Not the most inspiring view over lunch but it's an image I don't believe I've taken before. This is the news satellite on site. I have a feeling it's no longer operational, in terms of moving but points skywards at something or other. Many years ago I used to operate mobile satellite transmitters called B-Gan. I've no idea what that stood for but I'd be in the field, point it at a geo-stationary satellite over Kenya and talk (or broadcast) to Radio 4 live, or into a studio for a pre record. But not always.
Once I was at a school in the West Midlands. I was set up, next to me a teacher who was a keen birdwatcher and the school had some connection to Bill Oddie, I forget now what. I spoke to the studio, all was okay. I passed the microphone to the teacher, 30 seconds to live on Saving Species, Radio 4. And we waited. After 45 seconds the teacher was not talking, after a minute I said what's happening. "I'm just waiting for Brett to speak, meanwhile listening to the birdsong in my headphones." I rang the studio (the days of BlackBerry phones). Somehow between my talking to the studio and my guest getting the microphone we'd lost the satellite signal. We never got it back and the teacher graciously said "these things happen". Live broadcasting can be raw.
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