Geeky stuff posting

No excuses, just a pure geek posting. Some people are very interested in using the latest mobile technology, and some are anything but and like to keep it simple when touring. The latter say that the ‘stress’ of looking after vulnerable equipment and not least keeping it charged up, are not worth the bother, and that it detracts from the simplicity of cycling, enjoying the ride etc. I think I must sit over towards the side of the former for various reasons, but not least in that I love the idea of keeping a current blog without having to sit in a mucky internet café for many hours a week (these can be expensive too, although there are many libraries and Telecentres in Australia that offer free surfing / e-mail). Also, one MUST have a decent camera, and a mobile phone for emergency etc., so it’s hard to avoid thinking Geek in 2007 – much of it is pretty much essential! Convinced? (;>)

I would prefer to type up my blog anytime I like though, such as in the evening, so I have pulled the following gear together to help with this and several other technological ‘requirements’. Here is a lengthy discussion about my inventory, strictly for geeks:

Dell Axim X51V PDA – the heart of the ‘system’, a miniature PC that can do just about whatever a PC can, such as write Word documents and Excel spreadsheets, store and play music aka MP3 player, act as a GPS in conjunction with a GPS receiver and software maps of Australia, play computer games (not very often in my case apart from Sudoku), act as a dictaphone; and surf the internet either and send e-mails via a wireless connection or via a bluetooth mobile phone acting as a modem. I won’t get much opportunity to do the latter in the Outback of course, however I can compose my e-mails offline (including the e-mail required to update this blog) when I like, and then download at telecentres or cafes. The Axim normally communicates to my home PC via Microsoft Activesync, however this probably won’t be available on the PC’s I find in Oz, so an alternative is to simply use a card reader – more on this next.

I use Textmaker as a word processor as it every bit as powerful as the PC version of MS Word. I have an extensive Excel spreadsheet loaded too, which contains all the information I’ve collated with respect to this trip – such as a list of all my gear, places to see, useful website links etc. All this stuff will be backed up onto an SD card.

Whenever there’s a Wireless network (OK, I won’t find many Starbuck’s as I go around Australia!!) I can use the Axim to access the internet and send e-mails, and I will also put it’s Bluetooth capabilities to the test too, as explained below.

Dell Portable Bluetooth Keyboard

This is only about 15x10 cm and very light, but when unfolded is almost as big as a conventional keyboard. It uses very little power and needs only 2 x AAA batteries to power it. As soon as I switch it on, and switch Bluetooth on on the Axim, the two pair up with no fuss and I can start typing away.

SD and CF Storage Cards

The Axim is very flexible in that it can accept both SD (Secure Digital) and CF (Compact Flash) storage cards. The former range up to 4GB in size (sufficient for 3 to 4000 high-quality images for example) at approximately £25 each (in July 2007); whereas the CF’s currently go up to a massive 16GB (but these cost around £120!!). The 2 or 4GB SD’s are what I will probably choose – for one thing I don’t want a high-capacity card to hold all my pictures because that’s putting all my eggs in one basket – lose the card, lose everything. I’ll find a nice dry container to keep all the cards in and keep it somewhere safe.

As I said above I will use the cards to transfer e-mails, Word files, images etc. to the host PC (in an Internet café or Telecentre) using a simple SanDisk card reader like this one. This can accept both SD and CF cards, so I just have to remove the card from Axim or camera, pop it into the reader, plug the USB lead into the host PC, find the card in File Explorer, and drag and drop the files into an e-mail, temporary folder etc. for e-mailing, burning CD’s etc.

I could also download music or files from the internet onto the card, for later transfer back into the Axim to read at my leisure.

Globalsat BT338 GPS receiver

This pairs with the Axim via Bluetooth up to a range of 10 metres and amongst other things shows me where I am on the Memory-Map Austour maps – most of which are a decent 1:250,00 scale. The maps contain important information like water points and shops, things to see etc., and I can add my own Points of Interest (POI’s) too where necessary. I have been listing things I’d like to see – from books and blogs I’ve read – for some time, and I will mark these on the maps. This is best done on the PC before I leave UK, foe use on the Axim thereafter. I wasn’t too excited about the Axim as GPS unit when I toured the Alps last July, however I have obtained some high-quality transparent screen protectors that cut out a lot of the glare, so I am more optimistic. I also had battery charging problems in the Alps which are hopefully sorted out now.

