It s important for the TDY members to be able to call their families back home and let them know how it s going here. A big challenge was the distance from the nearest telephone network at building 960, the 8th Transportation Squadron compound, which is about one mile away from tent city, said Master Sgt. John Staab, 8th CS communications systems chief. Telephone maintenance technicians laid more than 4,700 feet of copper cable from building 960 to the tent site. Additionally, telephone technicians laid 4,700 feet of field wire from the distribution point out to the individual telephone and computers for the customers.
Members can also use personal calling cards from their selected network service provider.
Calls will be limited to 15 minutes. Additionally, they can use the computers for checking sports scores, reading hometown newspapers and researching information. If there is a waiting line, use will be limited to 30 minutes. Unfortunately, the cut in requested funding precluded hiring a contractor to lay the coaxial cable for the cable television, which is the normal practice, Freese said. The cable maintenance technicians, like their telephone counterparts, had to link into an existing cable connection at building 960, thereby laying about 4,700 feet of cable.