Communication - Western Development Museum

Transcription

C o n n e c t i n g to t h e Wo r l d
Saskatchewan Achievements in Communications
Grade Seven Social Studies
CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS
Grade Seven Social Studies, Unit Four, Topic Six:
Technology and Change
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/midlsoc/gr7/74topics.html
LESSON PLAN ONE: CLASSROOM INTRODUCTION TO THE THEME
LESSON OVERVIEW
Students will learn about how communications, or a lack thereof,
affected the lives of people in the past, challenges which impeded communication with others, and how communications
continue to play a major role in the lives of people today.
RESOURCES AND MATERIALS
•
Fast Facts information (at the end of the resource package)
Postmaster carrying mail from the train at Marchwell, circa 1920. Saskatchewan
Archives Board S-A358
PROCEDURE
1.
2.
Prepare to teach the lessons on communication by reading
the Fast Facts section at the end of the resource package.
isolated from others and the outside world. It would be
Introduce the topic of communication by asking students
many years before radios, telephones or televisions were
what communication means to them. (Communication is
available. There were only sporadic trips to the nearest
the transmission of information.) Ask students what types
settlement for supplies and a newspaper, and if they were
of communication they use on a regular or daily basis.
lucky, a letter from a friend or relative would be waiting
Students will likely offer answers like television, radio,
for them. Visits from neighbors and social gatherings were
telephone, Internet, email, cell phones and one-on-one
important to offset loneliness, which often accompanied
personal communication. Discuss how communications
the isolation.
are entwined in our daily lives. Ask students to estimate
3.
4.
Explain that in the early years, many barriers existed which
how much of their day is taken up by sending and
affected how people communicated. Discuss the following
receiving information from others, electronic devices and
factors with students so that they may gain a better
print materials. How would they feel if they were suddenly
appreciation for the communication challenges faced by
disconnected from other people and the outside world?
people a relatively short time ago.
Explain to students that in 1905 when Saskatchewan
became a province, the population was spread very thinly
across a large area. The homesteads of new settlers were
interspersed with railway lands, school lands and Hudson’s
Bay Company lands. Newcomers often found themselves
143
Connecting to the World
•
Poor roads, especially in winter, were an impediment
became
affected people’s lives, by reading the following reflection
of Saskatchewan homesteader George Shepherd in his
communicated? Would loneliness have been felt more
book, West of Yesterday: “The automobile, the telephone
acutely in winter for those isolated on homesteads?
and later the radio dispelled the feeling of isolation that
(Yes, during the warmer seasons, the homesteader’s
weighed on the first settlers of the distant frontier.”
days were filled with work, and time would have
students how they think these developments would have
passed by more quickly.)
closed the gap between the perceived quality of life for
travel.
During
Communication
winter,
beyond
roads
the
often
homestead
6.
Distribute copies of the Fast Facts information found
homesteader’s horse(s). Horse-drawn vehicles were
near the end of the resource package. Have students
the mode of transportation used by most settlers.
select telephone, radio or television, and design a poster
How would the illness or loss of a horse have affected
to herald the coming of one of these inventions using
a settler’s psyche? For one woman, whose family’s
either the theme of “bringing the world into your home”
horse died on a trip to town, the loss of a horse caused
or “bringing people closer together.” In developing their
her great anguish according to her son: “She realized
posters, students should consider how each development
in her far-seeing mind what it would mean to us living
might have impacted people’s lives.
one hundred and more miles from the nearest source
7.
Students should review the entire set of Fast Facts to
of supplies and now deprived of the only means of
prepare them for their Western Development Museum
reaching the outer world.”
visit.
Immigrants came to Saskatchewan from many
different countries. Neighbours, including local First
Nations people, often spoke different languages. How
could people communicate with others who did not
speak their language? (Music, dancing, food, “sign”
language and games may have been methods used to
overcome language barriers.)
ADAPTATION AND EXTENSION
1.
Ask
rural and urban people.
was
dependent on distance and the stamina of a
•
Introduce the topic of how developments in communication
impassable. How would this have affected how people
to
•
5.
Conduct an in-class simulation to give students a mild
taste of what it would be like to be cut off from contact
with others. For an afternoon, instruct students not to
speak with other students, not to use any electronic
communication devices including telephones, radio,
television, or computers, and not to read any newspapers
or magazines. Students may want to wear signs to say that
they are participating in an experiment, and asking people
not to initiate conversation with them. At the conclusion of
the experiment, have students write a brief journal entry to
chronicle their experience of being unable to communicate.
How did they feel? Were they frustrated by being unable to
communicate? Did they feel lonely or isolated?
144
LESSON PLAN TWO: AT THE MUSEUM
LESSON OVERVIEW
