We learned of the dreadful Nov. 13, attacks on Paris as we were driving through the night from Georgia towards our Michigan home. While millions of North Americans watched the story on television, we turned to apps to do the same thing, piping the audio from my smartphone through the vehicle's sound system.
Both Direct TV, Xfinity and AT&T offer apps that allow you to watch live streaming television just as if you were home.
I listened to CNN, Fox News and Al Jazeera America as I drove, Jennifer watched the story unfold on the screen of my iPhone 6S Plus.
The key, of course, is having a strong cell service. In our case, we use the the Wilson Electronics Sleek 4G – Vehicle Cellular Signal Booster
to ensure I have a strong signal, o help pull in the maximum signal, I substituted the small little stubby antenna that comes with the Sleek with the Wilson Dual Band – 800-1900 MHz Magnet Mount Antenna
. I have it mounted at the top of the vehicle and I snaked in the coax cable around the drivers door.
I have the Verizon Jetpack data card which I use for an in-vehicle Wi Fi Network, though your cell or tablet – assuming it has cellular service – will do just fine for most folks.
Another app ww use a lot is iHeartRadio, available for all platforms. I also have Tunein, another app. These apps let you listen to radio stations across the country.
We used one of the radio apps to also listen to the BBCs World Service for awhile after the American stations started repeating themselves.
About 3 am, somewhere between Atlanta and Chatanooga, we pulled into a Cracker Barrel to catch a few hours of sleep.
But thanks to the apps, we were as thoroughly informed as if we had ben at home, sitting in front of out TV.
One Response to “Using apps to stay informed on major news story while traveling”
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November 14, 2015at12:20 pm, Paul Shivers said:
Nice to know information as I am getting things together for our new CS arriving in December/January and we plan on being “On The Road” quite a bit.
I’ve already received a Wilson Dual Band – 800-1900 MHz Magnet Mount Antenna and a Wilson Electronics Mobile 4g Cellular Signal Booster, now sold as a “weBoost Drive 4G-M Cell Phone Booster”, currently being “tested” in our Honda Crosstour until the new Roadtrek arrives…
To further enhance communications I also plan on installing a dual-band HAM (KI6CVU) and possibly a CB radio.
I’m curious if any fellow Roadtrekers have gone with “NMO” antenna mounts, specifically rooftop mounts that do require drilling holes in the roof of the RV. I understand the objections of some for “No Holes”, but honestly the Class B already has several Non-Factory “Holes” in the roof to accommodate the AC, circulation fan, solar panels, etc, so one or two 3/4″ holes for NMO antennas isn’t going to make much difference, especial since they do seal the required hole up very nicely…
Looking for tips and tricks to make these holes nice and clean, removing headliner material and best cable routing options for connecting to the business ends of the antenna cables.
After installation of rooftop antennas are there any problems with vertical clearance or other concerns?
Thank You!