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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

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. 

For more posts on other people's worlds, click here


12 comments:

  1. Congrats, Jo... Glad you finally found something that works for you.. I would be like you----upset without internet... So glad you have it now!!!!!! Hooray!

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  2. I will have to look into an antennae booster for next winter. Maybe then I won't get dropped off my mobile hot spot all the time. In days, I'll be back to Broadband at the canyon and a land line phone as the cell won't work where I live under the forest.

    So glad you're back.

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  3. I m so glad you solve internet problem,have a nice day with my best wishes.

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  4. Hi there - but where do you put in the key to wind the whole device up!!

    Ah, the wonders of technology!

    Stewart M - Australia

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  5. Ha ha, I so enjoyed hearing your giddiness at getting all "geeky" on us. I'm so glad your problems have now sorted out. I will send you my number. Mwah!

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  6. I am so glad you are connected and your internet is working. I would be lost without mine. Congrats! Have a great day, Jo!

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  7. I can hear your excitement. Funny how we become dependent on this techno stuff. If you can work out all that complicated stuff, the new blogger interface will be easy. Your turn to help me out. How do you write text and draw arrows on your photos? What program is it? I want to be able to do that.

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  8. Hi Jo, delighted your internet problems are solved at last.We still get some over here even with 'always on' broadband.It usually decides to go AWOL just when I decide I have some time to spend online.
    I have to spend some time on the new Blogger thingy to figure out what to do, my photos do not load up in the sequence I want them to.
    Its like being away on holidays and come home to find someone has moved around all the furniture!

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  9. Welcome back to cyberspace, Jo!! I'm so glad you've gotten everything fixed/taken care of, and that you're back online. I know the frustration you've been experiencing!! Our "geeky" problems are indeed different once we become computer/internet addicted! Glad your "world" is working again and that your week is going great!

    Sylvia

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  10. SO glad you're back online! It Does make a difference doesn't it?!!
    hughugs

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  11. Wow I have never seen such an installation ! You became a specialist !So happy for you that you are in our world again !

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  12. Hooray for the "Techno-Gran"! I think it's wonderful that you, Jo, have the desire and drive to advance your skills in the tech world. I'm sure your family back in SA is happy too.

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Thank you for visiting my blog and taking the time to leave a comment. I appreciate your feedback. Jo