Can You Hear Me Now...? Or Now....? How about this...?
Being able to call anyone you like, anytime you like, is normal for most of us. But when I'm in the Dry Valleys of Antarctica, there won't be bathrooms (more on that later), let alone telephone poles or a cellphone network.
Because of this, I'm learning how to use a satellite phone. A satellite phone relies on a network of satellites orbiting around the planet. The idea is that I will send a signal up into space that will be received by one of these towers and then forwarded to a phone line in the United States. From there, my signal will be transported to where I like- maybe you if you tune into my Web Connect Event! The challenge is that the Earth moves, and so do the satellites. So... if my signal isn't passed on to the next satellite at the right moment, I get disconnected. Often and much.
For now, I practiced calling my mom. Oh, by the way, you have to be outside for the phone to work. I felt a little silly because there are perfectly good phones inside the training site... but that wasn't the point.
Lucy Coleman practicing with the satellite phone in Fairbanks, AK
Things got decidedly dicier once I was practicing sending an email via sat. phone, which is how I'll be posting journal entries from the field. The emails have to have really simple formatting and if I want to send photos, they must march through the atmosphere one email at a time... and even then it won't always work. When I was practicing, it took about 10 tries before an email went through. (Included was one time when I had a misunderstanding with my very patient instructor and disconnected the phone while it was sending. Oops.)
PolarTREC teacher Emily Dodson sending email via satellite phone.
I think I've got the hang of it, but will need to practice between now and October so as to avoid situations like this:
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