My new Connection

OK I think many of you know that I am now connected again. At last! After more than two months of terrible connection or no connection at all. I tried every airtime company I heard would work. Eventually I felt I should open a shop selling dongles (modems) and sim cards! Poor Angus, my younger son back in SA was constantly bombarded by his frustrated mother for a solution. Eventually he suggested we try an antennae that he'd been installing for cell-phone users in remote and rural areas in the area. He duly ordered me an antennae called Big Boss which we brought back with us on the plane! All 1.2m of it!

Meanwhile, Wessel,  the local IT boff for the client came to our home with his Nokia N8 cell phone to see if I had a signal. Although he spent more than an hour walking in and around our house, he received very little to no signal. BUT he said, if I bought an Nokia N8 and attached it to the Big Boss once we returned from leave, he guaranteed I would have Internet. (this is what he uses in his house about 900m from our camp.)

Another phone call to South Africa again and this time Angus ordered me a Nokia N8 which I collected from the cell phone shop the day before we flew out.

After spending most of the Easter weekend in Dar Es Salaam, we finally arrived back at the airport en route for Mwanza, 170km from Mwadui, where we live. No sooner had we booked in (at the suicide hour of 4.15am) and settled down to wait for our boarding call, and we spotted Wessel! He'd also been on leave in Bloemfontein and was returning to camp on the same flight as us. The first thing he asked,  after we'd greeted each other, was "did you get everything necessary for your Internet?" When I told him I had,  he said he'd be at our house the next evening to set up my Big Boss and modem!

Which he did, bless him. And here I am gabbling on,  all nerdy-like,  about modems, antennaes, signals and whatnot! But the bottom line is I HAVE INTERNET! WHOO-HOO! Praise the Lord for modern technology. Now I am online and in touch with all my friends and family. One very happy techno-gran again, LOL!

My Nokia N8 cell phone which I can answer and use to phone or text while it's connected to the computer!  My new phone has all the bells and whistles imaginable. One of the amazing features - my favourite - is the application: "WhatsApp". I'm hoping to be able to chat to my dear blogger-friend, Penny via WhatsApp as soon as I have her number!

My cell-phone rests on a pad which is connected to the antennae (which looks like the old-fashioned TV aerials) which, in turn, is erected outside the window...

...while the phone is connected to my laptop with a USB connection

I am having a wonderful time, just catching up on all of your blogs. Thanks again for your continued support and visits while I was off-line. I hope you're all having a wonderful week in your part of the world. 

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