Road Trip Electronics

No Road Trip worth taking these days is complete without a wide range of onboard electronics.  So, just what do we carry?

Here's a mostly complete list.  (Photos to follow)

Cell Phones

We carry two identical cell phones each with their own number.  We also carry a spare battery that fits either phone as well as both a 12 volt car charger and the traditional wall charger.  We typically travel with the cell phones turned off for two reasons:

1) We don't want to run down the battery and,
2) We don't want to be interrupted during Road Trip Time.

Ham Radio

We carry a 2 meter handheld with a special antenna.  In our tests, we've been able to reach out 70 miles (line-of-sight) with this antenna.  We always check to see which is the nearest HAM repeater and program teh frequency into our handheld.

CB Radio

This is a classic portable 1978 CB radio that clips to the car battery for its power.  We've never had to use it but we figure it can't hurt to carry it.

Netbook computer

We carry a little Windows 7 netbook PC that has one gig of RAM and maybe a hundred gigs of storage space.  It's perfect for checking email and weather and looking at our photos.  It is also set up to receive data from our GPS.

Garmin 60CSX GPS

This unit rides in a special carrier on our windshield.  It collects track and waypoints data which we download onto Google Earth and Google Maps.

GoPro Hero2 helmet camera

This unit now rides as a hood ornament.  We're are learning how to take time lapse photos and convert them pictures into a YouTube video

Digital cameras

We carry three digital cameras.  We each have a small "point & shoot" camera and we also carry an old Fuji with a 15x optical zoom and a great panorama feature.

Video camcorder

We carry a real nice video camera for interviews and capturing specific scenes that can be made into videos to support the goals and objectives of any given Road Trip.

Digital voice recorder

There's NOTHING better for making Road Trip notes than a digital voice recorder.  They simply can't be beat.

Digital laser thermometer

The point & shoot thermometer is very useful for checking "real" engine temperatures when we suspect the vehicle might be overheating.  We've learned the temperature gauge might not be an accurate indicator of "real" engine temps.  The digital non-contact thermometer settles the issue once and for all.

Digital atomic clock

We like knowing what time it is when we are sleeping.  This little lighted clock goes everywhere we go.

CO Detector

If we are staying in a motel, we will take our carbon monoxide detector as a safeguard.

LED flashlights

We carry a variety of LED handheld and headlamp-style LED flashlights as well as lot sof spare AA & AAA batteries for them and the various items above.

OPTIONAL:

XM Radio

Depending on the length and location of the Road Trip, we may take out portable XM Radio outfit.  It all fits into a plastic shoe box and comes in real handy during longer Road Trips.

Our Electronic Wish List

• Digital Tire Gauge
• Small portable computer scanner
• Electronic range finder
• Better vehicle sound system

The biggest key to happy and successful use of such a bewildering array of electronics on a Road Trip is to have a safe storage plan for each item; to make sure all batteries are charged and to remember where everything is stowed.