Students will explore the content of a discovery box and tour
exhibits in the Museum.
•
Materials and information sent to you in your Museum tour
confirmation package
Students will explore the evolution of communications in Saskatchewan, and how
home-grown development and exploitation of new technology has closed the gap
between people living in urban, rural and remote areas in the Connecting to the World
– Saskatchewan Achievements in Communications discovery box.
PROCEDURE
1.
Prepare to teach and to tour the Museum by reviewing the
resources listed. Divide your class into groups before the
visit. Discuss the required number of groups with Museum
Programmer when you book your visit. Select other staff
members or parents to lead the groups. Advise the group
leadesr about what they will have to do.
2.
Students will visit a Western Development Museum in
Moose Jaw, North Battleford, Saskatoon or Yorkton. The
entire class will assemble for a welcome and orientation.
3.
The class will be divided into two, three or more groups
depending on the class size. Students will interact with
artifacts, replicas and photographs located in a discovery
box. A leader’s script included in the discovery box will
spearhead discussion.
4.
The class will tour pertinent exhibits in the Museum using
a tour handout to guide their exploration. This handout
may be a question-and-answer sheet or scavenger hunt.
A tour script for the group leader will be sent to you with
confirmation of your Museum tour booking.
145
LESSON PLAN THREE: WHEN A MUSEUM VISIT ISN’T POSSIBLE
LESSON OVERVIEW
Students will write a short story from the perspective of
someone who witnessed the adoption of the telephone, and
the coming of radio and television. Instructions for developing a
simple telegraph system are offered here to introduce a handson component to the lesson, and to develop an appreciation for
the limitations and challenges of using an early communication
system like telegraphy.
•
Fast Facts information (at the end of the resource
package)
•
Morse code reference sheet gathered by the teacher
(Internet search or other source)
•
Advertisement by Northern Electric Telephone as it appeared
in the May 1, 1926 issue of the Grain Growers’ Guide. Western
Development Museum Collection
Blank telegrams (appendix one)
PROCEDURE
1.
•
Using the Fast Facts information as a reference, have
http://www.yesmag.bc.ca/projects/telegraph.html.
someone who experienced the coming of telephone, radio
or television. In their stories, students should consider how
3.
Prior to conducting the telegraphy activity, review the
the availability of these three modes of communication
telegraphy information from the Communications Fast
would affect their personal and professional lives and their
Facts section with students.
communities as a whole? Students must provide a short
2.
“Talk By Lighting Telegraph” from the Yes Mag: The
Science Magazine For Adventurous Minds website at
students write a short story from the perspective of
4.
Using Morse code, practice sending and deciphering the
paragraph describing the fictional character they have
students’ names and simple messages with the homemade
chosen, and include information about whether they were
telegraph. A Morse code reference sheet can easily be
urban or rural, and what their occupation was.
located by using an Internet search engine. A blank telegram
Construct a homemade telegraph system using instructions
can be printed off and copied from appendix one for use
from one of the following sources, or consult books in your
during the exercise. To add an air of authenticity, utilize a
manual typewriter (if available) to type out the messages.
school or local library.
•
•
“Tap, Tap, Tap: Telegraphs and Morse Code” from The
5.
Once the activity has been concluded, discuss the idea
Case of the Electrical Mystery: 2000-2001 Series – a
that want stimulates invention. What were the limitations
children’s science series produced by NASA’s Centre
of the telegraph? Why was it not frequently used by the
for Distance Learning, Langley Research Centre. The
general population? The telephone was the next step in the
educational guide can be accessed online at http://
communications timeline to impact Saskatchewan people.
whyfiles.larc.nasa.gov/docs/guides/guide3_00.pdf.
What factors stimulated the adoption of the telephone in
“Send It In Code” from Ella Ratner’s publication, Sound
Saskatchewan? Why was private industry not interested in
Science (Toronto: Kids Can Press, 1991).
expanding telephone service to all areas of the province,
146
resulting in the Saskatchewan government becoming
involved? (Delivering service to a widely dispersed
population was not as profitable as delivering service to
larger centres.) How would the lack of telephone service in
rural and remote areas have impacted the quality of life for
people living there?
1.
Visit a local museum to view communications artifacts
from the past in the museum’s collection. To find a local
museum, visit the Museums Association of Saskatchewan
at http://www.saskmuseums.org.
2.
Explore the Humboldt and District Museum’s online exhibit,
A Line Through the Wilderness, which is part of the Virtual
Museum of Canada’s Community Memories program. The
exhibit traces the history of the Humboldt Telegraph Station
dating back to the 1870s. The exhibit can be accessed at
http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/PM.cgi?LM=CommunityMe
mories&LANG=English&AP=getIndex.
LESSON PLAN FOUR: CLASSROOM WRAP-UP
LESSON OVERVIEW
Saskatchewan has and continues to be a world leader in
communications technology involving the application of fibreoptics. Students will analyze the article, “SaskTel Installs World’s
Longest Fibre-Optics Network,” compiled by Saskatchewan
Industry and Resources. Using critical thinking and research
