4 August 2017 Connectivity

Be honest. When was the last time you were in a place that didn't have cell phone reception or wifi? We rarely experience a moment anymore when our friends and family aren't a quick call, text, email, snapchat, or video call away. For better or worse, we can document our lives and share instantly with the world.

Lake Peters is one of the few remaining places with no cell reception or wifi. I will try to update you in real time during my expedition, but without cell networks, it will be tricky.

How does one communicate without "normal" routes of communication? One option is a satellite phone. Your cell phone signals a cell tower which relays the message to a satellite. If you aren't near a cell tower, your phone has no reception. A satellite phone, however, communicates with satellites directly. One type of sat phone is the Iridium phone. The Iridium network has been operational for almost 20 years. Its satellites orbit Earth at a speed of 17,000 mph, circling the Earth every 100 minutes! You may have even seen one speeding across the night sky. Occasionally their solar panels reflect the sun's light to Earth... a phenomena called an Iridium flare, which looks like a fast meteor illuminating rapidly before fading out.

Rebecca Harris practices making a call with an Iridium phone.

Iridium phones, like the one I have been issued, can be used like a phone or can connect a computer to the internet. But they need to "see" a satellite to work. Due to the rotation of Earth and orbital patterns, there are very few satellites over the poles at any given time. In the Arctic, I will need to point my sat phone south for it to connect, but at Lake Peters there are mountains to the south. The internet connection is also very slow. There isn't enough bandwidth to load web pages, so my computer and email needed to be configured so I can send and receive emails. Even properly configured it takes up to half an hour just to send one short email!

Iridium set-up for sending emails via satellite phone.

Before leaving, I spent many hours practicing with the sat phone, but connecting in the Arctic will be completely different. To find the strongest connection, I will have to try different times and locations. I wrote this journal ahead of time so you will know that I might not update every day, or reply to your questions right away. I will do my best to keep you updated, but in the Arctic, there are never any guarantees.

Rebecca Harris practices sending an email with an Iridium phone.