Canon A710 IS compact digital camera

This seems to be a very capable camera that ticks all the boxes at well under £200. It accepts SD cards which is fundamental to my ‘system’; since the Axim accepts SD’s I can transfer the images from camera to Axim, and also take advantage of the Ax’s great display to view and sort the images. I’ll be restricting the SD card size to 1 or 2GB I think since these are quite cheap, hold around 750 / 1500 pics each, and by using smaller cards the risk of losing a card and ALL my pics is reduced. In reality I will be taking film clips with this camera too, and that takes a bit more card space – I think around 1 hour of video (at good quality) per 2GB card. Whenever I get the opportunity I will be transferring the pics onto CD as backup. Some travellers even more geeky than I carry a portable CD/DVD burner around with them – you can now apparently get these that run on 4xAA batteries – but that’s a bit OTT methinks. I’m quite geeky enough thank you!

I’ve been right through the camera manual and found some other good features, such as the ability to record up to a minute of speech associated with each image one takes – a description of what the pic is about etc. It’ll be fun putting all this into a video / slide show on my return to Blighty.

Mobile Phone

I haven’t bought the phone I need for Oz yet, and at first I thought I’d buy it once over in Perth, together with a suitable package / SIM card, however I think I will buy one before I go with a pay-as-you-go SIM and get used to using it – especially as a modem with the GPS. In modem mode the phone pairs with the Axim via Bluetooth and where there is a mobile signal I can e-mail or surf the web with the Axim. This is something of an ‘emergency’ option for when there’s no other internet access, especially because it’s pretty expensive on what could be a slow connection for most of the Oz mobile network – a little bit faster where there’s 3G reception (mostly in cities). (so a Tri or Quad-band phone required.) I can probably pick up something on Ebay for £30 or £40 that will do the trick. Another quality that would be useful is ruggedness – it needs to be able to survive a few knocks.

Another desirable mobile phone feature is use of mini or micro SD cards – these are compatible, via an adaptor, with SD cards used in the Axim and camera – to aid interconnectivity. The micro SD’s are much smaller than a postage stamp yet can hold 4GB of data too – a staggering thought. How we’ve moved on since I bought my first computer – a BBC B with 32 kB processor!

Skype microphone / speaker

I may get to use this on any PC connected to the internet, a cheap think off Ebay which also happens to be a mouse as well.

Bicycle computer

I’ve splashed out on a £200 Garmin Edge 305 (well, don’t carp at me - this is the trip of a lifetime and I’ve been saving, frugally, for ages, honest!!). This will give me (for example – there are about 40 functions!) speed, distance, position, direction of travel, elevation, cadence, heart rate and most of the usual GPS features apart from map displays. It does however show a ‘map’ of created waypoints in correct orientation, which is all that’s needed. There is of course also the possibility of geekishly downloading this data for later analysis lol. Only downside is the relatively high power consumption – it will have to be charged after every 2 days riding, which takes about 3 hours. I quite like having good instrumentation and for me it adds to the overall experience of cycling. It also has a proper altimeter rather than just depending on GPS, which is less accurate at heights.

I also have another wireless computer that I am taking as a back-up, just in case the Garmin fails.

Solar charging system / supporting system

I’ve covered this in depth in an earlier posting, but essentially it will consist of two Sunlinq 6.5 watt foldable panels (they fold neatly into the size of a paperback novel) feeding a bank of AA batteries (the BattPack). AA batteries are the ‘standard’ I have chosen to power my camera, Axim (via a 4xAA battery ‘extender’), torches etc. The BattPack can charge between 2 and 10 batteries at a time, fed by the 12 to 15 volts from the panel (or 2 panels in parallel when needs must). I’ve done some tests and was slightly disappointed with the performance of the panel – I think the ‘claims’ of the makers was slightly exaggerated – and so decided to go with the two rather than one. I’ve found in bright sunshine fully 15 volts is generated, and the BattPack automatically adjusts the voltage to suit between 2 and 10 batteries. I think that on any day without blazing sunshine 4-8 batteries is a better option – the 10 AA’s would take a long time to charge, especially the 2600 mAH high-performance batteries that I have obtained. I haven’t tested the 2 panels together yet, but plan to do this soon. I also plan to measure the current, to get a better idea of how quickly the batteries should charge up.