skills, students will answer questions related to learning
objectives from the grade seven social studies curriculum.
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/midlsoc/gr7/74topics.html
•
Kendall Bitner sitting in front of his home computer, 2006. Ruth Bitner Photo
Copies of the Communications Article Analysis Worksheet
from appendix two, which includes the text of the article,
“SaskTel Installs World’s Longest Fibre-Optics Network”
147
PROCEDURE
1.
In review, ask students what struck them as most
interesting about the development of communications in
Saskatchewan. Did any of the Saskatchewan achievements
surprise them?
2.
Explain that the application of fibre-optics technology by
SaskTel, beginning in the 1980s, is one of Saskatchewan’s
most
notable
communications
achievements,
and
established the company as a world fibre-optics leader and
authority. Distribute copies of the Communications Article
Analysis Worksheet, which includes the text of an article
entitled, “SaskTel Installs World’s Longest Fibre-Optics
Network,” and a set of corresponding questions.
3.
Using the article as a basis, and conducting further research
where necessary, students will analyze the article and
answer a series of questions related to learning objectives
in the grade seven social studies curriculum.
1.
Interview parents or grandparents on what technological
advances in communication they have been witness to in
their lives, and how they have been impacted. Share what
the students learned in a class discussion. What advances
in communications technology do the students foresee in
the future, and what will drive development?
148
RESOURCES
•
“SaskTel History” on the SaskTel website: http://www.sasktel.com/about-us/companyinformation/history/.
•
The CommunityNet website explains all about Saskatchewan’s world-class high-speed Internet
system: http://www.communitynet.ca/.
•
The Friends of the Communication Research Centre website includes information about the
activities of the Prince Albert Radar Laboratory: http://friendsofcrc.ca/.
•
The 25 Saskatchewan Science Achievements website, compiled by Saskatchewan Industry
and Resources, includes information on Saskatchewan achievements in telcommunications
and information technology: http://www.sk25.ca/.
•
Explore the Humboldt and District Museum’s online exhibit about the Humboldt Telegraph
Station, A Line Through the Wilderness, which is part of the Virtual Museum of Canada’s
Community Memories Program: http://www.virtualmuseum.ca/PM.cgi?LM=CommunityMemo
ries&LANG=English&AP=getIndex.
•
Find a local amateur radio club in your area by visiting the club links on the Saskatchewan
Amateur Radio League website: http://www.sarl.ca/links.htm.
•
General information about amateur radio in Canada and the process to become a licensed
operator may be found at industry Canada’s website: http://www.strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/
internet/insmt-gst.nsf/en/sf01862e.html.
•
Listen to the Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation’s radio network online, which includes Cree
and Dene language programming, and news relevant to people living in northern Saskatchewan:
http://www.mbcradio.com/.
•
Reflect on 100 years of Saskatchewan history in the Saskatchewan History Centennial Timeline,
produced in partnership by the Western Development Museum and the Saskatchewan Archives
Board. The Saskatoon Public Schools’ Online Learning Centre developed an online version,
accessible on the Celebrating Saskatchewan’s Heritage website: http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/DE/
Saskatchewan100/timeline.html.
•
Learn more about the history of SED Systems and current projects at http://www.sedsystems.
ca.
•
Atlas of Saskatchewan. Saskatoon: University of Saskatchewan, 1999.
•
The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan. Regina: Canadian Plains Research Centre, 2005.
The Encyclopedia of Saskatchewan is also available online at http://www.esask.ca.
•
Love, Ronald S. Dreaming Big: A History of SaskTel. Regina: SaskTel, 2003.
•
Schmalz, Wayne. On Air: Radio in Saskatchewan. Regina: Coteau Books, 1990.
•
Clements, Montagu. “Listening In On the Prairies,” in Saskatchewan History. Volume IX:No.1,
Winter 1956, 16-18. Saskatoon: Saskatchewan Archives Board, 1956.
149
FAST FACTS
Newspapers
•
The first newspaper printed in present-day Saskatchewan, then part of the North-West
Territories, was the Saskatchewan Herald which was published in Battleford in 1875. The
publisher was Patrick Laurie, who reportedly, in the absence of rail travel at the time,
transported his printing press by ox cart from Fort Garry to Battleford.
•
Early newspapers included the Prince Albert Times, Moose Jaw News, Fort Qu’Appelle
Progress and Qu’Appelle Vidette, Regina Leader, Saskatchewan Review and Moosomin
Courier.
•
By 1905 when Saskatchewan achieved provincehood, there were some 52 newspapers in
production around the province.
•
For settlers during Saskatchewan’s early years, newspapers were often brought from larger
centres by train to smaller points along the rail line. Because visits to town could be few
and far between, the news was almost always dated by the time it reached the hands of
isolated settlers. Nevertheless, the newspapers provided a much-appreciated link to the
outside world.
•
Several factors including the Great Depression, the development of radio, television and
the Internet, have all affected the newspaper business in Saskatchewan by competing for
advertising dollars and the attention of potential readers. As a result, many daily papers
have merged over the years.
•
In 2006, 84 newspapers across the province belong to the Saskatchewan Weekly
Newspaper Association, and reach a readership of 500,000 people.
