You have been on the road for two weeks and haven't checked your e-mail. What's been happening on the RV-Talk list? Did your boss give you that raise? Are your friends still heading to Oz for the next get-together?

You could run to the closest public library and use their computer. Or perhaps there is a Kinko's nearby? Or perhaps the campground has a phone jack that they would let you use for a few minutes. But wouldn't it be much more convenient to connect your cell-phone to your computer and download those message from the comfort of your coach?

The good news is that it can be done. The bad news is that it is much more difficult than it might seem, and the results may not be completely satisfactory. Below is the experience of one of our members. Remember, though, that your phone and computer may (probably will) be different, and thus the procedure may differ in some respects.

One caution also: This is a fairly technical topic. Depending on your level of expertise, this may or may not make sense to you. If you need more assistance, the RV Club has a list focused just on computer issues. Head to the web address (on your land-connected computer, of course) to subscribe to that list and send them your questions. To prevent lots of irritating messages, do NOT send your questions to RV-Talk or to the Full-Timer list.

"Success with the Internet on a cellphone," says one member,. "requires assembling *exactly* the right compatible combination of phone, cables, and software, and getting a bunch of software setup details exactly right. The main thing is to get a phone, cable and modem that are compatible with each other. You can't just walk into a store and say 'give me the stuff I need for my XYZ phone', cause it may not exist. There are no standards for cell phone - modem connections and commands, so all are different. For some phones, there is no matching cable and modem. "

This is the experience of one of our members: "After some research I purchased the following equipment and services in 1999:

1. Nokia 6160 cellular phone (the 6162 works as well). Cost was $247.89. [According to some, the Nokia 5160 works as well as the 6160 and 6162 and sells for only $100-130..]
2. AT&The One-rate, 600 minutes/mo., anywhere in U.S., $89 flat rate. [AT&The now offers a less expensive 300 minute plan for $59.95/month, adequate for many, if not most, Rvers.]
3. 3COM/Megahertz 56K XJACK Cellular Modem, P/N 3CXM556. [The predecessor to this is the 3Com Megahertz XJ4336 (a 33.6K version). It works with the same cables and Nokia phones. Many laptops were sold with this PCMCIA modem installed, sometimes with the Gateway or IBM logo on it instead of 3Com or Megahertz. You don't need a new modem for the Nokia phones if you already have this one..]
4. Nokia 2120 Cellular Cable, by 3COM, P/N NOK3.
5. DAR-3 Cellular Adapter by Nokia, P/N DAR-3. (I understand there is now a single cable solution that combines Items 4 &5.)" [One source indicated the new cable was called the NOK6, though some dealers apparently haven't heard of it yet.]

"Items 1 & 2 were purchased from an AT&The outlet store. Items 3, 4 & 5 can be purchased from Nokia (800/666-5553) or other suppliers (e.g., Travel Buddies @ 602-524-4122 or TechStore @ 800-638-3266). In April, 1999, I bought items 3-5 from MobilePlanet (800/675-2638) for $299.85 plus shipping. Total cost for cell phone, modem and cables was $547.74.

"I had a bit of trouble using the equipment at first, since it came with conflicting instructions. My problem was in the cabling and in getting the modem to talk to the phone. The solution is rather simple - keep trying. Here's the procedure I use:

1. Start the computer and the modem software (I use Eudora Pro).
2. Open the dialing software (I use Windows 98 Dial-Up Networking).
3. Connect the DAR-3 adapter to the NOK3 cable (you can keep them attached).
4. Plug the NOK3 cable end into the modem. (the computer will make a beeping sound)
5. Plug the DAR-3 adapter end into the Nokia cell phone.
6. Start the dialing software.

"Now, the Nokia cell phone display should show the number you are dialing. If you are in a digital area (as indicated by the letter "D" in the upper left corner), the display should clear the "D" and the phone will switch to analog mode. If this doesn't happen as I described, then tell the dialing software to disconnect and then tell it to connect again. It sometimes takes me 2-3 tries to get it to dial. If it fails after 3 tries, turn off the cell phone, turn it back on and try again. If it still fails, turn off your computer and cell phone and restart everything.

"Once the phone number has been dialed, you should hear your computer make the typical screeching noises as it negotiates with the modem at the other end and passes your username and password. For some reason I fail to understand, the Megahertz modem pauses in the "logging on" state for exactly 60 seconds and then quickly proceeds through the "verify password" state. I wish I knew a work-around for this 1-min. delay as it unnecessarily uses up my air time.

"I've now used my cellular setup throughout the midwest and southwest. It sometimes works completely, sometimes partially and sometimes not at all. There are at least two issues involved in failing to make a cellular connection. The most common problem is lack of analog signal strength. Even though the Nokia 6160 or 6162 is a digital phone, the modem transfer is always done in analog (that's why you need the DAR-3 adapter) at a relatively slow 4800 baud rate.

