobras they have for sale. It will cost a couple hundred to a few hundred, however.  But if you are going to drop that kind of coin, you might as well go ahead and get a professional permanent installation and antennae.

IIRC, there were some custom two-way mikes or radios that offered encrypted (scrambled?) conversations should the need arise, but I don't know if they still exist.  (I remember some really nice Cobras that had an A/B switch to  split the channels.)  Also, there may still be some tweakers out there that will tweak the CB to use in-between or OOB channels.  Not really legal, but you probably won't find the FCC putting an APB out on you because you inadvertently stepped on a classified (or worse) frequency.

[FYI, I just did a Google search, and there are some CBs out there with encryption / scrambling capabilities]

For distance, you can also use a linear amplifier.  Also illegal and ticks off other users, especially when you're bleeding across all 40 channels.  But the distance increase is really nice.  Amps, back in the day, were a buck a watt when you could find them.  OTOH, since so few people use them these days, you'll probably find lots of quiet channels and long distance capabilities due to the lack of traffic.  (And pretty private due to the same).

An advantage of this setup is they are relatively inexpensive, easy to operate (and fun as all get out), and legal (this is exactly the purpose of the Citizen's Band).  Also, a lot of trucks and road warriors still have them so if you find yourself in an emergency you likely would find someone nearby that could lend a helping hand or lift even when not caravaning or convoying.

Cheers,
Robert~