10 | Snowmobile VERMONT By Mike Mutascio On Trail & In Touch Messages from Outer space Part 3 of 3 I remember riding one night up Corridor 102 F4 to the scenic overlook on Mt. Tug. It was a chilly night in the Northeast Kingdom, yet incredibly clear as I peered over Victory Basin towards East Burke. I was intent on taking in the stars high above, so I turned off my sled, flipped up my helmet visor and let out a deep frosty sigh. ‘Awesome’ was an understatement. Full disclosure; other than the Big Dipper I am horrible at identifying constellations. Yet it only took a few minutes to find something I’m really good at spotting. Sure enough, a steady light slowly cruised across the dark sky. It did not blink. There was no muffled grumble of jet engines. I was confident it was a satellite in space lit up by the hidden sun. Thousands of satellites have been sent into space since the 1960s. At first they were used solely for government and military use. Later they expanded to commercial and emergency service solutions. With increasing improvements and convenience for handheld technology, individual consumers are now a rapidly growing market. Why do we need such capability? It ensures communication and information sharing when we do not have access to ground systems like landline or mobile cellular networks. The diverse remote areas of snowmobile trail systems can easily extend far beyond the reach of terrestrial communication systems. Alternatives and redundancies are necessary to stay in touch and stay safe when the unexpected happens in the middle of nowhere. We are familiar with how cell phones connect nearby towers on the ground. Satellite users need their devices to have vision of the sky so they can connect to a communication satellite in space. So, what is up there? Some satellites are configured in linked networks constantly zooming overhead in space. Others are high above the equator in a fixed position called geostationary orbit. Consumer satellite services are provided by vendors similar to landline or wireless providers. Today we see more consumer satellite equipment, capabilities and pricing competing with the technology we use at home and out the door. There are pricing plans and pre-paid options that might fit your budget and needs. There are even per-day rentals for folks that need capability during that snowmobiling mega-adventure of a lifetime. Therefore it is important to explain to a vendor exactly what you are trying to do. It is their job to plug in the correct solution.