Expedition Loap Solo 2006

So finally everything works! » 23. 6. 2006 at 11:32

The message you are reading right now, I wrote on my computer, however, it was sent to the website through my PDA (pocket pc) and satellite phone. It is already second message which was transmitted this way. I sent the first one early this morning. I wouldn’t mention it if it hadn’t taken me two years to programme, learn a lot of new things and, of course, worry if this all will eventually work at all. Another reason why I’m talking about this, is also a fact that on this “communication system” – as I proudly call it, is based my whole expedition to Iceland. From the very beginning when I started to plan the journey, I wished I had a chance to share somehow all the information. I mean in real time. I just wanted to make it possible for anybody interested to watch the whole expedition progress. I am not doing it for fame or any such a silly reason. I just feel that it would be a shame not to write about my gained experience. I am also hoping that with the time, information provided on this website might be helpful for somebody who is planning his own journey. It doesn’t matter if the goal is to traverse a glacier or climb a mountain. From my experience, and I’m sure it’s not only mine, I know that there are still very few similar information on the website and it is very hard to find it.

How it all actually works… The system is based on a a free accessible publishing software for blogs (internet diaries) – WordPress – which is like an engine of this web page. This system editor makes sure that messages are automatically published and that it is possible to search them, write comments etc. Obviously, it’s not only about downloading it all from internet and installing it. I also had to edit quite a bit the WordPress code itself. Later I am planning to post details what and how exactly the code was modified. Another important part of the system is satellite phone and PDA. It is not important what kind of PDA you have. The only requirement might be CF (compact flash) expansion slot which enable to plug in a special adaptor connecting PDA and satellite phone. The selection of a satellite phone depends on in what part of the world your planned expedtion will be taking place. There are three satellite network providers but only Iridium provides global coverage. The other operators are Thuraya and Globalstar.

Sending a message. Especially for PDA, I edited part of WordPress from where new messages are transmitted. Thanks to this modification I don’t have to be on line while writing the text. So I write a note, attach a photo from my digital camera and click on press key SENT. PDA connected via cable to satellite phone which is used as a dial-up modem will dial the internet accessing number and transmit the message onto the server where my web page is saved. Once on the server, it is managed by WordPress which publishes a new message automatically. The whole process of transmission doesn’t take more than five minutes.