Now the BattPack has a car cigar-type female socket outlet, which is very convenient for gadgets that come with a car charging lead, such as a phone. Devices like this and the Axim need around 4 to 5 volts so at least 4 batteries would need to be fitted. Of course the charge lead for a particular device will be set to deliver the correct voltage, you just need to make sure to exceed that. For fastest charging all 10 batteries would be best if already charged up.

I have further alternative options based on the AA’s and car socket – for example a car charger with USB female socket for charging the Axim, camera and bike computer directly; and a 230V mains (and Oz mains adaptor) charger to charge a bank of 10 batteries in one go for use when I’m staying where there’s AC supply. I can also charge the BattPack of 10 in a friendly campervan if pushed via a normal (male) car plug, and if all else fails I can buy a bank of non-rechargeable AA’s for the BattPack (don’t aim to do this due to cost). And there’s more – I will also be able to charge my camera and Axim with the USB lead plugged into a PC at Internet café or Telecentre / library. The camera and bike computer can both be charged using the same mini USB to USB lead that came with these devices, and some of the other leads have a degree of interchangability about them – useful if a lead breaks for example.

Lastly, I have a 1 to 3 car charger adaptor whereby I plug the male end in the BattPack and up to 3 other leads (subject to power being used) into the adaptor.

The Axim takes the most power, only about 3 hours on the standard 1100 mAH battery, but I also have a 2200 mAH spare. I can’t see me using the Ax for more than a couple of hours

All the above is subject to rigorous testing in Outback conditions – hopefully I have invested sufficiently in robust components – but I will post in this blog details of how I get on, hopefully others might learn from any mistakes I have made.

Short-wave radio

I did some research on the lightest SW radio (good for updating weather / news / the Archers etc.) and came up with the Sony ICF-SW100, an absolute gem of a radio. Build quality is very high, and power consumption low. I managed to get this one second hand for around £60 on Ebay – full price is (was? I think Sony may not make them any longer) around £200, and it’s easy to see why. It came with an aerial ‘reel’ that can be unwound and clipped in a tree or somewhere higher up, to increase signal strength. Enough to make a true geek drool.

That’s enough for now – more later….

Solar power and house sales

Since my last posting lots seems to have gone on, and although I’m enjoying all the planning; choosing new gear etc., it’s a little stressful at times.

Firstly, on the more practical front I’ve put a lot of thought into provision of the means to keep my Dell Axim PDA charged up (I’ll use this daily to write my blog), as well as the mobile phone, Bluetooth GPS receiver, torches etc., and decided that the centre piece of the system would be a 6.5 watt Sunlinq solar charger, which rolls up to the size of a paperback and is made of a tough but flexible material that can be laid almost anywhere and tied via the corner eyelets, and which I received last week. This is capable of charging between 2 and 10 AA batteries fitted into a ‘BattPack’ (a separate, sturdy plastic case which connects to the Sunlinq) on a typical sunny day. It has a nominal voltage of around 15 volts. I’ve bought the AA’s with highish power capacities (NiMH 2500 maH), and also a set of rechargeable AAA’s.

I have a bewildering array of connecting leads I can choose from. The system will be centred on a female 12 volt ‘cigar lighter’ plug on the BattPack. From this 12V point I can connect the usual leads supplied with mobile phones etc. I can of course remove charged batteries from the BattPack for use in torches, camera, a PDA battery extender etc. Although I’ll be cycling before dawn in the hotter areas I’ll be relying on the SON Hub Dynamo for the front light, however it’ll be good to have spare batteries for back-up purposes. I did consider utilising the power from the hub dynamo to charge batteries, but there’s no proprietary unit that I am aware of that’s made to do this, however I have a few electronic components that I might put together and experiment with this issue (hopefully without destroying the dynamo!). Extra back-up for battery power will be via a direct USB to PDA lead for while I’m on a PC (wherever I can find one) and possibly a mains rapid charger if I decide that's not overkill (they are on the heavy side.... I feel I’ve just about done this issue to death now but hopefully covered every angle.

