Friday 12-08-09

Yesterday our team split up. I and some others went to Dhankuta to install all equipment at a post office. And Jos and others went to Hile. Today the plan was to finish both sites. We didn't split up because neither site should take all day. First we all went to Dhankuta. All we needed to do is make a proper, working ethernet cable, add a batery, crimb some telephoe cables and configure the telephone. This time we managed to make a working ethernet cable because we were aware of the bad quality of the locally bougth Jacks. (Many of them were missing pins) While we finished tie cables some others attached a second battery. Once this was done, we plugged in the VoIP Phone and configured it. We already did this during training so it wasn't that difficult. But because we were in a bit of a hurry Mark did it himself. It went without much trouble and soon we could make a test call. After that we fixed the grounding wire and crimbed the last tepephone jack. Then we packed up and went to Hile. The landrover went first but the Microbus where I was in left about half an hour later because of some other pressing business.

When we arrived in Hile Mark was demonstrating how to put a grid antenna together. Others were busy fixing a pole in a roof were we would mount the antenna. This took quite some effort because we didn't have the equipment to properly fix the pole and it took a trip to the local welder to find a solution. At the same time, we aranged Momo's for lunch. This time, someone went to get them at a place so we could continue working on other stuff and lunch didn't take the usual hour. Then, all equipment was in place and we started aiming the antenna. The day before, they already tried a patch antenna and though they could view Namjey they couldn't get a decent antenna. A grid antenna should solve this problem because it has a stronger signal. But it also has a narrower reach and we couldn't get a connection tol Namjey. Then we tried the patch antenna but the signal we got was simply not strong enough. We tried aiming it for about one and a half hour but it simply didn't work. And seeing as tommorow would be the last day of training it was no use finding another location. It felt bad that we had to give up on Hile but we got the wrong GPS coordinates for both Hile and Dhankuta, making the original link between them impossible. And though a link between Hile and Namjey should be possible it requires reaiming or an additional antenna at Namjey.

Late in the afternoon we teamed up with the other trainees and Andris who split at the beginning. They went to several hard to reach sites and setup two telecenters as well. We discussed the plans for tomorrow and wile we went back to Bhedetar at around six the others would stay at Hile, looking for a better location in Hile and would team up with us in Bhedetar in the morning. For tomorrow, the plan was to finish up Bhedetar and Dhandabajar.

So again it was a long day of work. And though it feld good to finish Dhankuta it was a disappointment that we couldn't get the link in Hile to work. But you can't expect everything to go smoothly.

Daan