Wire Telegraphy
•
Samuel Morse, with assistance from his partner Alfred Vail, developed the Morse system of
telegraphy in the United States in the 1840s. Morse code is a system to convey the letters
of the alphabet, the ten numerals and punctuation with short and long pulses, represented
by dots and dashes respectively. The telegraph system consisted of a key or switch, an
electromagnet or sounder at each end, in a series with a wire and a battery, and the earth,
which acted as a return line. Electrical signals to represent short and long pulses are sent
by an operator over an electrically conducting wire using a telegraph key, and the signals
are translated back into letters, numbers and punctuation by a skilled operator at the
receiving instrument.
•
In an effort to prepare the North-West Territories (including present day Saskatchewan)
for settlement and the coming of the railway, the Dominion Government dispatched 275
members of the North West Mounted Police (NWMP) to bring law and order to the region
in 1874. An initial handicap for the NWMP was the lack of a communication system. A
solution came in 1874 when the Dominion Government began building a telegraph line
which would link Edmonton with Livingstone (36 miles north of present day Kamsack),
the first headquarters of the NWMP. In 1876, the line east from Selkirk to Livingstone was
completed, the line to Battleford, across the South Saskatchewan at Clark’s Crossing, was
completed by late 1876, reaching Edmonton in 1879.
•
The telegraph line followed the proposed route of the Canadian Pacific Railway. When the
route was moved farther south, closer to the American border, the line which connected
Selkirk to the Humboldt Station was abandoned, and a new line was built from Humboldt
150
to Qu’Appelle Station, to connect to the new Canadian Pacific Railway telegraph line. A
branch line to Prince Albert was constructed in 1883.
•
Service was not always reliable, as the lines were subject to the ravages of extreme weather
and fire. Linemen were 100 miles or more apart, and had only a horse and buckboard for
travel, often making line repair slow.
•
The Dominion Telegraph and the Canadian Pacific Railway telegraphs played an important
role in the 1885 North West Resistance, allowing rapid military communication.
•
In 1886, the government line was changed once more. The wilderness line between
Battleford and Edmonton was replaced by one that followed the North Saskatchewan
River, and passed through communities and Indian reserves.
•
By the start of the First World War, telegraphy was the domain of the railway companies,
who used the communication system to monitor the location of their trains and to give
operating instructions. The companies also sent messages for the public.
•
On the whole, most people used a telegraph only to send very urgent and important
messages due to the high cost. Eventually the telephone superseded the use of the
telegraph. The telegraph was largely used by governments, businesses and the railways.
•
In the early days of the telegraph, Dominion Government surveyors relayed their results via
telegraph to offices in Ontario. Medical advice was dispensed by stations having a medical
book on site. Some operators even played games of long-distance checkers with other
operators to pass the time.
Telephone
•
The telephone came to present-day Saskatchewan only six years after Alexander Graham
Bell received his patent for the telephone in 1876. Regina, then part of the Northwest
Territories, had two telephone systems in operation by 1882-83. Bell Canada began offering
telephone service in Regina in late 1882, with 20 telephones in use by the end of the year.
The North West Mounted Police also constructed a telephone system to connect their
various facilities. Other locations along the line were also connected including the Territorial
Administration buildings and Government House.
•
When the Province of Saskatchewan was formed in 1905, many homes in Moose Jaw,
Regina, Yorkton, Moosomin, and Saskatoon had telephone service. There were 2000
phones in operation. None of these centres provided rural service, however. Telephone
development in those early days was controlled by private enterprise which had no interest
in constructing unprofitable rural lines across vast distances.
•
In 1908, the Saskatchewan government passed the Railways and Telephone Department
Act, creating the Department of Railways, Telegraphs, and Telephones to provide and
expand local and long distance telephone service in the province.
•
In 1908, after a comprehensive review of existing telephone service in the province,
the Government of Saskatchewan passed The Rural Telephone Act, which encouraged
farmers to provide their own telephone service through the co-operative organization of
locally owned and operated companies. The Saltcoats Rural Telephone Company was the
first company formed under the new Rural Telephone Act. In 1908, only 300 Saskatchewan
farms had telephones.
•
A rural telephone school was first offered by the Department of Railways, Telegraphs, and
Telephones in 1917. Rural telephone companies sent representatives to learn about all
aspects of telephony, including set-up and maintenance.
151
•
By 1921, there were about 1,200 rural companies in Saskatchewan providing local telephone
service to 58,000 farm subscribers, while the government served 30,500 customers in
urban areas.
•
It was reported in 1926 that Saskatchewan had more rural telephones per capita than any
other province or country in the world, except Sweden. Over 50 percent of Saskatchewan
farmers were telephone subscribers. There were approximately 65,000 rural phones and
33,000 urban phones in the province, or one telephone for every eight people.
•
