| This is a 1.8 meter non-penetrating Prodelin VSAT satellite system we maintained for AT&T at Camp Camanche next to the Tusla airport in Bosnia. I was part of IFOR and the peace keeping mission there. I maintained this system for about one month as a replacement for another technician rotating out. I must say there were some things I would have done differently on this site, but I had to follow instructions from other AT&T personnel. I believe that this dish would have performed better if we had elevated it off the ground. The line of sight to the satellite put the signal path very close to the horizon and barely skimming a tree line in the distance. Elevating this dish five or ten feet would have peaked it's performance. The system did work well "most" of the time, but required regular resetting on the modem demod cards because of sync losses. The system had ten telephones that allowed troops to get an AT&T line and call home to their friends and family. The calls were a little expensive, but I think it was a great service to build moral for the troops. I consider this one of my greatest experiences, and I would do it again if I was asked to. I felt very safe and secure with 50 Comanche and Apache helicopters right beside me! Snipers were my only concern, but I was very careful not to wear flashy shiney objects or allow the cherry on my cigarette to be visible at night. I even road the bus into the city of Tusla by myself and never had a problem. What a lucky young fool I used to be. Actually I believe I was blessed by god. The people in Bosnia were very nice and kind to me. It would be a pleasure to visit or work there again some day. |
