December 16, 1999

Doug Quin testing the SatlinkB Portable Inmarsat Terminal. (Photo by Steve Dunbar).

It was a busy day at Palmer today. Steve, Chip and I then turned our attention to setting up the satellite telephone link that will enable us to broadcast live on New year's Eve and New Year's day. (See the "Events" page for details). Some of the cutting edge technologies that we will be employing include the Commercial Satellite Systems SatlinkB Portable Inmarsat Terminal, as well as the Telos Systems Zephyr codec: a device that compresses audio into MP3 data for digital transmission.

Chris Denker moves the satellite antenna wind shelter.

Both groups have generously lent their equipment to the project and we are all excited by the possibilities of staging such a remote broadcast. With a flurry of e-mails and Inmarsat telephone calls back and forth between Rolf Taylor, senior engineer at Telos, and Kevin Caccamise of the engineering department at Commercial Satellite Systems, we proceed with our set-up. Steve coordinated the mounting of the antenna and arranged for a specially constructed wind shelter that was built by Steve Navarro and Keith Tuley, the two carpenters on Station. The roof of the Bio Lab seemed to be a good spot, but we were concerned about possible interference from other antennae, so we decided to try out a different spot for our antenna. Chris Denker, a cargohandler and heavy machine operator, accommodated us by moving the wind shelter from the roof. We successfully placed calls to Cleveland and to California and still have a few days of testing to try out voice as well as data transfer.

The Telos Zephyr

At about 3:00pm the cruise ship, Explorer, paid a visit with a complement of 30+ tourists. They had a tour of Palmer and its facilities, did a little shopping, and stopped by the galley for refreshments and an opportunity to chat with folks on Station. We were treated to a wonderful rendering of the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his 1914-1916 voyage on the Endurance by historian Tim Baughman. His lastest book is called, Pilgrims on the Ice: Robert Falcon Scott's First Antarctic Expedition.

Tourists drop by for a visit from the Explorer.	Andy Young, Mechanic and Head of the Glacier Search and Rescue Team, prepares to give a tour of Palmer Station.
A visit to the Palmer Station Gift Shop.	Elissa "Missy" Mills (left) and Alana Jones (right) lend a hand at the Gift Shop.