A telephone in the farm home had many advantages. It gave families in isolated areas a
sense of security knowing they could quickly get in touch with neighbours if something
unexpected happened. In the event of sickness or injury, a doctor could be summoned
quickly by phone. For the farmer, valuable time was saved. Instead of driving into town
to obtain market prices, to find out whether rail cars were available, or to order repairs,
he could simply use the telephone. In 1928, a bumper crop year, many farmers made
arrangements for the marketing of their crops over the telephone.
•
In 1923, Canada’s first church service was broadcast over Saskatchewan government
lines. In the same year, long distance telephone lines were used to carry a music festival
program in Prince Albert, to Regina where it was broadcast over the radio.
•
In 1947, the responsibility to provide and expand local and long distance telephone service
in the province was transferred to a crown corporation called Saskatchewan Government
Telephones. The Department of Railways, Telegraphs, and Telephones now oversaw the
rural and privately-owned telephone companies.
•
In 1964, the Regina and Saskatoon long distance centres were connected to the continentwide direct dialing network, making direct long distance dialing possible anywhere in North
America, without the assistance of an operator. Gradually this service was extended to
other parts of the province.
•
SaskTel began a program in 1966 to serve 6000 rural customers who were not served by
rural telephone companies.
•
In 1969, the name of Saskatchewan Government Telephones was changed to SaskTel.
•
The last rural telephone company, East Borden, joined SaskTel in 1982, completing a
program begun in 1976 to assimilate the remaining 700 rural companies.
•
In the 1980s, SaskTel pioneered the application of fibre-optics – a revolutionary new
telecommunications technology. In the book, Dreaming Big: The History of SaskTel,
author Ronald S. Love explains how fibre-optics works: “Using high-speed streams of
laser-generated light impulses to carry computer-coded voice, image and data information
through strands of glass no thicker than a human hair, a fibre-optic telecommunication
system has far greater information-handling capabilities than any transmission method of
the past.” The company completed the world’s longest commercial fibre-optics system
in 1984, 3,268 kilometres long, connecting 52 communities. Since then, the network has
expanded to reach hundreds of communities, and the fibre-optics cable has been replaced
by newer fibre-optics capable of transmitting more information.
•
SaskTel International was formed in 1986 to market SaskTel’s expertise in telecommunications to customers around the world. In 1994, SaskTel International completed a four year
commitment as a fibre optics consultant for the Channel Tunnel project, which connects
the United Kingdom and France.
152
•
In 1990, SaskTel successfully completed its largest project - the rural individual line service
program. 70,000 customers were converted from multi-party line to individual line service.
•
In 1995, SaskTel patented technology that allowed hotel guests to make and receive
telephone calls while playing a video game, even though the controller was hooked into
the same telephone jack. This technology was marketed through the Hospitality Network
and Nintendo.
Radio
•
The first trans-Atlantic radio signal is credited to Guglielmo Marconi, and took place
on 12 December 1901 at Signal Hill in St. John’s, Newfoundland. The use of radio for
communication quickly became apparent, as it enabled instant contact over long distances
without the need for interconnecting wires or cables.
•
Two young Colonsay area farmers, Ben Taylor and Elwood Campbell, made Saskatchewan
radio history when they set up their own “radio stations” in 1911. At this time, wireless
telegraphy was in its infancy, and was still in an undeveloped and unreliable state. Using
parts ordered from the United States and information from the magazine Scientific
American, the pair set up stations on their farms 15 miles apart. This system did not
transmit voice, but rather, the dots and dashes of the Morse code. The inventive pair was
able to send signals and to hear some “noise” at the other end, so their experiment was
a partial success. Before their experiment could progress further, someone reported their
set-up to police, apparently concerned that it might pose a security threat because of the
First World War. Ben Taylor’s equipment was dismantled by police.
•
Amateur radio in Saskatchewan grew slowly, but was already evident in the 1920s. Morse
code was the main form of communication, as it was more reliable than voice broadcasting
during times when static and other adverse atmospheric conditions were prevalent. Most
of the equipment was home-built, as there were almost no commercially available products
for radio amateurs until after the mid-1940s. Even then, many radio amateurs continued
to build their own equipment or modify surplus wartime equipment due to the expense of
commercial products.
•
Today, as in the past, amateur radio operators must be licensed by the Federal government.
Licensing involves passing an exam which tests the candidate’s knowledge of radio theory
and operating practices. Each operator is assigned his/her own call sign.
•
In times of public emergencies, when telephone or Internet communication may be
disrupted, amateurs have been able to maintain communication with the outside world.
•
Today, there are more than 1,000 amateur radio operators in Saskatchewan. Although
the Internet has fulfilled much of the general public’s need for instant, long distance
communication, the amateur radio hobby still provides the only legal method of personal,
