Installation Notes:

The Dish Antenna should be located near the Dome and elevated on a platform at least
2 meters. We will start with a fixed antenna for now; perhaps go to elevation-only
steering as a future enhancement to increase bitrate and/or improve reliability.

The Preamplifier should be located at the dish, and should be one that will operate at
the expected ambient temperature (-100F).

The transmit up-converter and power amplifier will need to be located near the dish,
and installed in a reasonably temperature controlled environment.

It would probably be best to use a vault beneath the surface, with AC power available
for the equipment and heating system. There should also be a temperature interlock
system to prevent inadvertent use at temperatures which are too hot or too cold.

It will be necessary to make provisions for remotely monitoring the health of the
equipment at the Communications building.

Standard RG-8 cable or equivalent can be used to bring the receive signal into the
building and the 70 MHz transmit signal out to the vault.

3) Both Systems

The Modems, Receivers, and 10.7 to 70 MHz Up-converters are common to both
systems, and spares can be used accordingly. Spares for other components must be
provided.

The selected Ethernet Router must handle both systems automatically, and spares for
this critical item must be provided. It will also be necessary to use the same type of
router at the CONUS connection(s).

Future:

The total throughput will likely be less than 100 Mbytes/day, insufficient for the 400 Mbytes/day estimate given by CARA as necessary within 3 years. The GOES-2/LES-9 plan may be supplemented by the Marisat F1 satellite, if it becomes available for use at Pole. Future large bandwidth requirements may be satisfied by a possible TDRS link to Pole.

However, the Internet connection will benefit all experiments and users, providing easier access to CONUS and significantly more bandwidth than is offered now. This plan will provide a working model to explore alternate methods of increasing data bandwidth and internet connection time.

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