We are looking at setting up a virtual and portable classroom for
distance learning.  The instruction will originate from various remote
sites in eastern Montana or northern Wyoming, for example a ranch,
farm, or rural school.

Some of the students may participate at the remote site while others
will view the course via a webcast.  We have done this already but
have been limited to remote sites that have decent Internet access on
their end to feed the video back to our webserver.  However, even
sites with Internet access are problematic due to firewall and other
configuration issues.

We envision having some kind of "broadcast vehicle" that would
transport the equipment to the site.  The video, from several cameras,
and audio would be fed to the vehicle, probably by wire, and the
signal would go from the vehicle back to our webserver.

We would also take laptop computers for some students who will be at
the remote site so we would also want the vehicle to be our Internet
hub.

I know that if money was not a problem we could buy a regular
network-type broadcast vehicle and send the signals back though a
satellite, but money is an issue.  Is it possible to transmit the
signal back using land-based microwave towers?

Or, is there a service that provides 2-way, satellite-based Internet
access that also provides sufficient bandwidth for the video uplink.

An advantage here is that the video is for a webcast and does not need
to be commercial broadcast quality.

So, my question is how do we go about getting our audio/video back to
our webserver and who are the vendors we should be talking to for the
vehicle and the signal transmission?

Hello Edtech,

You have described a very interesting problem. I hope this answer gives
some alternatives that you can use to improve the distance learning you
provide.

Assumptions:

In preparing this answer I had to make some assumptions - please let me
know if any of these are in error so I can correct the answer.

1. You are working within a pretty restricted budget - getting something
that works OK at low cost is more important than high quality at high cost.

2. The "remote sites" are reached by paved roads (or reasonably smooth gravel
or dirt roads).

3. Power may be available at the site, but a system that runs on AC or
batteries would be preferred.

4. Your criteria for "webcast" should address data rates of 56k or less
(an analog modem) to support viewers without broadband access. Data rates
of 30k are OK, but rates much less are not acceptable. This is a key
assumption - I will highlight where it affects the solution.

5. You are unable to use a wired telephone line in many cases, but if one
is available, you can use it. The wireless solutions should allow for a
telephone connection as an option.

6. I assume you already have a solution for the audio and video capture
and streaming. If not - I can suggest some alternatives for this as well.

Overview of Wireless Connections:

These are generally in the order of least cost to highest cost (and least
performance to highest performance).

1. Wireless modems. For a good overview of the capabilities you can get
from this option - check with your local wireless provider. As an example,
  http://www.verizonwireless.com/internet_data/mobile_office/faqs.html
includes information on data rates for digital phones (14,400 baud) compared
with analog phones (9600 baud). Based on the assumptions above - this is
NOT sufficient by itself.

To overcome this limitation, I would use a method called "channel bonding"
to make two (or more) connections appear as one. A short definition of this
term is at
  http://www.pcwebopaedia.com/TERM/C/channel_bonding.html
This is the technique an ISDN line can provide 128K data rates on a single
digital telephone line.  If the equipment you have does not directly support
this technique, an inexpensive PC can be configured with Linux to act as
both the local hub/router and do the channel bonding.

If you want to consider this option - it would be relatively easy to set up
a demonstration with two PC's and two wireless telephones. One PC is at the
"base station" connected to two ordinary phone lines (or an ISDN line) and
the other in your "remote location", connected to the two wireless phones.
You could determine if the performance is acceptable (or even works at
your remote locations) before you pursue one of the higher performance
solutions.

2. Low cost VSAT

The same people that sell DirecTV systems sell two way data systems through
the satellite. Transmissions to the remote site are quite nice - 200-600
Kbit data rates. Uplink from the remote site is good to OK - it is rated
at 128 Kbit data rates, but some digging indicates it may only provide
32 Kbit to 64 Kbit on a continuous basis.

To give you an idea of the pricing of this solution, check out
  http://be.direcway.com/main/order_now.html
which lists prices of $100 to activate, $580 for hardware and "standard"
installation, and $90 per month fees for the service. There is also a
list of preferred vendors listed through a link on this page who may
provide a more complete solution.

Now, before you ask - but "standard installation" is for a fixed site
and I won't be able to take it on the road. That is true, however there
is a planned mobile version (similar to the mobile DirecTV already for
sale) that should be delivered later this year. Check
  http://www.motosat.com/twoway_001.htm
for more information on this alternative (including some very nice
pictures of the equipment, how it folds down, etc.). The prices quoted
at this site are somewhat higher - I would expect a couple thousand
more for the platform, control unit, etc. based on what I read here.
I am pretty sure their sales staff would be glad to quote a complete
solution :-).

