In 1995 I served as webmaster for a multi-disciplinary expedition to Easter Island lead by Cordell Expeditions During the "Dxpedition," a group of Ham radio operators set up antennaes on the island thought the most remote humanely habitable spot on the planet. While the Dxers were making contacts with radio amateurs around the world, a team of divers explored a previously unsurveyed section of the coast. All the while the team was surrounded by the relics of a fantastic past culture, and mingling with the vibrant contemporary inhabitants of Rapanui.
Mixed in with these activities was an experiment in remote communications. Our website was updated via an internet link in a NASA satellite tracking located on the island. We posted news updates and images and maintained an up to date database of contacts betwen the expedition and radio operators from Mexico to Africa. We faced challenges like spotty data connections (we averaged about 150 baud!) and server overload due to the popularity of the site.
The expedition was a major success, and was named Dxpedition of the Year by an international radio amateurs association.
Upon returning from Easter Island, I edited and directed a documentary chronicling the events of the expedition in collaboration with Dr. Robert Schmieder, leader of Cordell Expeditions. The film distilled over 40 hours of video down to an feature length documentary covering not only the events of the expedition, but also issues of the need for and power of communication exhibited by cultures worldwide.
> Cordell Expeditions EI Web Page [launches new window]
> Video Clip from "DX AKU, Messages from Easter Island [launches new window]
> Archived Web Page [launches new window]
> Easter Island Foundation [launches new window]
