[amsat-bb] OT -- Satellite Internet

[Jim Sanford]

All:

Living out here in the boondocks (so I can plant a tower and grow a 
credible aluminum microwave array) my internet options are dialup, 
verizon, and satellite.

Verizon was unreliable (couldn't stay connected; had to reset the device 
several times an hour), so gave up.

Looked at satellite, considered Wild Blue.  Then heard bad things about 
them.  Then they no longer served my area.

Went with Hughes, which was OK for a year or so, then fell on their 
sword.  Paying for 1mb downloads, getting 200K to 700K.  Most emails 
have to be "sent" several times before getting through without some kind 
of error -- which does not happen when I take the same laptop on the 
road and connect through a hotel network.  I've been working with Hughes 
"customer service" since October --unsatisfactory:
     -- they have not been able to improve things for more than a couple 
of hours
     -- they cannot deviate from the script, and want to blame my router 
-- even when it is out of circuit
     -- they have difficulty with the language
     -- they are unwilling or unable to connect me to a higher level of 
tech support

So, Hughes is about to become history.

I've recently learned about a new satellite service called "exede", 
which I've traced to Wild Blue under a new name.  They claim up to 12Mb 
download rates, but have a total capacity cap -- which appears to be 
well beyond my average daily use.  (I only busted Hughes' daily limit 
once in 3 years, when I installed WindersXP on a new machine and had to 
get all the service packs and security "fixes".)

I'm wondering if anyone has any experience, good or bad, with 
exede/WildBlue.  Please respond direct, off list, to wb4gcs at amsat.org

To list members and operators:  thanks for indulging brief, off-topic 
but related, info.

Very 73,
Jim
wb4gcs at amsat.org