world-wide communication without any intervening or supporting infrastructure.
•
CKCK Regina, Saskatchewan’s first commercial radio station, debuted on July 22, 1922.
CKCK was established by the Regina’s The Leader newspaper. Other early radio stations
established in Saskatchewan include: CFQC Saskatoon (1923), CHAB Moose Jaw (1923 as
10AB), CKRM Regina (1926), CJGX Yorkton (1927), CKBI Prince Albert (1933), CBK Watrous
(1939), CJNB North Battleford (1946), CKOM Saskatoon (1951), CFRG Gravelbourg (1952)
and CFNS Saskatoon (1952).
153
•
Crystal radio sets were popular, beginning in the 1920s when radio was in its infancy in
Saskatchewan. A crystal set could be constructed quite cheaply, and consisted of an
antenna, a tuner, and a detector usually consisting of a sharp wire or pin pressing against
a sensitive point on a galena mineral crystal in a holder. The headphones which were
required to listen were the most expensive component.
•
An annual license was required to operate a home radio receiver until 1953.
•
Radio communication has played an important role in keeping remote areas in
Saskatchewan’s north connected. During the 1950s, the Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) in Saskatchewan operated a network of over 500 two-way radios. Many remote
areas rely on airplanes to fly people and goods in and out. Flying would be hazardous and a
less effective way of conducting business without the ability to communicate. Commercial
fishermen relied on the timely arrival of planes to fly out their catch of fish when it was still
fresh. Mining companies, outfitters and the administration of the natural resources of the
north would have been severely restricted without this important means of communication.
In addition, people relied on radio communication to arrange evacuation of sick and injured
people in need of medical treatment. In 1954-55, an astounding 104,000 radio messages
were sent over the network operated by the DNR.
•
Two private French language radio stations, CFNS Saskatoon and CFRG Gravelbourg,
went on the air in 1952. The stations were later sold to la Société Radio-Canada in 1972.
•
The Missinipi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) was formed after the establishment of the
Northwest Native Broadcast Access Program in 1983, and has since become a leader
in indigenous communications. The MBC broadcasts out of La Ronge, and reaches an
estimated audience of 100,000 people, including 60 communities across the province.
MBC provides news and programming relevant to northern people, including ten hours
each of Cree and Dene language programming each week. To listen online, visit MBC at
http://www.mbcradio.com/.
•
Saskatchewan’s first reserve-based radio station was launched on the Okanese First
Nation near Balcarres on June 12, 2003. CHXL-FM (95.3) broadcasts the usual musical
offerings like rock and country, as well as old-time fiddling, blues, gospel and pow-wow
music. The music is complemented by an assortment of live talk shows, stories from local
elders and conversational Cree programs.
Internet
•
The universities in Saskatoon and Regina brought the Internet to Saskatchewan in 1989 when
they built the Sask*net network, part of the national CA*net network initiative. For more information, visit Canada’s advanced internet organization CANARIE at http://www.canarie.ca/.
•
In 1990, University of Saskatchewan librarian Peter Scott developed the world’s first hypertext
directory of worldwide Telnet sites, called Hytelnet. Colleague Earl Fogel wrote the Hytelnet
software for UNIX and VMS systems. Hytelnet was the world’s first Internet browser. Before
there was the World Wide Web as we know it today, there was Telnet and Gopher.
•
SaskTel became Saskatchewan’s Internet access provider when it launched SaskNet
in 1995, which offered dial-up access, email and a news service. According to SaskTel,
“…[SaskTel] brought universality of service and moderation of prices to the residents of
Saskatchewan including being the only Internet provider to waive long distance dial-up
charges for rural customers.”
•
http://www.sasktel.com/about-us/company-information/history/1990s.html
154
•
In 1996, SaskTel became the first in North America to offer commercial high-speed Internet
service using Assymetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) technology. (Unlike a dial-up
connection, an ADSL connection is always on. More of the channel is devoted to receiving/
downloading information versus sending/uploading information.)
•
In 1996, Peter Scott and Doug MacDonald with the University of Saskatchewan Library
developed WebCATS, a web-based program for searching online library catalogues around
the world. WebCATS was replaced by Libdex, also developed by Scott.
•
CommunityNet, a partnership between SaskTel, the Government of Saskatchewan, the
Saskatchewan Communications Network and the Government of Canada, was launched
in 2001. As a result of the project, Saskatchewan has emerged as a world leader in the
provision of Internet services. CommunityNet is a high-speed Internet system which to
date, has provided every educational facility, government office, health care facility and
library with high-speed access in 366 communities. CommunityNet provides high-speed
Internet access to rural and remote communities that would be over-looked by private sector
companies, due to the expensive nature of the project. CommunityNet’s backbone also
provides a framework for SaskTel to expand its high-speed service to smaller communities
on a case by case basis, at a faster rate than would otherwise be possible. To learn more
about CommunityNet, visit the CommunityNet website at http://www.communitynet.ca/
intro.html.
Television, Radar and Satellite Communication
•