Regarding lifestyle changes that these plans have triggered, a big decision was to sell my house prior to the trip, one reason was so that I wouldn’t have the hassle and worry of renting out my house; paying Council tax, insurance etc., and also because I am ready for a move to either build a new house or refurbish an old property up here in the far north of Scotland. Anyway the house went up for sale 3 weeks ago, and within a few days I’d had my first viewers, who promptly made me an offer I couldn’t refuse, and we shook on the deal there and then. Only proviso is that the offer is subject to survey, but hopefully that won’t hamper the sale, and I’ll be out of the house by the end of June. So far so good, and there seem to be plenty of properties for rent locally for the 3 months or so between moving out of here and flying to Oz.

The other big issue of the moment is what to do with my dog Prince, whom I’ve reared from a puppy these past 7 years. I thought I would get someone to mind him for the year I’m away, but the more I think about it the more I feel that this is a bit unfair to the person looking after him – they may well become attached to him, and visa versa, such that it will be a wrench for both to part again. Am I being selfish? I’ve been putting word around about fostering him, and last evening a lady called to ask about Prince; it appears they recently lost a black lab to illness, and they’re keen to get another. She sounds very genuine, but I think would prefer to take him on a permanent basis. I’m to introduce them at the weekend and we’ll take it from there.

I’ve managed to get a good deal on the air fare to Perth, at £687. I could not book a return flight for September 2008 though since the online booking system doesn’t allow this (it costs more to book via the phone), however I am allowed to rebook, say in February 2008, at which time the September return will be bookable. I’m flying Cathay Pacific who we flew with to Sydney last December, and am looking forward to getting well looked after as before – they were airline of the year last year I understand. To get to Heathrow I am going to cycle the 115 miles down to Inverness fully laden (to warm up!); catch the sleeper to Euston, then cycle to Heathrow (carefully) or if I chicken out of the London traffic, get a train to Heathrow.

Baggage is a bit of an issue as I have discussed in previous posts – the bike will pretty much swallow up my 20kg allowance, however I intend to make it 23 kg in the hope of getting away with that, carrying the maximum 7 kg in the biggest hand luggage holder I can get away with, and it there’s anything likely to be left I’ll post this to Poste Restante at the PO in Perth for collection on arrival. Although I’d prefer to take everything with me, I can see it makes sense to buy some stuff over in Oz – tent / footprint and Thermarest for example.

I’ve reading lots of Ozzie books, both fiction and factual, from ‘Capricornia’ (an excellent read and Australian classic about early settlers lives and loves) to the Lonely Planet guide. I am keeping notes on all the places I’d like to see and intend to mark these on the map in some way. I haven’t yet decided whether to opt for a GPS map system, a paper map system, or both. GPS seems quite complex, and expensive unless I can find free maps somewhere on the internet. I am also gathering tips and tricks and reading about survival techniques – I might need the latter especially if I decide to ride the 700km Gibb River track(!)

Well, that’s a summary of current events, hope you are still hanging in there! Thanks to those of you who’ve e-mailed me via this website, it is much appreciated and heartening.

The Thorn Raven Tour (with Rohloff) arrives!

Planning the trip continues steadily but the highlight of recent weeks has been the arrival of the expedition bike from St.John’s St. Cycles in Bridgewater, Somerset. I’m very pleased with it despite the fact I’ve not had time to try it out properly yet – too much else going on.