"On the left of the display on the Nokia cell phone is a bar graph showing signal strength. If only one bar is displayed, the signal strength is too weak to make a modem transfer. When it shows 3-4 bars, the connection almost always works. With 2-3 bars, it often fails in negotiating with the other modem, or in getting the account and password accepted, or in transferring the mail. Also, with 2-3 bars, the transfer rate might be less than 4800 baud because it sends the same information more than once if an error occurs. It also may disconnect after a few minutes without finishing its work. The signal strength can be boosted by 1 or 2 bars with the addition of an external antenna. This consists of a 10-ft. cable with a 5-in. magnetic pole on one end and a connector on the other. The part number from Houston Cellular is #22945 and it cost me $19.99.

"The cellular connection has allowed me to get email hundreds of times. When it fails, the failure is usually due to a very weak and fluctuating signal. In addition, three of the failed locations were in Dane County, near Madison, WI, even though the signal strength was strong. The same was the case in Bryan/College Station, TX. In the later case, I called Houston Cellular and talked to a data specialist. He recommended that I dial *3282 followed by the area code and phone number of my Internet provider (without "1" or "0" in front of the area code). The *3282 directs the call to a cellular-ready modem and this solved the problem in the Bryan/College Station area. I have tried *3282 in a dozen other areas, but I always get a recording saying the call cannot be completed.

"Below is a summary of my usage of the cellular setup over the past year, based on 387 attempts at 55 locations in 14 states. I was successful at getting e-mail in 46 of the 55 locations. Used in 14 states: Arizona, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

"With 4 bars signal strength, 70% of the calls were completed with full downloads. With 3 bars signal strength, 70% were also successfully completed. With 2-4 bars signal strength (fluctuating during call), only 31% were successfully completed. With 1-3 bars signal strength (fluctuating during call), only 6% were successfully completed call.

"Most of the above calls were made before I bought the external antenna. Calls that fail with 1-3 bars can often work successfully by moving the antenna to the opposite side of the vehicle or moving outside to a more open location.

"All in all, I am very pleased with my purchase and am delighted not to have to depend on camp hosts, store owners or truck stops for getting my email."

Another member is less satisfied: "We use our Nokia 6160 to connect to the Internet for downloading mail. We use AT&The one-rate plan and the NOK 6 cable we bought from Nokia. Service has been, at best, intermittent. In areas where AT&The doesn't provide service or doesn't have a contract, it's difficult or impossible to access the Internet. While cell phone coverage is becoming more pervasive, it still is far from universal. Recently I've found my e-mail program dropping messages which come through as empty. I sometimes miss whole digests. I think the speed of the Pentium /// chip may be a problem, but I get perfect, and fast, downloads over land lines and continue to have glitches with the cell phone. "

A third member is quite sure of his position: "[The speed] is usually about 20% of what you can do on a landline, and there are frequent interruptions. It's usually not worth it.

One member has reported success with Verizon wireless' national one rate plan and the Samsung 850 phone. That phone has a built in modem so all you need is the cable that connects your wireless into your computer ($50.00) . "I have used the setup at home in preparation for a trip and it seems to work very well not the quickest but not the slowest. You can use any ISP you wish I use AOL and the system works great, just sign on as you would on your land line." Before purchasing other equipment, you might want to check with Verizon to see if this will meet your needs.

There is also one other option you can use to download your email, and this doesn't even require a computer: PocketMail. This is a self-contained device you just place against the phone receiver to upload and download email? The June Highways magazine has an ad offering it for $119 plus $9.95 per month, and provides a toll-free number to call for uploading and downloading. This is designed to work with regular phones, but at least in theory they would work with a cell phone provided you had a good signal. Their drawback, however, is speed, limitations on the size of messages you can download. And the inability to file any messages for future reference. One member also indicated it did not work with a Bell South pay phone.

Many who have tired PocketMail, however, are quite happy with their results. One caution, though: "I wouldn't dream of using it for RV-The, 'cause I'd spend "all day" at the phone. To access RV-The while we're gone, we simply go to a local library and access our ISP's website and go through their web mail No problem and it gives us a chance to see some local scenery by visiting the library and a chance to exchange paperbacks at the libraries' paperback exchange. It makes MUCH more sense to use a $120 product with a $10/month service charge for e-mail than an expensive computer. It's also much more easy to carry, and sort of "disposable" (and acceptably so) when technology changes."

One note of importance to all our members: Since these folks have a much slower connection, it is important that all of the messages we send to RV-Talk (and especially to the full-time list) be as concise and clear as possible. This request has been seen on all lists over and over. "I wish the folks on RV-Talk would reduce bandwidth as much as possible. There is much too much extra "junk" contained in many of the messages on RV-Talk. It costs time and money while I am using a cell phone to download email messages on RV-Talk."

Technology is constantly changing, of course, so before long we will probably have computers with improved cell-phone capacity built in. Areas of the country that previously offered few towers and presented difficulties in finding enough signal strength are now improving. But for the time being, you'd better be prepared for some frustration and patience to make it work.