Television came to Saskatchewan in 1954. CKCK in Regina and CFQC in Saskatoon began
broadcasting that year.
•
According to the Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies (ISAS) website, part of the
University of Saskatchewan’s Department of Physics, ISAS has long been involved in
research involving radar and satellite systems:
The Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies (ISAS) was formed in 1956 to study the aurora
(northern lights), the related ‘disturbances’ in the upper atmosphere and ionosphere, and the
effects of solar activity upon climate. Since that time members of the Institute have expanded
the world’s knowledge and understanding of how the sun and the earth interact; and trained
more than 200 scientists and engineers in a wide range of technical and scientific areas. ISAS
developed observing systems for space and atmospheric sciences, ground based optical and
radar instruments, and satellite systems, remote sensing technology, and knowledge of STP
processes are a vital resource for “Canadian Space Science” and couples powerfully into hightechnology industries. http://www.usask.ca/physics/isas
•
Saskatchewan’s portion of the Trans Canada Microwave relay system, by which signals
could be beamed from tower to tower carrying video, voice and data, was completed by
SaskTel in 1957. As a result, live television could be broadcast across the country, making
programming like Hockey Night in Canada possible for Saskatchewan fans to enjoy.
•
On June 6, 1959, to inaugurate the official opening of the Prince Albert Radar Laboratory
(PARL), American President Dwight Eisenhower bounced a congratulatory message off the
moon from the Millstone Hill Radar station near Boston, Massachusetts, to PARL. This was
an historic occasion, because the moon was the world’s first and largest satellite, and it
foreshadowed the power of bouncing signals off objects orbiting the earth for the purpose
of communication.
155
•
PARL was a joint initiative of Canada’s Defense Research Board and the United States Air
Force to investigate potential problems, including the aurora borealis, which might impact
the detection of intercontinental ballistic missiles officials feared might be destined for
North America from countries like the former Soviet Union. A sister radar was located at
Millstone Hill near Boston. Following its experiment with using the moon as a satellite,
the PARL was also involved in communications experiments involving the first man-made
satellite called U.S. Echo in 1960. SED Systems converted PARL to a satellite tracking
station in the 1970s, and it was used to receive remote sensing images of the earth taken
by the Landsat satellite. For more information, read the article “The Prince Albert Radar
Laboratory” by D.R. Hansen on the Friends of the Communications Research Centre
website: http://friendsofcrc.ca/PrinceAlbert/PARL%20History/PARL%20History%20p1.html.
•
The present day SED Systems was formed as the Space Engineering Division of the
University of Saskatchewan’s Institute of Space and Atmospheric Studies in 1965. SED
was changed to SED Systems when it became a private company in 1972. SED Systems is
a world expert in network management and satellite ground communications technology. In
1998, SED Systems was awarded the largest ever contract to a Canadian company by the
European Space Agency (ESA) to build a gigantic, 35-metre deep space antenna located in
Australia. The antenna sends and receives information to and from ESA spacecraft, namely
the Rosetta spacecraft which is on a ten year journey to meet up with the 67P/ChuryumovGerasimenko comet, and the Mars Express craft which is delivering information from Mars.
SED Systems is also building a similar ESA antenna in Spain. For more information about
SED Systems, visit http://www.sedsystems.ca and http://www.sk25.ca.
•
In 1984, as part of a field trial, SaskTel’s new fibre-optic system was used to beam live
lectures from the University of Regina to students in Moose Jaw, Melville, Yorkton and
Swift Current.
•
The University of Saskatchewan began offering introductory credit classes via television
satellite in 1987. The classes involved a televised lecture from the University, on-site
tutors to assist students, and live discussions between the instructor and students via
telephone.
•
The Saskatchewan Communications Network (SCN) was created by an act of the
Saskatchewan Legislature in 1989. SCN provides informative Saskatchewan programming
on its Broadcast Network, the delivery of educational credit classes through its E-Learning
Network, and uses satellite technology to deliver its networks, and for the delivery of highspeed internet to rural and remote communities with the CommunityNet program. SCN
was licensed and began broadcasting in 1991.
156
APPENDIX ONE
157
APPENDIX TWO
Communications Article Analysis Worksheets
Article reproduced with permission from The 25 Saskatchewan Science Achievements website,
compiled by Saskatchewan Industry and Resources: http://www.sk25.ca/.
SaskTel Installs World’s Longest Fibre-Optics Network
This is the story of how a small telecommunications company blazed a trail ahead of the world’s
telecommunications giants to become the first to develop and operate a large-scale fibre-optics
network in the early 1980s.
When SaskTel first started building the network in 1980, the longest network in the world was less
than 10 kilometres. By the time the Saskatchewan Crown corporation completed its work in 1984,
it had installed the world’s longest fibre-optics network - covering an amazing 3,268 kilometres to
link 52 communities.
The project was started to help SaskTel keep ahead of rapid advances in telecommunications
technology. In the late 1970s, SaskTel business managers and engineers foresaw the coming digital
