The first of the two field sites we set up was in Barrow, Alaska, on the beach in front of the BASC Theatre.
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Prior to our arrival, ASTAC had trenched in our cables so that we could operate without having our cables crossing the road. Here you can see the orange conduit sticking up out of the beach sediment.
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Since the sediment on the beach in Barrow does a lot of moving around in big storms, we needed a heavy platform for the antennas that wasn't going to shift around in storms.
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We joked that the platforms would make a good dance floor on the beach! Here is Brad Heaston, BASC, and Rachel Potter, UAF.
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Hank Statscewich, UAF, fishing a line through our smurf tube so that we can pull the cables through.
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Rachel is preparing the antennas for deployment in the warm, dry BASC theatre.
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Hank adds the finishing touches to the antennas before we take them out to the beach for set up.
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All of the antennas were marked with reflective tape for safety.
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The receive antenna at Barrow, with a barge and tug steaming by.
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The surf breaking on the beach in Barrow.
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Peter Winsor, UAF, gives a thumbs up for the transmit antenna.
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Hank and Peter made flagging to mark the underground cables.
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Rachel and Nok, BASC, head to the beach to calibrate the antennas with Scottie, BASC, following with the boat.
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The waves were calm that day, so we were able to launch from the beach. The antenna mounted to the zodiac tranmits a signal from the water back to the antennas so that we can calibrate our data.
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Our equipment housed in the BASC theatre.
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A successful installation! Rachel with the receive antenna. The only thing missing is the orange fencing we put around the perimeter of the bases.
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With Barrow finished, it was on to Wainwright for our second installation.
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Wainwright, Alaska, is about 70 miles southwest of Barrow.
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Wainwright has a population of about 500 - 600 people.
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Coastal erosion is threatening the coastline of Wainwright, like so many other Arctic villages.
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Wainwright has a beautiful tundra coastline with a bluff and wide beach.
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Rachel and Peter checked out some property owned by the Olgoonik Corporation for good antenna sites.
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Peter marked the transmit antenna location and prepared to set the guy lines.
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Hank attached the guylines and prepared to set up the antenna.
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Success! Transmit antenna up, and you can see the receive antenna in the background just to the left of Peter's head.
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Rachel gets ready to turn on the equipment.
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A view from the land of the antenna on the tundra. The one of the left is the receive antenna, and the transmit antenna is on the right.
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View of the receive antenna from the beach with Hank for scale.
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The transmit antenna from the beach.
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For internet in Wainwright, we set up a HughesNet satellite internet system.
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A close up of the HughesNet installation.
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Field electronics in Wainwright.
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Willie Nayakik, Wainwright, who took us out on his boat for the antenna calibration.
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View of northern Wainwright from the Willie's boat. Can you see the antennas?
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When the hard work ended, Hank took some time to check out the beach, happy to have another installation finished.
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