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Using starlink at mcmurdo station in Antarctica. The IP shows as Sydney, Australia.

by bizzyb 3y ago

rootsudo 3y ago
I would love to learn more about your day to day in Antarctica! Did Starlink really change everything for connectivity there? Do most people stay inside?
- bizzyb 3y ago
  Starlink was certainly a game changer for life around here. McMurdo is essentially a small town so many different jobs and routines to make everything go. Some stay inside all the time, some have to work outside a lot. https://brr.fyi/ https://brr.fyi/ is a really good blog from a person nearing the end of a year long deployment who writes much more eloquently than I ever could if you want to read more. Antarctica: A Year on Ice is an enjoyable film documentary from ~10 years ago. A Big Dead Place by Nicholas Johnson is also worth a read from the early 2000s.
bart__ 3y ago
Probably the coolest answer in this thread! Did Antarctica have any other option for internet, next to the previous gen satellites?
- bizzyb 3y ago
  Here at McMurdo we've had 24/7 satellite internet for at least as long as I've been coming down (~10 years). Think roughly a ~30mbps connection shared with ~1000 people with business and science bandwidth prioritized over personal browsing. So starlink has been a game changer for sure. At South Pole, I believe they don't yet have access to starlink. They also don't have 24 hour coverage for the few internet satellites they do get. I don't work in IT so don't have direct access to more specific information, and obviously I can't speak for the many other stations scattered throughout the continent.
  - mardifoufs 3y ago
    Woah! So there was just a single "downlink" for the entire station? Are there multiple starlink antennas now? I guess the upside is that you don't have issues with overloaded satellites in your area :')
  - kqr2 3y ago
    What kind of bandwidth do you get now with Starlink?
jonathantf2 3y ago
While analysing my web traffic I’ve seen 5 sessions from an IP registered to Starlink in Antarctica specifically

Using starlink at mcmurdo station in Antarctica. The IP shows as Sydney, Australia.

by bizzyb 3y ago

Using starlink at mcmurdo station in Antarctica. The IP shows as Sydney, Australia.

I would love to learn more about your day to day in Antarctica! Did Starlink really change everything for connectivity there? Do most people stay inside?

bizzyb 3y ago
Starlink was certainly a game changer for life around here. McMurdo is essentially a small town so many different jobs and routines to make everything go. Some stay inside all the time, some have to work outside a lot. https://brr.fyi/ https://brr.fyi/ is a really good blog from a person nearing the end of a year long deployment who writes much more eloquently than I ever could if you want to read more. Antarctica: A Year on Ice is an enjoyable film documentary from ~10 years ago. A Big Dead Place by Nicholas Johnson is also worth a read from the early 2000s.

bart__ 3y ago

Probably the coolest answer in this thread! Did Antarctica have any other option for internet, next to the previous gen satellites?

bizzyb 3y ago
Here at McMurdo we've had 24/7 satellite internet for at least as long as I've been coming down (~10 years). Think roughly a ~30mbps connection shared with ~1000 people with business and science bandwidth prioritized over personal browsing. So starlink has been a game changer for sure. At South Pole, I believe they don't yet have access to starlink. They also don't have 24 hour coverage for the few internet satellites they do get. I don't work in IT so don't have direct access to more specific information, and obviously I can't speak for the many other stations scattered throughout the continent.
- mardifoufs 3y ago
  Woah! So there was just a single "downlink" for the entire station? Are there multiple starlink antennas now? I guess the upside is that you don't have issues with overloaded satellites in your area :')
- kqr2 3y ago
  What kind of bandwidth do you get now with Starlink?

jonathantf2 3y ago

While analysing my web traffic I’ve seen 5 sessions from an IP registered to Starlink in Antarctica specifically