Perched on the south rim of the Grand Canyon, bMighty's "Tech On The Go" correspondent reviews his video kit and, thanks to shoddy connections, struggles to upload the latest images.
Our "Tech On the Go" correspondent Scott Koegler will be filing his column from the road this summer as he crosses the country with his family over the next six weeks. Though there's bound to be some "vacationing" along the way, Scott will continue to operate his small business from the road. Throughout this adventure, he'll share tips, tricks, and insights about how to keep a business running smoothly when you're on the move while maintaining a virtual connection to his office network, server, desktop computer, and video surveillance system.
Scott and his wife, Donna Marie, are traveling in a Ford E-350 van, pulling a travel trailer, accompanied by their dogs Cody and Mac. They left their home in Wilkesboro, N.C., on June 16 bound for the Rocky Mountains. After crossing the Continental Divide, they'll stop off in Las Vegas, peek into the Grand Canyon, and visit family in New Mexico before heading for home along Route 66 (and more modern byways).
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You can follow Scott's progress on
Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz. -- We've been at the Grand Canyon for the last four days. Walking to the edge of the canyon for the first time, is startling, and a bit disconcerting. The reality of looking straight down for more than 3,000 feet (with no railing to hold) can easily bring out the fear of falling. Approaching the precipice is simultaneously a thrill and a terror ... maybe they are actually the same thing.
Normally, I carry my camera(s) "alfresco." That's the cameras, not myself. I have never liked the idea of having to unzip or unsnap something in order to get to my camera, particularly when shooting things in motion. And even when simply taking landscape shots, I find it annoying to interrupt my view in order to deal with fasteners. But when scrambling around steep slopes, I decided to err on the side of caution, and leave my hands free for balance and grabbing earth-attached objects. For this trip, I'm using a combination of M-Rock's bags and belts. Maybe this isn't something directly related to keeping your small business going, but in my case, some of the photos I'm taking are part of my work. And staying safe (= alive) is definitely part of keeping my business healthy. M-Rock has an amazing and innovative assortment of carrying contraptions, and they have been successful in keeping me safe, so far.
What hasn't been so successful here is my Internet connectivity. Frankly, I'm at a loss to explain the problem. At times, the connection through my Sprint U727 USB modem is wonderful, connecting to the local EV-DO Rev-A. Then, there are times when the signal drops off completely. I'm using the Wy-Ex zBoost, YX230 cellular booster to grab whatever cell signal there is outside the camper, then rebroadcast it inside the camper. I have the outside antenna mounted on the fold-up TV antenna on top of the camper. When extended, it puts the cell receiver antenna about 12 feet off the ground. This has worked very well anywhere this any cell signal at all.
Sometimes I connect the U727 directly to my laptop, and sometimes to my NexAira Mobile Broadband Router. This makes it possible for both my wife and I to be online at the same time, like any Wi-Fi router. The router works fine most of the time, but there are times when the connection drops to "local only" for some reason. I can't really say that the problem is with the router, because I haven't been able to diagnose the issue. But when I need to upload anything that requires an absolutely sustained connection, I have had to connect the U727 directly to the laptop, and make my wife wait for her online connection.
One of the uploads that requires a sustained connection is video files. I routinely send videos to YouTube, Flickr, and Blogger.
Recently, I've been using JVC's Everio GZ-MG330R. It records to its internal 30-GB hard drive, rather than to tape or flash memory. I've used it interchangeably with less expensive video cams, for recording videos destined for publication on YouTube, where the final quality of the video is less important. But one thing the Everio has that none of my others (even my Panasonic DMC-FZ-30 super-zoom camera) have is its 35x optical zoom. I've used it for videos as well as for still shots, when what I want to capture is simply too far away for my other lenses. Of course, some kind of tripod or monopod is necessary for these shots.
See you on the road!
See more "Tech On The Go" columns by Scott Koegler
