szescstopni @szescstopni@qoto.org

I guess I should start writing down things I've learned over the past few years running a local #RuralBroadband ISP business. Some of them concern particular technologies used right now and will be obsolete in a few years or weeks. But some things never change.

In the past few hot days we've had one router and two ODU power supply failures. The lesson: never put home-grade electronics in the attics of poorly insulated houses without air-conditioning. Fortunately the rains came and it's colder now. How I waited for those wonderful thunderstorms. Oh, wait.

Operator ostatniej mili – zarówno #ZbiorKom jak i #RuralBoadband

Last mile operator – both for #PublicTransport and #RuralBroadband

Today's #RuralBroadband installation in a very sad place. This customer has no dogs, not even one. Usually we have some wonderful canine assistants, like here: https://qoto.org/@szescstopni/110255636249913201

A detail of our #RuralBroadband test setup.

The tiny house that is our home, office, and workshop, is surrounded by trees. Sometimes we need to test terminals that connect our clients to the base transceiver stations, and we need to put them as high as possible, to avoid any obstacles (usually this means trees).

This is a picture of the side of a 1 ton water tank, covered with algae on the inside, which gathers rainfall from the rain gutter. We use this water for watering the garden and for putting out an occasional #bonfire. Also it's nice to have two thousand litres of water (there's a second tank on the other side of the house) in case the dry #forest to the west of us catches fire.

A piece of a drainage pipe is attached to the metal cage of the water tank with zip ties. We attach the terminal to an old 16 ft windsurfing mast, raise it and stick it into the pipe. There are better ways to stabilize the mast in the pipe, but today the best thing lying around was this #moose bone we found in the forest (that dry forest to the west) a few years ago.

When you live in a forest, driving back home from a #RuralBroadband installation can be a wonderful scenic tour. If your suspension is tough enough.

Another day, another dollar.

We sure work cheap.

#RuralBroadband #EasternPoland

One of the most important things to keep in mind during #RuralBroadband installations on tall masts in vegetable gardens is to not trample the plants on the ground. People can live without Internet, they can't live without food :)

We were supposed to start early with #RuralBroadband installations, but it turned out that a public #library 20 km away lost its connection. This was not my business, but my technician knew about the problem, knew the place, knew how to fix it. We also knew that people responsible for fixing it wouldn't get there earlier than late next week. We lost an hour and a half, drove extra 40 kilometres, and had to tell one customer that they'd have to wait for their Netflix until Monday. But the library is back online.

A #SpectrumWar is rising in Poland for 3.8 – 4.2 GHz. We might get wiped out. #RuralBroadband

Off to another #RuralBroadband installation.

Another successful #RuralBroadband installation. Our local assistant was very young and eager to learn. No damage to the cables.

#DogsOfMastodon

Today's #RuralBroadband installation. They've been very patient, they didn't yap at us. It was worth it. They had 2 Mbps DL in the morning, 20 Mbps now. Not bad for a remote rural location surrounded by trees.

All those dogs, and one cat, are strays that came to this place and were not kicked out, but found a warm welcome.

#DogsOfMastodon #CatsOfMastodon

Trying to connect to Mastodon. Or maybe a dragon. Doesn't matter. Any connection will be fine in this radio desert.

#RuralBroadband

One nice thing about our #RuralBroadband installations in a generally flat area – you get to climb high and see sights.

U mnie działa.

It's working for me.

#RuralBroadband

A 60 ft tall mast is the most important piece of hardware when you have to establish a reliable connection to the cloud in a rural area. #RuralBroadband

#RuralBroadband installation assistant. She was a very good assistant. 30 Mbps in an area where rows of old trees tend to block the signal. 11/10.

#DogsOfMastodon

In the morning this house had 3 Mbps download at most. We replaced previous provider's terminal with a pretty similar one, raised it just by 2 metres, and now they have 25 Mbps – more than they need. #RuralBroadband is not easy, but we do what we can.

Rural Eastern Poland is poor. People here live in houses they can't afford to finish. But they care about their children and their future. The small terminal in the center of the picture can easily handle 40 Mbps. #RuralBroadband #EasternPoland

Mud. I hate mud. Though not as much as nazis.

Another #RuralBroadband installation that could have been perfect if we hadn't gotten stuck in mud. The joy of living and working in the #wetlands of #EasternPoland.