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Italian Everest/K2: This dish you can't eat off of
19:52 p.m. EST Mar 24, 2004
The Italian Everest/K2 national team tested their expedition Internet connection just the other day. These guys aren’t messing around either. Forget the RBGAN’s and the Inmarsat’s, these guys are going to the dish.
This type of dish is called a VSAT, which stands for Very Small Aperture Terminal. Satellite based Internet connections are available in the US through some providers and is a good option for folks living out in the country who can’t get a DSL or Cable connection. It offers a high-speed link, however, there’s a bit of a lag when requesting information, the signal has a long way to travel from your terminal up to satellite to be relayed to a ground station.
Once you’re downloading, however, the stream is pretty fast. In the US, some VSAT systems can get upload speeds as high as 512 kps and download speeds as high as 2 Mps.
In the US, the cost for a small residential setup will run about 600 USD and then 60 USD a month for subscription fees. Setting up a VSAT in Pakistan is a little different, however. A 1.8 meter dish can cost several thousand dollars and monthly fees can be several hundred depending upon what type of package you opt for. Also, don't expect to get one of these into Base Camp unoticed.
Last year the Everest Base Camp Internet Café used a VSAT terminal located near Kala Patar for their access. An 802.11b wireless setup was used to get the Internet from the VSAT terminal at Kala Patar to the actual Base Camp Café. Currently this setup is down in Namche Bazaar, and there's a wifi hotspot off of it to boot. Dr. Luanne Freer from Everest Base Camp Medical Clinic just used it to send us an email, follow the link to the left to read the story.
This large, ambitious Italian expedition is sending a 19-member team to scale Everest’s north side this spring then two large teams to scale K2 from each side in commemoration the 50th anniversary of K2’s first ascent (by Italy).
Image of dish testing courtesy of Montagna.org.
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