Communications

So the trip itself is going to be a challenge for sure, but staying in contact is going to be something that will be essential, as blogging is a key to the whole project, actually it is the heart of it.  My whole goal with this project is to chronicle it, to raise awareness, to draw people in, and to assess things on the ground.  Obviously the walking and meeting people is the assessment and important, but means very little without the awareness and bringing people in.  This is all about information, and that is the blog.

So how do I do this while backpacking through the small post-war West African country of Sierra Leone?  I have looked into mobile phone service and Satellite phones there as well.  There seems to be plenty of mobile phone service there, and sat phones are quite expensive and tough with data.  So it doesn't seem worth it, especially with multiple mobile phone providers there with varying coverages.  The other nice thing with the service there is that they all use sim cards (smart cards), so with an unlocked phone I could just get sim cards for each provider and then simply swap them out depending on the service. As far as coverage, the country's coverage seems the same as most places in the world, stuck mostly to population centers, but the country isn't very big (about the size of South Carolina).  So if I was to walk 15-20 miles a day I would certainly not spend to much time out of coverage.  So the question then becomes what capabilities do I have with those networks?  Is it 3G?  Internet compatible?  Can I simply write things and then upload them onto the web right then and there?  These are questions that must be asked.  It is hard to get answers from Sierra Leone for these questions though while I'm in NY.

As far as hardware goes, this is something that I would want to handle from here in the US as things will be much more expensive there (Yes, more expensive in a place with much less purchasing power, ironic huh?).  As of right now I am looking to solve the communications issues by taking a small "Netbook" with me, a mobile phone, and the ability to connect the computer to the internet and/or phone.  I had considered taking a phone with full internet and word processing capabilities and then a flexible key board.  But the key boards are not lap top sizes and would take up more space than the Netbook.

Power is obviously going to be an issue there as well.  They use British type plugs (which are huge), but I will be basically camping so without access to outlets.  There are however small compactible solar panels that you can roll or fold up into a backpack.  It really is a great little scenario, you unfold them and leave them facing the sun on the outside of your backpack with the wire running into the computer or mobile phone.  As you hike throughout the day the batteries charge.  Wunderbar.

The computer itself needs to be really small and light with a very long battery life.  They have these Netbooks that are tiny little things.  They become a bit of an issue in terms of typing as the keyboards are really tight, but I would certainly be able to manage that as it would save so much weight.  These computers can be about 2.5 pounds.  Really nothing comparatively, and that is the real key - weight.  When you are carrying your life on your back, the lighter your 'life' can be, the better!!

Anyway, there is a lot of research to be done.  I need do some sharing of it and bring some other people in to work with on it though.  Doing things on your is very rewarding in many ways, but not as rewarding or as motivating as it is when you can share it all with others...