3. Microwave

I didn't dig up too much on this alternative, but can if desired. The
main limitations with microwave include:
 - require line of sight to the antenna
 - generally is set up as point to point, off line reception may be poor
The performance is quite good - I have seen over 1 Mbps rates on microwave,
but the costs are quite high as well.

4. High(er) cost VSAT

With Direcway, the primary limitation is with the uplink rates. With
better equipment, you should be able to get 128 Kbps or higher uplink
rates on a continuous basis. I have tried to contact a few vendors
including:
 - Shiron Satellite (InterSky product, their VSAT person was out of
the office through the end of the week)
  http://www.shiron.com/

 - Starband (though their email reply to my inquiry said that higher
rates were NOT available)
  http://www.starband.com/
  http://www.satelliteone.com/internet.htm

 - Worldcom (FAQ indicates 128K up, 600K down - but they may just
resell DirecWay - plus they have bankruptcy problems)
  http://www1.worldcom.com/us/products/access/broadband/wireless/
(broadband wireless - microwave? - they don't say)
  http://www1.worldcom.com/us/products/access/dedicated/vsat/
(DirecWay is clearly stated, but they may have other options)

At this time, I don't have a firm idea on the pricing, but unless I
am mistaken, the rates with one of the other alternatives may be
adequate at far less cost.


Other Questions:

I will touch briefly on a few other issues to provide you a more
complete answer.

1. Power converters (12V DC to 110 AC) run about $50 to $100 for
150 W to 300 W power. The larger ones will run a single PC or
a couple laptops. A few extra batteries or a generator are something
to consider.

2. The "local lan" at the remote site can be done with an ethernet
connection to a local hub. The 8 port hub sitting next to me is about
$30 and can be connected to another hub in case you really need a
lot of computers connected.

3. Consider a local wireless LAN if cabling is a problem. Test it with
the rest of the equipment to make sure it won't interfere with the
outgoing wireless (or satellite) link.

4. I recommend a dedicated PC (could be a laptop) at the remote site
to handle the network link (VSAT or channel bonding). That will cost
a little more, but will probably pay for itself with a better quality
signal to your sites.

5. The dedicated PC should also include a regular modem in case you
have a telephone line and as a backup.

6. Use laptops or GOOD PC's to make sure the equipment survives the
road travel. A rack mount PC costs a couple hundred dollars more than
a typical desk side machine, but will run more reliably.
I hope this answer will satisfy your immediate needs and provide options
to consider based on your situation. If something isn't clear, don't
hesitate to ask - I'd be glad to oblige.

--Maniac

Thanks, this is exactly what I was looking for.

Hi edtech,

This isn't an answer, because I am not the person to address your
technical questions, but I do have some info that is related.  Your
question immediately reminded me of Alice Springs Australia's "School
of the Air" which has been doing what you are talking about ---
educating rural people who are spread out over large distances and who
may not have ready access to high-tech facilities ---- since 1951.  
(Having lived in that outback for a number of years, I can attest,
it's so vast it makes Montana look crowded!)


Throughout Australia there are now well over 1,000 students learning
from 12 schools and the Alice Springs service covers an area of 1.3
million square kilometres.
http://www.wilmap.com.au/alice_springs/sota.html


The following from an archive of their website (since for some reason
the actual site doesn't load)

"Access to data links via phone lines has enabled the school to come
"on line". Desk top computers are provided to families from year 4
and, given resources, the school hopes to provide all families with
access to the Internet. The school runs its own ISP (Internet Service
Provider) that specialise in the low bandwidth environment in which
the majority of families find themselves. …. Direct one to one
teaching by computer is not possible yet as a lot of families do not
have twenty-four hour power.

Some families now have access to satellite dishes and get direct
television transmissions. …  The school conducted trials of direct
television lessons beamed into the classroom in 1992. This was via
satellite transmission but costs prohibited this being an ongoing
facility.

The school is equipped to produce 'live to video' productions.
Teachers use this facility to demonstrate teaching strategies and
explain class organisation. They can also model correct responses for
students when assessing their work. When produced on video it can be
cheaply mailed out to students who can then view it at their leisure.

While the school sees great advantages in phones, faxes, computers and
video, it is recognised these are only tools to be used at the right
moment. The HF radio is still the single most important tool in
allowing daily whole class or school interaction. "

Archived site
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/13529/20020325/www.assoa.nt.edu.au/index.html
http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/13529/20020325/www.assoa.nt.edu.au/comms.html

Actual Site: http://www.assoa.nt.edu.au/

Anyway, that's more of an interesting story than useful information,
but I wanted to share it.  :-)

Good Luck with your venture -- 

K~

One resource that may be worth looking into is Starband, a satellite
transmission internet service that covers North Idaho, so probably
Montana too.  I don't know much about it, except that a few friends
who live in the mountains with no cable access, and lousy phone lines,
can now get high speed internet.  Here's there website:

http://www.starband.com/