Out a Ways

[Rcobena]

Well, yes - I bet so. Wow - I guess I don't watch the national weather too much; just check the local to see about my spring spraying program. I did not realize it was still snowing. I've went to Grand Rapids about two years
ago on business - had a great steak dinner downtown. I was quite impressed with the atmosphere there - I liked the historic architecture downtown. My local business hosts there were very nice people.

Oregon is nice - I am not a native, just a transplant from the Bay Area to the south. But I sure do like it hear. The rains are a bit trying during the winter but overall pretty mild and you learn to appreciate the fresh clean feeling of the sea mist.



gonna_get_it_right_yet

 

[BobT]

Go to www.getspeed.com. Type in your address and phone info, and they will report on all available broadband options for you. DSL is excellent, if you live within 12,000 feet of the CO (central office) switch. Otherwise, your cable TV company may have cable modem available. If neither one of these are in your area, you can look for wireless coming to market later this year. www.getspeed.com will show you the options.

BobT

A Indiana Boy

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Hey Chris,
What a coincidence! When you said that you were from beautiful Floyd, Va., I about fell over. Well I am from beautiful Pulaski Co., in the Draper area. Small world!
Jesse Shelton

 

[Chris]

Hey Jessie: I moved from Floyd to the "suburbs" (Riner) about 4 years ago. Mostly because of the schools, but also because of my commute to Roanoke everyday. We plan to move back to Floyd County in the next 5-10 years, after my oldest graduates from high school and my youngest gets out of elementary school. Riner is nice, but it's growing up too fast (I guess I'm partly to blame for that, since I built a house in one of these new subdivisions).
Chris in Riner

 

[Chris]

BobT: Thanks. I'll check it out. I know I don't live within 12,000 ft. of a CO switch, and our rural neighborhood is not serviced by a cable company. I'll see what they tell me my options are.
Chris in SW Va

 

[Wil]

Yes PBurns aka Lil' Paul, thanks for the suggestion. I e-mailed their web site about 2+ months ago, twice, trying to find out if I could use my current ISP, since they are not working with all ISPs. They never bothered to respond to my e-mail. I subscribe to DirecTV since there is no cable out here, but would have to get the new dish for Direct PC.
That is one thing about trying to do business on the web, there are so many businesses with web sites that fail to respond to potential customers. I've sent e-mail to 3 pool supply business in the past 2 weeks trying to get parts for my above ground pool pump and haven't received a single responce. Granted it isn't a big dollar sale but I'd think they would realise some one doing business on the web, that receives good service, is a potential long term customer.


Wil

 

[jyoutz]

Amazing how viewpoints change from place to place. In the Rocky Mountain west where I live, its nothing at all to drive long distances to town (westerners use hours instead of miles to talk distance). In my own situation, I only live 5 miles from town (just a one horse burg), drive 50 miles each way to work, the nearest decent-sized town is 130 miles and the nearest city is 200 miles. It's nothing to see neighbors heading to the city on weekends to "hit to mall" or attend a baseball game.

 

[Wes Crawford]

Alan L, I'm using a metal building for a cabin and tractor storage and RV storage. I built a 30' by 64' metal building and finished out one end for a cabin and use the other end for book storage and future tractor storage (I'm just about ready to buy a Bota.). I'm going to try attaching a photo of my structure to show you what can be done with a metal building. If the photo doesn't attach, email me and I'll send it to you privately.

Wes Crawford

 

[Wes Crawford]

Now that I figured out how to attach a photo, here is another of my "Metal Building" for cabin use and tractor storage.

 

[Rob W.]

My wife and I just bought 63 acres near her parents 600 acres. We live in a city of 200,00, the state capital, and will commute 60 miles one-way. You can only imagine the reaction we get..." you are crazy"..."nuts to drive that far.." A minority who share similar outdoor interests have given their support. I work a lot, put in long hours, but this place is incredible. 15 acres tillable, balance in hardwoods mostly with about 5 acres of prarie, 3 natural year round springs, and a 1 1/2 acre pond. We don't close until June 1, and I can't wait! I have been a tractor board junkie trying to decide on a compact tractor. Thanks for all of the viewpoints, it re-assures me that driving a long distance to work is not insane!

 

[Bird]

Not insane; just expensive and time consuming, but quite possibly well worth it. Many of my neighbors, who are not full time farmers or retired, drive 50 to 80 miles one way to work every day. Thank goodness I don't have to do that anymore!/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Bird

 

[Richard]

Hi Paul

What you refer to is the "Direct-Duo" dish. Although I have one, I don't completely use it. I am 25 miles from work, on the lake in a log home. No cable, even with cat-5 wiring, my modem line is MAX 14.4 so I spurged and got an ISDN line. Gives me 128K upload and download, cost 30/35 month PLUS it gives me two additional phone lines into the house over my regular line! Has proven to be sufficient enough for my needs that I have yet to turn on the dish, though I do use it (dish) for my TV reception.

Regards,
Richard

 

[Wingnut]

OK, Richard, out with it ... how did you manage to get an ISDN line when you're that far out in the boonies ... or did I interpret "25 miles from work" incorrectly? I've kill (well, ok seriously damage) for an ISDN or partial ... but have always been told you have to be within 5 miles of a switch (and preferably much closer) ... so I've always had to settle for fast modems.
Direct-PC ... the comm part of the DirectDuo ... is way too expensive for what you get. You restricted in how much downloading ... they control what servers you have access to ... and you still need the phone modem for the send end of it .... so I'd caution anyone about getting one ($49/month !!)

peter

too bad that common sense ain't

 

[Wingnut]

Wil,
I stuck to the BUD, but I am thinking of upgrading to digital via 4DTV soon (the little dish was not an option since they don't allow me to determine my "package ... and I refuse to pay for sports channels).
if the D-PC people still haven't gotten back to you (I had the same non-answer experience with them) ... the answer is "nope" ... they woulod have to be your ISP ... because they have to get the stuff you're asking for and send it to the uplink computer. Neat technology ... but way too restrictive (and I've always made it a point to let my ISP or anyone else know as little as possible about my routine or posts-of-call!)

too bad that common sense ain't

 

[Richard]

Ok Wingnut (Peter), I'll confess...

I live 25 miles from work, but only live about 4.3 miles from the sliq (or maybe slik?) The sliq is a "MAJOR" phone junction box that, you are correct, you have to live within something like 3 miles distance to get phone service. Well, I live 4.3 miles which is the reason my regular modem gets MAX 14.4. Here in Tennessee, the phone companies got into some kind of hot/warm water once, instead of paying fines or something, the agreed that they would build up this kind of infrastructure (or something like that). Upshot is, they (phone companies)are *R.E.Q.U.I.R.E.D* to deliver ISDN to anyone that requests it, no matter their pain/expense. To make matters worse /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif they only charge me $35 per month. It took them roughly 2 1/2 months to get all the kinks out of the line over that 4.3 mile distance. Since I live literally at the end of the road (the road disappears into the lake by our dock) and there are only maybe 10 houses within 2 miles of us, the phone company isn't going to put another Sliq at a 3 mile junction and put one closer to me. I could tell when I was talking with the local phone guy that they were losing money on me /w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif. I really hated that for him/them /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.

Richard

 

[Wil]

Yeah Wingnut, I guess I'm stuck with this slow connection until this area develops more and they run cable out here. I am not to anxious for that many neighbors, but it keeps developing out here so it probably won't be to much longer.

Wil