May 5-13, 2005: Bering Glacier Camp - Equipment Staging and VSat Installation
Notes submitted by Martin LaFevers.
Accompanying photos:
5/5
Arrived in Cordova at 6pm. John Sandru and Martin LaFevers.
Car Rental: Cordova Auto Rentals 424-5982 $88/day for a big scary van. $3.30/gal for gas.
Lodging: Bears Den 424-7168. Nice kitchen, phone, shower, cabin that sleeps 8 is best, on the
Eyak River. $75/person. Highly recommended.
5/6
Checked on Vsat mast and solar swingset pipe at Plumbline 424-7205. Was not finished or
started. Checked on freight at Alaska Marine Lines 424-4780, subsidiary of Lynden transport.
Separated out minimum equipment needed for vsat receive site on Bering Glacier. Helped move
the rest of the equipment to a storage reefer. Batteries arrived from manufacturers only the day
before. Made contact with Fishing and Flying in case needed. Called Scott Guyer to discuss SkyVan flight
details. I spoke with him on Saturday, we made arrangements to fly to the Bering Glacier Camp at 9am
Tuesday.
5/9
AML transported our Vsat stuff to the airport. See Tom, Jack or Dan for access to tarmac
through DOT 424-3202. Picked up pipe from Plumbline and put it with the rest of the stuff.
Picked up the rest of our tools/solar panels from Fairbanks on AK Airlines. Checked in again
with Gayle Ranney at Fishing and Flying 424-3324 in case charter was needed.
5/10
Arrived at airport at 8:30 am ready to fly. By 10 am there was still no Skyvan. Called Steve
Estes at the lab, no word from Scott Guyer. I went to Fishing and Flying. Scott had been in
touch and said he would be able to send the skyvan by 3pm. At 3pm, Gayle came to meet us at the
tarmac and told us the skyvan pilot was refusing to fly our equipment because he did not know of
any provision for payment. I then waited at Fishing and Flying for Scott to check in from the camp.
I told him the situation and he got in touch with the pilot to straighten out the details. SkyVan
arrived around 5pm. Loaded 2800lbs and the pilot departed with John Sandru at about 6:30. SkyVan
could not haul all the gear so I chartered the Beaver with F&F. We were still short 4 batteries.
Those came out with our return flight on 5/13.
Communication provided by Fishing and Flying saved the day.
Arrived at camp around 7:30 pm.
5/11
Selected Vsat site. Specified location using GPS. Called Estes at UAF, he tested the selection
with a GPS in relation to the field sites using Radio Mobile. Checked out OK. Site is about 75
feet toward the outhouses from the camp cook tent.
Using 4 wheeler, transported equipment to the site. Assembled swing sets for solar panels. Dug 2'
holes for solar panel swing set legs. Ground is mostly rounded cobbles with sand and gravel. Little
soil and no bedrock. Dug 4' hole for VSAT mount. Leaves 5' for above ground dish mount on the 4"
diameter pipe. Very dusty, windy conditions.
5/12
Rain. Sideways most of the time. For each swing set leg: poured 60lb mortar w/ 1 bucket sand/gravel
local mix using electric mixer and camp portable generator. 4x same mix for vsat pole. Local fill on
top. Wired batteries into place in hut with 8ga wire. Mounted power board on back wall with bolts
through the hut. Batteries are hooked to board in two sets, but the fuses are not in place. Extra
fuses are on site. Board design follows drawing by Estes with the addition of a second 14 slot terminal
strip with #6 screws for load. Drilled an extra drain hole in hut. Rain did not stop all day.
5/13
Rain. Windier. Cleaned up our area. Mixer and buckets are by the camp semi-permanent structures.
Returned to Cordova via F&F. We were of the last to leave, the final person left about 1-1/2 hour after
us. Conditions barely allowed escape.
