Who knows?

Last saturday night a tremendous thunderstorm tortured El Triple, Baja California, Mexico, where the Fuso Szulc is located.
The dark and threatening clouds had been seen approaching.
So, in time the Datastorm Satellite Disk had been brought down and put in the stow position flat against the roof of the expedition vehicle.

The rain the thunderstorm brought was incredible.
It was like a lake was emptied above the land.
And the lightning and thunder suggested a serious war.
Constantly all around the Fuso Szulc flashes, explosions and vertical light rays.

But inside the Fuso Szulc it was safe.
Like a protecting cocoon and haven.
No leaking this time.
And not noticeably hit by a lightning.

Fortunately, the thunderstorm, after more than an hour, subsided and it all cleared up.
Just before it was time to sleep.
A peaceful night nature allowed.

The next morning, last sunday, the Datastorm Satellite Disk system was activated and instructed to lock again to its assigned satellite: the SatMex 5.

It was unable to do so.
The Datastorm Satellite Disk would search the sky, find certain satellites, but not the SatMex 5.

This problem was experienced for 3 ½ days until a solution was found.

A Datastorm Satellite Disk system consists of three components.
The disk on the roof, the D3 controller of the disk and the HN 7000S modem that controls the internet communication.
Inside the digital memory of the D3 is a table of satellites ID's.
When the disk finds a signal of a satellite, it optimizes the connection and then checks with its table which satellite it is.
If it is not the one assigned to, it uses the found one as a reference point to find the correct one.
That is the idea.

Unable to find the SatMex 5, obviously something was wrong with the table of satellite ID's.
The theory came alive that this is because of the lightning.
Although the Datastorm Satellite Disk system was switched off, maybe somehow electrostatic forces disrupted the memory of the D3?

Before the conclusion could be made that the satellite table of the D3 was corrupted, many tests had to be made.
The whole Datastorm Satellite Disk system operates based on settings and there are many.
Hence, many combination of settings have to be tried to proceed in the process of determining what is exactly the problem.
This is a lengthy and time consuming process.
Because the Datastorm Satellite Disk would go up after the search button was hit, would start looking for satellites, would find the Anik F2 at 111.1 W, go to the SatMex 6 at 113.0 W and then to Galaxy 119.1 W to abort the searching process due to a motor stall error.
To return to the stow position.
A procedure taking over 15 minutes.

When all possible settings had been tried, the conclusion had to be made that somehow the location of the needed SatMex 5 117 W had disappeared from the satellite ID table.
That was after two days...

The next step was to use a setting that switches off the satellite ID table.
And the user can fill in the data belonging to the desired satellite.
The procedure becomes that the Datastorm Satellite Disk system searches the sky and each satellite that is found is matched with the information put into the setting.
If it is not the right one, it continues the search.
This seems simple and should work no problem.
However, the information about the SatMex 5 can be found in the settings of the modem and the D3 controller.
Except the Sat ID Viterbi: the error correction rate.
There are 5 options and not knowing which one is correct, again it is a matter of logically trying all possible combinations.
Putting in a certain setting, making the Datastorm Satellite Disk system search, disk going up, searching the sky, finding satellites until a motor stall made the disk return to the stow position.
Another half an hour of trying...
All options were tried and never the SatMex 5 was found.

Meanwhile a psychological and emotional process was in synchronicity with the efforts to get on line.
The first day of the trouble with the Datastorm Satellite Disk system, there was strong anger and frustration.
Violent opposition what the technique forced about the good willing user.
Aggression even and the foul words screamed at El Triple cannot be repeated here.
But soon it was realized that this attitude had to change.
It brings one nowhere.
Also, over the years so often problems with this Datastorm Satellite Disk system have been experienced that it is more easy to not get too excited about it.
Hence, it was seen as a job.
The job to try to find a solution by patiently trying all the options possible.
This had a calming effect.
And after three days of doing this, a certain peace and tranquility had been achieved.

It also had been accepted to live without being in touch with the rest of the world.
Even for some more time as supplies in the Fuso Szulc allow a continuation of the stay at El Triple for another two weeks.
For the first time in two years it would mean not to publish daily a posting on the blog.
Not to be able to be involved in the production of the new photobook "Sequences: the ultimate selection".
To have painful silence with the "Queen of Dreams".
And with all the other people frequently meeting in cyberspace.

That idea was accepted.
Instead of breaking up camp and going to La Paz to find help to fix the problem.
The decision was made to stay without being connected to the internet.
Two more weeks of life as it used to be at El Triple before the era of satellites.

On Wednesday it became clear that the Datastorm Satellite Disk system could not be fixed.
Everything possible was tried and to no avail.
The effort to get connected even by switching off the satellite table ID was not working.
While that was the gate to the solution.
Once connected to the SatMex 5, the new firmware and satellite ID table for the D3 controller could be downloaded and installed ending all problems.
But it was not to be.
The idea that it was impossible and that efforts had to be stopped to not become repetitive in actions was growing so big it had to be accepted as a fact.

And then a last idea popped up.
It had been noticed that when the Datastorm Satellite Disk system was searching the sky, it would recognize a satellite and quickly continue the search.
But sometimes it would find a satellite that was obviously not in the list of the satellite ID table.
There it would stay for minutes before to give up and move on.
The experiment was made to have the Datastorm Satellite Disk system lock to a satellite it obviously was not able to recognize and then to switch off the D3 controller.
Then to switch off the whole system and to power it up again.
Knowing the Datastorm Satellite Disk was locked to an unknown satellite, maybe it could be the SatMex 5?
Trying this method a few times resulted eventually in a big bingo.
After 4 days and many, many hours of trying, this method turned out to be successful.
The lights on the modem started flickering and soon the first of the many e-mails started raining in.

Of course new firmware including a new and fresh satellite ID table was downloaded.
And is waiting to be installed.
A very complicated procedure with an Apple computer.
For the moment no effort is made to install the firmware.
The Datastorm Satellite Disk system is locked to the SatMex 5 and works.
As long as only the power is switched on and off, access to the internet is possible.
Later, when traveling again, the firmware will have to be installed to make the system work properly again on a new location.
If it will.
Who knows?




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