Communication Computers are wonderful, but if the bike were an island of MIPS unconnected to the world its utility would eventually seem questionable. Publishing, network communications, security, ham radio -- all depend on links between BEHEMOTH and people (or machines) out there. Strangely, one of the features of the Winnebiko II that most appealed to people was the cellular phone. Perhaps this is just because it happened to be one of the few recognizable components, but I prefer to think that it's because there is a fundamental human fascination with staying in touch while moving around. (The Oki cellular phone on the bike is no longer recognizable... it was repackaged and integrated into the network like everything else. Who needs all that excess plastic?) Cellular phone has become a ubiquitous part of business communications, and a number of interesting products are emerging to take advantage of it. I carry both a Microcom Microporte (MNP-10) and the CellBlazer modem mentioned above, allowing communication with traditional wireline services while mobile or camped away from RJ-11 modular jacks. And should I need a modular jack for something, I can plug into the cellphone via a product called the Celjack. This allows the use of fax, a credit-card verifier, and an answering machine no matter where I happen to be. Naturally, I also carry standard modems for use when twisted-pair phone lines are available (as well as acoustic cups for pay phones and a pair of alligator clips for motels that are still in the dark ages). Of course, cellular phones require users to be within range of a transmitter site, and they also cost quite a bit to operate. The first problem has been partly alleviated with the addition of a 6-element yagi beam antenna from Larsen, but a much more dramatic long-term solution is the OmniTRACS satellite terminal from Qualcomm. This 1-watt spread-spectrum 14 GHz transceiver gives me 24-hour coverage over all of North America via the GTE GSTAR satellite and Qualcomm's Network Management Center in San Diego. A fully automated network gateway links mail sent via this path into the Internet, but for non-business communications I prefer to depend on ham radio. Ham radio has the advantage of coming complete with a fairly cohesive community of users, which has greatly simplified the problem of finding help or places to stay in strange towns. As an energetic hobbyist culture, it's hard to beat, and a flood of new developments in high-speed packet networking, satellites, television, and other modes are keeping it interesting. At the "appliance" level, a miniature Icom handheld 2-meter transceiver is repackaged and built into the console, allowing me to chat easily with Maggie, other companions, and local hams as we travel (there's a push-to-talk switch on the left handgrip, and the unit is ported into the bike's audio network). I also carry a small handheld when I'm off-bike for pretty much the same reasons. It gives a traveler in a strange town a nice sense of security to key up a local repeater, identify (N4RVE), and find immediate welcome from local hams. Traditional HF ham radio is supported as well, via an Icom 725 mounted in the trailer. This rig has a computer-control port, making it easy to operate mobile using a compact folding dipole fashioned from Outbacker mobile whip antennas. When camped, I unroll a wire dipole from a pack and operate under more normal conditions. Whatever the mode, the HF station provides not only the well-known fun of ham radio but also the virtual certainty of finding someone, somewhere, in the event of an emergency.There's more. Yaesu 290 and 790 multimode rigs for VHF and UHF are in the trailer as well, and these not only give me a high power option for long-range repeater use, but also handle packet radio -- including the PSK mode required for Microsat operation. Terrestrial packet radio links me to a global wireless electronic mail network entirely owned and operated by hams... and the new satellites add the remarkable capability of making an email connection twice a day from anywhere in the world (given suitable antennas). These tools are growing fast, and can even provide relatively seamless TCP/IP links with Internet and other services... putting me in direct (albeit leisurely) contact with millions of computer users worldwide even from a campsite in the middle of nowhere, whether via packet or AMTOR. The only caveat with ham radio use is express prohibition of business traffic, and I have one application that is clearly in that category: laptop-to-bike data link for manuscripts, control, and correspondence. For this, I use a pair of business-band UHF data radios with dedicated TNCs (terminal node controllers) from PacComm. These offer an extremely useful feature not normally found in such components -- a parallel I/O port. Because of this, I can leave the bike's packet station active when everything else is shut down, then "sign on" via laptop from a distance and transmit commands that cause the control system to be powered up and patched through the packet link to my remote "console." At this point, I can do anything that is possible from the bike seat: spin up hard disks and transfer files, connect to online services via cellular modem, check batteries, set security functions, make loud noises, talk to passers-by with the synthesizer while monitoring their responses through a wireless intercom, and so on. The last ham radio component is a small color TV transceiver from AEA, which will tie into my 8mm video equipment to allow sharing the sights with a growing community of amateur TV stations. There's just no shortage of experimental gizmology to keep me amused out there...