Stored in hut:
cement mixer motor, 2 shovels, 1 pick, 1 pulaski, ziplocks, duct tape, butane solder iron, 1 can extra
butane, 2 spray galvanize cans, 3 tubes silicon, pipe cutter w/ xtra blades, wd40, 2 small sledge, 2 hand
trowel, 5' pry/dig bar, copper grade anti seize, shop towels, mixer instructions, solar panel instructions,
wind generator instructions, 4 turnbuckles, hardware to secure hut to stakes, fuses for power board, U
bolts to mount stock to swing sets, mount bolts for stock to panel mounts, 8ga black, 8ga red wire for
solar panels, 1/2"conduit fittings, 1" conduit fittings for solar swing set junction box, hose clamps to
secure conduit, coax for vsat with several fittings and boots, Vsat modem, Vsat feed horn, Vsat horn
protector, 16ga black, 16ga red arctic flex hookup wire, 8ga ring terminals for batteries, 100' direct
burial romex, some thru bolts to replace allen nuts on solar racks, Q330 digitizer with gps, power/data
cable, episensor with Q330 data cable, 6 RJ45 slot hub with dc power cable, fiberglass repair kit for Vsat
dish. Box of tower hardware including ss washers, cotter pins, cable thimbles, cable clamps for three towers.
Outside hut:
6xBP3125 solar panels, aluminum stock (un-drilled) to mount panels to swing set, 4 screed stakes, 1/2" flex
conduit, 1" flex conduit, vsat dish
Stored in Cordova at AML:
6 huts with screed stakes, mount hardware, solar wire and entrance ells, 2" cable entrance ells, fittings
and reducers for 1-1/4 internal pvc antennae mounts. 3' screed stakes for huts. Some shelves are on left,
some are on right depending on telemetry direction to Bering Glacier. 3 tower sections with base plate,
screed stake pin, collar, 3 screw anchors for vsat comm. Erection fixture for any assistance needed.
2 more 9' tower top sections for wind generators with base plates and screed pins, 9 tower turnbuckles.
7 seismic vaults, foamed and with lids, chain, and locks. 2" pvc conduit inside foam wall for wire feed
through. 1-1/4" pvc lengths for hut internal antennae mounts, Tower climbing harness, two wind generators,
24 60lb buckets of cement. Approximately 16,560 lbs.
Still to be done at Bering Glacier Camp:
1. Mount solar panels to swingset. Aluminum stock is in two different lengths. Swing set cross members are
stock specific. Lots of drilling involved. Wire to power panel in hut and enclose in conduit.
2. Place vsat on mount pole and secure. ***feed horn arms in Cordova in back of storage reefer***.
Install feed horn and connect to modem in hut. Modem needs a weather resistant enclosure of some type
with power and coax feed-throughs. Bring a couple of extra F style coax connectors.
3. Final 4 batteries need hookup. Wires for 2 are in hut. 8ga and terminals are in hut to build remaining.
4. Install 2x9' tower sections. Guy for secure, install wind generators with romex.
5. Build 3 section comm tower and guy.
6. Repair vsat dish with fiberglass kit.
Minimum need to bring:
solar mounts for huts, standard allen wrench set for speed rail, liquid electric tape or other sealant for
xtra hut drain holes, F coax connectors and crimp tool, Dewalt set with xtra bits for drilling swing set
replacement bolts, metric speed wrench for wind generator mount, battery cables for remote sites.
Telemetry equipment. Radios and coax, hose clamps to secure coax, flex conduit if desired, antennas.
Seismic equipment. Sensors, digitizers and cables.
Bering Camp Notes:
Showers available. No laundry available. Sleeping space is doubtful; need own tents and sleeping gear.
Cooking and cleaning are duties designated by camp supervisor. Keep this in mind when flying as you may
not have any food or way to cook it when you get back. The quiet hours are 10pm to 7am. BLM requires a
shotgun safety class. We had a bear walk through camp while we were there. Bear spray strongly
recommended as a minimum to sleep with. Also suggest a 4-wheeler safety class.
