Alaska Railroad (TV show)

Ok, I can only speak to some of the questions, above.... But I will try and answer....
1. Snow Machines are made to live in Snow and Cold.... My two live outside, most of the winter, and I put them on trailers and in a shed during the summers, but only to keep the local Kids from playing with them.... All the local Kids leave in September....
2. Can't speak for what others do, but around here we build for 10Ft of wet snow on the roof, during the winters... You either build for it the first time, or you spend the next summer, REBUILDING it right, the Second, Third or Fourth time......
3. Most of the Bush Folks are Subsistence Livers, or reTIRED. I am semi-reTIRED....
4. a Good chunk of Alaska is now CellPhone covered, at least in my area. Alaska also has the Alaska Private Fixed Radio System which is similar to what you Aussies had in the OutBack, before CellPhones. It is an HF SSB Comms System, similar to HF Ham Radio, only commercial. There is also a VHF Radio System you can buy into that connects to the Telco System. I am a Ham Radio Guy, as well as an Alaska Private Fixed/Private Coast Operator, and a reTIRED FCC Resident Field Agent for Southeastern Alaska. Comms is my thing. I have Based SAT IP Internet coverage here, as do a few of my neighbors. We also have Cell Service here that come from Hoonah Mtn. That is 15 Miles away, over Water, and the Site is at 2500' above SeaLevel.
5. There are no Passengers allowed on a Freight Train, and I can assure you that the Freight Train Crew has very comfortable Seats in the Engine Cab. The Passenger Trains, use the standard Train Coaches, common in most western Train System. Yes, dogs are allowed on our trains.
6. I live in a Rain Forest, and get 90% of my water from collecting Rain off the Steel Roof of my cabin. Old Snow can provide some water, but you never know who, or what has done what while you were not looking to that snow. Also, It takes a TON of BTUs to melt Snow and you don't get a lot of water out of it, because Snow is MOSTLY Air.... and in winter it is frozen most of the time.
7. Most folks do heat with wood, as it is a local, easy to deal with, form of fuel, and it is CHEAP.... A typical winter, requires 6 - 10 Cords of Firewood, depending on how far north you are.
8. e-burbs?? Could you mean EPIRBs? An Emergency Radio Beacon... Yup, many folks who do NOT have reliable Comms, do keep them, and also use the Newer SPOT Devices. I have no need as I have multiple Comms available. We do rely on the USCG, and our .MIL Chopper Folks, for Emergency Medivac. I had to be USCG Choppered into the Hospital late last winter, for a Collapsed Lung, at 2AM. Momma called them on the phone, and then we talked the Chopper down on VHF Marine Radio. We LOVE the FlyBoys, of the USCG, because when we get in trouble, they fly out and SAVE our Lives.....
9. Many are Subsistence Livers, and live off the local Animals, and Flora... Myself, I am more a Planned Storage Liver, and have my Winter Supplies stocked up, before the Last Barge Sails south, in September. and the next Barge isn't until the next May. We do get MailPlanes, once a week, in the winters, here and we can get Grub shipped out from town on the MailPlane, if needed. I am the PostMaster, UPS Agent, FedEx Agent, and Fuel Distributer, here'bouts, so I have some income, that others may NOT....

Oh Yea, Do NOT believe everything you see on ANY Alaska Reality Show.... Much of it is Scripted, by Writers that are from the FlatLands, and do NOT have CLUE ONE, about what it is REALLY LIKE, out here.....

 

Alaska Emergency HF Frequency 5167.5Khz USB This available to ANY FCC Licensed Station within 50 Miles of the State of Alaska... it is open to ALL Classes of Radio Licenses in the State. It has been that way for 30+ years.....

 

OR, go brush the snow, off the Dish, and FeedHorn Face.....

 

My wife is the plant specialist in our place...
We never get more than 2 ft of snow in a night, so, no we just shake the snow off the cover that is on the machine. I have the Barge Line, leave me a. 20ft Conex Box every fall. It is used as a Gradge for my Yamaha Rhino 660. I have a 4X4 pickup Truck for primary Transport, and a Suzuki Samurai as a backup. We have two snowmobiles, and two Honda FourTrax ATVS, Besides the Rhino. Philosophy is Two is one, and One is None... So we have two of everything, that is critical. We have two SAT Based IP Links. Two Cellphone, two iPads, and multiple Laptops, and DeskTops. Two HF Radios, Two VHF/UHF Radios, four VHF/UHF Handhelds, and multiple Antennas, for each. Then there is all the spare Radios that are stored in EMP proof Storage. AlaskaChick & I have been doing this for decades, so we have things down, and well thought out for our location...

 

5167.5 KHz is for Emergency traffic, & Calling, between ALL Licensed Radio Services... Once contact is made, then if a common Working Frequency is available, you must move off to that. If not, then traffic can be passed on that frequency, as long as other Emergency Traffic is NOT Pending.
Our SAT Links are rock stable, as long as the UpLink Site, in Atlanta, Ga isn't under a Thunderstorm. I am using a 1.2 Meter Dish on one, and a 3 Meter Dish on the second. I have only lost signal once due to Rain Fade, on the small dish in 12 years, and never on the Big Dish. I do have to brush the snow off the FeedHorns on occasion.
We do have SAT based Television, and it has been out due to Rain Fade a few times in 15 years. Mostly it just works. We buy our subscription, a year at a time.
A SourDough is slang for one who has ACTALLY spent a whole Winter in Alaska... A Chechoco, is a FlatLander, that is a summertime only Resident.
A Prep'er is a person that believes in Selfsufficency, to the extent possible. Some refer to these folks as Survivalists, but Prep'ers may dispute the Appocolyptic connotations that come with the later term.

 

@BT

But only one grader for the runway?

 

No, Ghrit.... ACTALLY we have TWO Graders, as of last summer... Our old Austin/Western, and a newer Champion Grader with a very nice 671 Scream'en Jimmy Diesel Primemover....

Actually, our Phones are VoIP on a different SAT Based System, and yes, latency is an issue. The two second turn-around can get irritating, at times, but when Ghrit and I talk, he doesn't seem to mind, and we still get the call done. La ten years makes sending Faxes a real challenge, but that also can be mitigated with some fancy Circuit Conditioning....

My neighbors hunt the local undulants, as I used to, but I am to old to really do that now, so if a Moose just happened to trot in front of the Cabin, he would be in the freezer in a HeartBeat, but other than that, our meat comes Frozen on the last Barge of the summer, and is stored in our Four Freezers.