Dongles and camping

I've been using my dongle it's on 3G but although I have an excellent signal it often loses it's connection or pages don't load while it is still connected and it's driving me nuts ...... I expect it to be slower but when you've typed a reply and go to post it and get an 'Oops' message it's really annoying  I have to disconnect it and then reconnect to get back even though it's already connected  

I didn't have the best of luck with my dongle. Not just the dongle but the whole service. While 3 have provided great customer service with my phone the dongle side of the company was completely useless.
I'll let you see how you get on with my phone at the weekend. I'm using it for an internet connection at the moment. When I have checked with a speed test the least I have seen is 31/2 meg and the best is 91/2.
The only issue I have had is that if I set up a WIFI zone with the phone rather than tethering my laptop it uses battery power faster than it charges. So it can only provide a zone for a few hours and that is starting with a full battery.

Is the problem that you go and stay in a beautiful place where very few live so 3 etc don't bother spending lots of money giving good signal coverage meaning you have a weak signal.

There was a time when mobile phones were made out of house bricks when you could plug in an external aerial. They had them stuck on the rear window of their Cavaliers.

I just wonder if there is a way of improving reception, perhaps by placing the unit on a metal tray or even the car roof.

My dongles showing it has a full signal ?

We've decided to take the Dandy to Anglesey for a couple of nights before returning for the meet so I'll see if it's any better over there  

When using a dongle i learnt to copy before clicking post just in case i had to reconnect and click paste  

Yep I learned to copy and paste now especially when I've uploaded a picture that takes a while ........ the people with the virgin connection may have got wise, it now asks for details when I try to use it.  ....... I think that's rather uncharitable when I'm only using it for here and not downloading