Month: September 2022

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2022 Myrtle Beach

HDMI to Lightning Adapter

We currently have limited video sources for our HDMI monitor in the van.

We will have the Nintendo Switch, laptop and my iPad but they are not the most practical for dedicated video use.

I want my iPad and laptop reserved for my use (work and navigation) and since the Switch doesn’t play movies we needed something else.

Since I need to bring the kids’ iPad’s along anyway I thought they would be a good source for video. Unfortunately they, unlike my iPad mini 6th generation, have lightning ports and no USB-C.

Not wanting to pay Apple’s premium for an official Lightning to HDMI adapter, I bought a cheap HDMI to Lightning adapter from Amazon to solve this problem. It did not work.

After some more research I realized that finding a non-Apple adapter that actually works would be anything but trivial.

I gave up and went with a different approach. I am going to use a USB media player. I found a fairly inexpensive player that would do 1080p. The device was a few years old and did not support H.265 so I went with a slightly newer version that supports 4K (which I do not care about) and does support the H.265 codec. My reasoning for purchasing the more expensive newer unit is that if they claim it will handle 4k it should be VERY able to handle 1080p.

This dedicated media player has a few other advantages over using an iPad.

  1. It has a remote so the kids can use the device themselves – we only let them use the iPad’s in guided access mode
  2. It can play any content, we don’t have to worry about HDCP or other copyright protections.
  3. The unit is cheap enough that it can just live in the van

Hopefully it works as described.

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2022 Myrtle Beach

Revised Minivan Wiring Diagram

I’ve made some changes to the initial wiring diagram. By changes I actually mean I drew a new one.

The most notable changes are the inclusion of a USB media player inside the front console.

Also this diagram describes the device mounts and better indicates device placement.

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2022 Myrtle Beach

Hitch Mount Cargo Carrier

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2022 Myrtle Beach

Mobile food ordering while travelling

While I can’t say I love the food, I do love the conveinience of ordering McDonald’s ahead of time.

During a road tripAbout 30 minutes before our arrival, I will get the order all ready, asking everyone in the vehicle what they would like and then the moment we arrive. The order starts getting prepared and we are able to pick up our food or have it delivered to our vehicle in no time.

I never want to be the family trying to figure out what everyone wants in front of the cashier.

I want to use this same procedure during our travels as we will need some fast food during our outgoing and incoming journey . I decided it would be a good idea to test this out.

I tried to figure out a way to change my Canadian McDonald’s app to access US locations.

I tried searching for a US location in the app but could not. I searched Google, I tried to find a location change setting. I logged out and back in. I even tried reinstalling the app. I tried connecting through a VPN in the US and even turned of Location Services temporarily for the app.

It would not work.

I figured that the only solution was to install the US version of the app. This was not easy to accomplish.

I needed to created a new Apple ID with a US location which required a US phone number.

Luckily my VoIP provider could accomodate my needs cheaply so I bought a SC phone number for $0.85 USD/month and forwarded calls and texts to my cell phone.

During our trip I will re-purpose the voice handling of this number to make calls to Canada.

I finally was able to successfully get my US Apple ID setup with no payment method and logged in to the App store on my phone.

I then proceeded to download as many US based fast food apps that I could find.

I tested out the US McDonald’s app and was indeed able to find US McDonald’s.

I was able to add a Canadian credit card to the US app which was also a potential problem.

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2022 Myrtle Beach Uncategorized

Minivan Wiring Diagram

I have a few electronic devices I would like to use in our minivan on our trip.

The kids have a few as well.

Here is a diagram of all our devices and how will they be connected in our Minivan.

Cables

  • 3 x USB-C Male to USB-C Male (Power Only)
  • 1 x USB-C Male to USB-C Male (Video Support)
  • 3 x USB-A Male to Lightning

Devices

  • iPhone (John)
  • iPhone mini (Leanne)
  • iPad mini (For alternate GPS and/or movies)
  • iPad (Movies for the girls in the back)
  • Portable Monitor (for switch or iPad mini)
  • Nintendo Switch
  • MacBook Pro (for working)

Power

  • 2 x 2 port (USB-C, USB-A) 12V adapter
  • 1 x 4 port (2 x USB-C, 2 x USB-A) 12V adapter
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2022 Myrtle Beach

Weather Update

I know it is a little early but I don’t see any hurricanes that would affect our adventure yet.

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2022 Myrtle Beach

Data Roaming in the USA

Because of COVID-19, I haven’t been down to the United States for a few years now.

Before every trip to the US I would research various ways of getting low cost cell phone coverage down there. I have fond memories of surfing the web in the car on my HTC Touch, a privilege that would have cost me hundreds of dollars per month to have in Canada.

I’ve used prepaid AT&T SIM cards from eBay, SIM cards from the now defunct Roam Mobility and in later years Rogers’ Roam-Like Home. It has been getting easier and easier for Canadians to get decent roaming coverage in the USA. Rogers Roam-Like Home feature was by far the simplest option as it didn’t even require a SIM card swap; the catch though, it is/was pricey.

I am with Telus now and was prepared to just use their Easy Roam feature which gives me access to all my current cellular plan features, including unlimited calling and access to my shared data for only $12/day. This doesn’t sound too bad unless you actually do some math.

We will be in the US for 12 days and both my wife and myself will want to use our cell phones while travelling.

$12/day x 2 lines x 12 days = $288 CAD + HST.

I have a tablet plan as well and I am not sure if the above figure includes roaming for my tablet or not.

With the bar set so high I was pretty sure I could find a not too difficult way to get cheaper cell phone coverage while travelling.

I found several reasonable travel data eSIM offers, however I could not find one that actually included voice or text, just data.

Then I discovered T-Mobile and their wonderfully simple T-Mobile Prepaid app.

Their pricing is decent (at least compared to anything available in Canada). I estimate it will cost us approx. $130 CAD and will included unlimited data. I tested out the T-Mobile Prepaid app and It seems pretty simple to use. I don’t have to swap out my SIM card as T-Mobile uses eSIM. I can sign up in the app and it appears I can use a Canadian credit card to pay.

I am pretty excited to give them a go.

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2022 Myrtle Beach

Myrtle Beach 2018 Plan Revisited

Hurricane Florence
By NASA - https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/hurricane-florence-viewed-from-the-space-station, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=72686897

I spent a good portion of 2018 planning a trip to Myrtle Beach. I had every little detail planned out: where we would eat, where we would stay, where we would stop. I spent hours tracing our entire route, mapping out every single McDonald’s (for bathroom breaks) over the 1,500 km plus route to Myrtle Beach.

My planning was almost perfect, with one tiny exception who goes by the name of Florence.

I like travelling in September because places are less crowded and prices are cheaper due to most kids being back in school. Unfortunately, September is also prime hurricane season.

Our resort cancelled our reservation and we were forced to exchange my meticulous plan for a new destination.

We haven’t had a chance to revisit my plan due to some minor health issues and of course, COVID-19. It looks like Myrtle Beach will finally happen in 2022.

Next month in October (which is not prime hurricane season) we will execute my plan.

I am so enthusiastic about this trip I even splurged on a new domain name just for this trip.

Since things do change in 4 years (especially during a pandemic) I have had to make a few minor changes to my plan. A few restaurants had to be removed as they don’t exist anymore and I was forced to book a different resort. Apparently 1,500 sq. ft is not enough for 3 adults and 4 children.

Here is my updated Furkot trip:

View my Myrtle Beach 2022 plan on Furkot