|
If there are no Open Sites near you and you don’t have the ability to view it at your own facility, you will need to find a local downlink/viewing
site to agree to bring in the signal for you and your colleagues.
To do that, first, print the Technical Fact Sheet for this event.
Second, contact local folks in your area.
What do I need to say to potential sites when I call them?
Tell them:
- who you are and who you represent;
- that you are inquiring if they can be a receive/viewing site for a satellite event on (fill in the date);
- and which satellite(s) it will be on.
If you get through this basic information without them telling you that they cannot do it for you, you can continue on through the litmus of
information that follows:
Tell them:
- that you need the room from the beginning of the test time through to the end of the program (check the Technical Fact Sheet -- make sure you
use your local time, not just the first time listed);
- how many folks you expect to have and then ask if they have enough (or large enough) monitors or screens for that many;
- that you need to be handicap accessible (this may include elevators, ramps and/or a closed caption decoder on the monitors/large screen), if
applicable;
- that you would like the use of a phone in the back of the room for interaction, or close proximity use of a phone or fax machine.
If you are able to book a site, there are still a few questions to ask them:
- Who is your Technical contact during the program?
- Will that person remain on site until during the entire program?
- If not, how will you be able to reach them if you encounter a technical problem during the event? (Contrary to what some may tell you, just
because someone sets the dish up for the test and program, it does NOT mean that nothing untoward can happen after that!)
Check with:
- Other government offices/agencies (for instance, Bureau of Land Management offices are available for other gov’t agencies to use for satellite
events)
- Community Colleges
- Junior Colleges
- Universities
- V.A. Hospitals
- Technical Schools
- Libraries
- Schools/School District Offices
- Public Television Stations
- Fire/rescue Stations
- County Health Departments
- Cinema houses (those that have a satellite dish on their premises)
- Restaurants with Satellite Dishes on Their Roofs
- Local National Guard Armory
Be aware, some of these sites may want to charge a fee to use the facility
You can also rent a transportable
dish. A transportable would pull up to your building and park for the day. You will have to supply a monitor or projector and screen or you can rent one from the same vendor.
The dish needs to have an unobstructed southern “look” at the sky. The cost for renting a transportable dish can run between $500 and $1200/day, depending upon your city and the length of the cable run. These services can usually be found under “satellite” in your local yellow pages.
|
|
If you have a digital videoconference room, you may be able to participate using your equipment. You will need to make arrangements with a
“Bridging” service to downlink our program and put it through to your room. There are several companies that provide this “Service.” Ask your video conferencing coordinator or IT Manager to contact their digital
line provider for assistance. In addition, there are several other commercial bridging services.
There are several other commercial bridging services. E-mail us for a referral.
There will be a fee involved with any service provider.
|
