| Photo |
Location |
Comments |
Status |
 |
McMurdo Station, Antarctica
Testing Chronology |
Installed in January 2006, currently located on Observation Hill. Allows testing of complete
systems under Antarctic conditions with
year-round support from the station Research Associate (thanks here to Rebecca Batchelor, Jason
Bryenton, and Brian Nelson). Site is also currently home to a co-located but independent IRIS/PASSCAL
seismic test system and an integrated GPS/seismic prototype station, both installed under the Remote Stations MRI project. |
Currently testing power-switching behavior of a NetRS system with Iridium comms and two independent
battery banks: rechargeable SLA batteries, and non-rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. System SLA
battery capacity is undersized; system should switch to lithium-ion power during winter 2008 then
recover in spring 2008. |
 |
University of Colorado Niwot Ridge Tundra Lab
Testing Chronology |
Located at 11,600ft elevation on the continental divide. Provides a remote alpine environment for
system testing and validation, along with amenities such as ethernet, real-time and historical
weather data, and a live webcam. |
Wiring and electronics are configured identically to POLENET system to allow local observation of system performance.
Also continuing to validate Forgen 500 wind turbine in high wind alpine conditions. |
 |
UCAR Facility, Marshall Colorado |
Located just south of Boulder. Provides a secure, remote location for prototyping and development. |
Current testing includes optimizing Iridium
data download techniques to increase reliability and reduce power consumption, wind turbine
testing, and active enclosure heating. Past testing has included validating reliability of Iridium
communications with Trimble NetRS receiver and burn-in of field systems before deployment. |
 |
Thermotron Environmental Test Chamber, Boulder UNAVCO office |
-70C to +70C temperature range. Ideal for testing individual components outside manufacturers' specifications. |
Current testing includes evaluation of component cold-worthiness, and SLA battery performance down to -70C. |
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