revolution, when most of the world’s information would be communicated digitally from computer
to computer.
“Our dream was to digitize the province,” explained Graham Bradley, who was part of SaskTel’s
original fibre-optics team and went on to become director of the research and development group
before retiring in 2000. “Today, this means that people in small-town Saskatchewan have better
telecommunications services than people in many large American cities.”
Bradley’s team began researching fibre optics in the late 1970s. What they saw was a technology
that allowed voice, video and data to be carried on the same fibre, with a transmission capacity far
greater than any other communications medium.
“Fibre optics is the science of communicating with laser-generated pulses of light travelling through
hair-thin filaments of glass,” said Bradley. “This digital system was much superior to the analog
system then in use in terms of capacity and quality of transmission over distances.”
There were three technology trends driving SaskTel to consider replacing the old analog telephone
cable network with fibre optics. First, cable television was beginning to make inroads into the
television market, and more consumers were asking for cable. The Government of Saskatchewan
and SaskTel wanted to ensure there was a comprehensive cable network that could transmit video
images throughout the province. Second, the team wanted a network that could transmit high
volumes of data in anticipation of the rapid growth of computer-to-computer communication. Today,
that communication has evolved into the worldwide Internet. Third, the team wanted to develop a
telecommunications system that could transmit over long distances without losing quality of voice,
video or data.
Fibre optics fulfilled all three needs at once. At that time, one hair-thin fibre was enough to transmit
672 telephone calls or one video channel. Since the early 1980s, the capacity of fibre optics has
increased tremendously to the point where, today, one fibre could possibly handle one million
calls.
158
The conversion to fibre optics made even more sense after SaskTel decided in the late 1970s to
replace its old telephone switches with digital computer ones. Fibre optics was the perfect digital
carrier between these digital “hubs” or switches. The plan for a provincewide fibre-optics network
was approved in 1980, and Bradley’s team began installing the first 200-kilometre fibre-optics cable
between Regina and Yorkton, primarily for use in transmitting video. From there, they were ready to
tackle the whole network.
The Government of Saskatchewan convinced Northern Telecom Corporation to build a plant in
Saskatoon to manufacture the fibre-optics cable and other electronic components. The SaskTel
engineers mapped out a plan for how the network would operate. Bradley said that mostly homegrown technical talent was used. Construction crews plowed trenches for the cable in registered
easements, usually next to railway lines.
Although the initial network was completed in 1984, it has been expanded many times since then
to reach hundreds of communities across Saskatchewan. As well, gradually the fibre optics in
the entire original network were replaced by newer fibre optics able to carry greater volumes and
maintain transmission quality over longer distances.
That original decision to convert to fibre optics led to many technology advances and economic
benefits in the decades to come. Recognizing the market value of its fibre-optics expertise, SaskTel
created an international subsidiary to market the corporation’s telecommunications consulting
services to global markets. SaskTel International has helped develop fibre-optics networks around
the world. In fact, the subsidiary was one of the main consultants that commissioned the fibreoptics system in the Channel Tunnel connecting England to France, which was built in the 1990s.
“Without fibre optics, there would be no high-speed Internet,” Bradley added. Now Saskatchewan
has one of the most comprehensive high-speed Internet networks in North America.
SaskTel became famous in the telecommunications industry because of these accomplishments,
said Bradley. “Our work is known better internationally than here in Saskatchewan or even in
Canada,” he added. Along with that recognition came the secret satisfaction of having beat the
giants such as Bell Canada in the digital telecommunications race.
159
Using the article as a basis, and conducting further research where necessary, students will analyze
the article, “Sasktel Installs the World’s Longest Fiber Optics Network”, and answer the following
questions related to learning objectives in the grade seven social studies curriculum.
1) What is fibre-optics technology and how does it work?
2) Necessity and want stimulate invention. What factors stimulated SaskTel to utilize fibre-optics
technology?
3) SaskTel has become a world leader in telecommunications, thanks in part to its fibre-optics
expertise. Discuss.
4) Technological change is continuous. In what ways has the use of fibre-optics technology changed
since SaskTel first started using it in the 1980s?
5) What are the positive consequences of using fibre-optics technology in Saskatchewan? Are there
any negative consequences?
160

Communication - Western Development Museum

Transcription

Similar documents

Inside Saskatchewan - SEDA - Saskatchewan Economic

Happening inRegina

attached

June 2014 Newsletter - South Saskatchewan Community Foundation

For the Year Ended December 2010

2nd Annual Hospital Cash Lotto Poster

Inside the Fall/Winter Issue 2015 – Front Line

Plan for 2015-16 Ministry of Labour Relations and

Spring - University Library - University of Saskatchewan

SAA SSAC 2016 Program-BF Final - Saskatchewan Association of