Skype & The Falklands

[shiny_arse]

Just got hooked up to Skype at the weekend and had a sucessful testing be having a chat with family over in Quatar and overall quite impressed with the system.

I'm off to the summer delights of Mount Pleasant shortly and my question to all is basically, are any of the internet PC's hooked up over there to allow a USB phone and Skype to contact family back home?

Can you let me know as I'm hovering on whether to pick up another gadget to chuck into my every growing kitpile.

 

[Boarderlyne]

SA. You have got to be kidding! We're lucky that we have Area 51 never mind what would happen if you tried to plug things into the system. DT_Xtremez_28: Sorry still laughing at the thought. Best bet is to bring nice and shiny laptop and hope that they have got Wi-Fi down there by now. Mind you, I'm not even sure if they have broadband yet. They didn't last year.

 

[glen]

I am here at the moment and no Wi-Fi or broadband - welfare terminals in work area connects at about 34K - but weather's nice at the moment!!

 

[skevans]

The weather will have changed in the time it took you to post that Glen

 

[gme7]

Cabl* & wirel** provide the whole unsecure phone network and they ban even the locals from Skype etc (block addy). They do this in a lot of isloated places defending it by saying network costs a lot to maintain.

However, there are plenty of machines in Area 51 and plenty of welfare terminals about. You can connect a laptop up via a phone lien in room and use a welfare card! ask the TG4/3/11 guys how to do it but it costs 10p a minute and not all rooms have teh phone line. (also I did but couldn't get it to work even with a IT expert helping.

Alternatively make freinds with someone in a quarter last I heard they were testing broadband ! get them to put wifi in and erect a tent in the garden!

 

[busby1971]

About 3 years ago I put a gems in for wifi as a part of the OWP, it bounced it back as the NAAFI/EFI said they had already thought of it and were about to put it in, I guess not then.

Although I saw something the other day saying C&W had set up a roaming agreement that will allow individuals to use their mobiles down there, guessing not cheap calls but texts will be handy I guess.

 

[glen]

Yes, you can buy C&W sim cards out here and most people can use their phones on Roaming profiles but Vodafone ones don't seem to be working at the moment ( i know as that's my provider and i am still paying monthly contract - with no service - e-mailed them still waiting)

 

[AbuNajiWaterRat]

The weather will have changed in the time it took you to post that Glen

LOL yep, it'll be a blizzard now!

 

[Romeo_47]

If you are Vodafone, you can get a thing which goes into your Laptop, which means you can go on the internet as long as you can get a mobile signal. Hope this helps.

 

[Justacabbie]

I was there 04-05 and the internet was terrible its about half the speed of dial up in the UK. I think you can forget Skype, though some of the work PC's have yahoo which has a chat facility. Hope this helps

 

[MyShineyAr$e]

Morning all,

Just found out I've got a Winter trip to the Pleasant Mount this Summer so my fact finding mission begins.

Can anyone update me on this thread. Have there been any advances in technology down south.

Cheers

MSA

 

[Humble Scribe]

I'm off to sunnier climes on Herrick. Will Skype work out there?

 

[shiny_arse]

Morning all,

Just found out I've got a Winter trip to the Pleasant Mount this Summer so my fact finding mission begins.

Can anyone update me on this thread. Have there been any advances in technology down south.

Cheers

MSA

Must admit to have been out of the loop so was surprised to see that this thread was still alive. Skype was hooked up on one of the welfare terminals but the connection speed is so atrocious that it's no use whatsoever. That said - the phonecard system is really good down there and there is also the means of having people contact you via the operator. Worked a treat, but if using a block extension keep it to a minimum (a few people were getting a wee bit hacked off.