It’s on the heavy side as expected *(about 16 kg with Thorn front and rear pannier racks). I’ll add a picture here when I can. For those unfamiliar with the Rohloff hub I’ll explain. Instead of derailleur gears (usually either Shimano or Campagnolo) where for touring bikes there are usually 3 chain rings at the front and 7, 8 or 9 cogs at the back, the Rohloff rear hub contains a range of 14 gears which have virtually the same gear ranges as derailleur. One advantage of the Rohloff arrangement is the absence of moving parts on the outside of the bike, such as the rear derailleur hanger, which is somewhat prone to damage and wear in dusty conditions. As I’m intending to get off the tarmac into the outback from time to time this should be helpful, added to which the German-made system is reputed to be bomb-proof – there are very few example of failure – hence the £600 or so cost of the units. I opted for Thorn ‘Comfort’ bars after much discussion on the Cycling plus forum, which seem to offer plenty of options for position adjustment by addition of small tri-bars or inner bar ends.
The only slight issue initially I have, and it’s nothing against the bike, is the slight difficulty I had changing gear. I suffer a little from pain and stiffness in the thumb joint and as the gearshift is placed to the left of the right bar grip one has to use the thumb and forefinger to change gear. During my very short test-drive it did seem a little awkward, but I’ll reserve judgement until I’ve had a proper ride on the bike. I have to say though that build quality and finish are exemplary.

The Caithness Cycling Club’s John Smith organised a ride last Sunday 25/3/07 – the annual CCC ‘Hell of the North’ which is a minimum of 100 miles and up to 138 if you go ‘all the way’. The route is Thurso – south down Strath Halladale to Helmsdale, and back up the A9. Unfortunately only John and myself turned up, which was a shame as it was quite a nice day, dry, and sunny in the afternoon – perfect cycling weather later on. There was quite a stiff SE wind blowing which made it hard down to Helmsdale and encouraged us to draft, but the return was much easier apart from the steep Berriedale Braes where I really laboured. We took around 8 hours at approx 12 mph, which is par for the course, and the kind of speed I expect to make in Oz, perhaps a little slower loaded with camping gear.

I’m continuing research into various bits and bobs to take with me to Oz – at the moment it’s whether to take my little Dell X51V PDA (a tiny PC for the uninitiated) with a portable keyboard, or whether to go for a laptop. There are advantages on both sides which I might go into later. I’ve also been trying to choose a tent, one which is freestanding (since some campsites will have rock-hard ground where pegs will be useless) and also has to be a natural colour, hard-wearing, light etc. I can expect to pay at least £150 for this. The good news is that I’ve sold 2 bikes now for a total of £1000 which has gone a long way to paying for the new Thorn Raven.

Another issue continues to haunt me – whether or not to tow a trailer. I thought I had made my mind up that I would - I already have a decent 2-wheeler – but lately as I can see ways of saving weight elsewhere I am wondering if I can get by without. The main issue seems to me to be having to carry up to 25 litres of water when I’m heading off-road for perhaps 3 days at a time; with no source of water to be had and hot dusty conditions, I can’t risk managing on much less. I may look at my present pannier volumes and compare to what’s available. Could be that with more pannier capacity I can manage without a trailer, that would certainly be easier to manage, especially when parking, and for security reasons etc. The good thing is, The Raven is build like a brick s******* and will stand plenty of weight. Another advantage of not hauling a trailer is that there’ll be less weight to take on the flight to Perth, and thereby less risk of exorbitant excess baggage charges.

What else? Well, a biggie coming up soon is the sale of my house. I don’t want to have to pay Council Tax and insurance and God knows what else during my year away as I won’t have any money coming in, so sale it is. That’s a bit scary, and somewhat stressful. The upside, as I keep telling myself, is that I will buy an old house to do up or some land on which to build a new house, and that will be something to look forward to (and maybe stop me thinking about going on tour again straight away LOL). I’ve also joined Couchsurfing and Warmshowers – 2 websites where people offer free accommodation / camping for cycle-tourists. I in turn have offered my home (while I have one) to anyone who similarly wants to stay here when touring the N of Scotland. I’ve already had one request from a guy in the US in May, so fingers crossed that might be interesting.

That’s all for now folks, but just to say I’m going to officially ‘launch’ this blog in a blaze of publicity a month or two before I leave for Oz, and will thereon be seeking sponsorship for WaterAid from as many folk as I can.