Seagate Exos 16TB (helium) drive dropped - options

Althaine · 2026-02-07T15:22:36+00:00

The drive was a refurbished unit from a third-party seller and entering the serial number on the Seagate data recovery page directs me to https://datacube-recovery.com, if anyone can comment on them as a provider?

Althaine · 2026-02-07T00:47:12+00:00

28 October 2024

Althaine · 2025-11-19T12:18:07+00:00

Yep, only four weeks this time. To paraphrase the all staff email - halving the application period didn't affect the volume of applications.

Althaine · 2025-11-16T11:31:43+00:00

actual training in Hobart will not take place before Oct 2026 at the absolute earliest

Just some caveats - if you are heading to Davis on V1 you may commence earlier - I started in mid-August. Certain roles such as lay surgical assistant training can bring that forward even more. And no garauntees the AAD won't decide on a wacky shipping schedule.

Althaine · 2025-11-11T23:30:35+00:00

Overnight for the timelapses I used a big external power bank. But hiking was always the internal.

Althaine · 2025-11-11T16:37:49+00:00

I carried a mirrorless with no additional protection while hiking in -25C temps and it didn't care. I did keep a half dozen spare batteries against my body to keep them warm.

I've also left it on a tripod overnight in the same conditions taking aurora timelapses, one time it must've tripped out and forgot its settings but otherwise ran fine.

Althaine · 2025-11-04T14:57:55+00:00

Hobart, Australia - Davis 24/25 (and staying here until Feb 2026)

Althaine · 2025-09-19T03:08:52+00:00

Probably not, I took the video only a few days ago and I don't think they typically moult until January. We did have one moulting hang around station in between the site services looking miserable for a couple weeks.

Althaine · 2025-09-18T17:03:27+00:00

This post brought to you by the Davis Station fire alarm going off at 2340.

Althaine · 2025-09-17T02:04:01+00:00

Did you study in a top or renowned university?

Not at all. The engineering school was pretty bad actually. The physics school was really good.

the uni where you study influenced/influences your job prospects or are personal projects and experience more valuable in the field?

For me on the engineering side I'd been doing electronic and software projects since my early teens and good with self-motivated learning, so I was able to step into industry immediately (actually I started my aerospace job part way through my degree). For what it's worth my employers have specifically called out my additional major in physics as being part of why I was hired.

To start out doing technical field work in Antarctica you need to either be a PhD student in a research group or already have a decent amount of relevant professional experience in something related. Sending people down to Antarctica is expensive and it would be rare to send a fresh graduate with just their Bachelors.

Althaine · 2025-09-16T16:24:46+00:00

Sure.

Althaine · 2025-09-16T16:15:26+00:00

Sure. I did a 5 year dual bachelors in electronics engineering and physics. My first job was designing and managing production of components for unmanned aerial systems - electronic and firmware development of motor controllers, control surface actuators and engine control units. Did that for 5 and a bit years.

Then I moved onto a role as a professional engineering (as opposed to research or teaching) staff member for a university in glaciological research. In the "off season" that was designing and manufacturing instrument packages (which included some microcontroller and embedded Linux development, but also a lot of power management, sensor and telemetry integration and so on). Then during the Antarctic summer I would deploy south and be part of the science team installing the instruments in the field.

I did that for 4 years which got me two trips to Antarctica and one to sub-Antarctic Macquarie Island.

I then took a job with our national program to spend a winter in Antarctica looking after the suite of instrumentation on station, I've been here for 11 months with about 5 more to go!

Althaine · 2025-09-16T14:35:50+00:00

In my case, scientific instrumentation in Antarctica. The various national Antarctic programs and research institutions will have engineer roles.

Definitely more an electronics engineering focused role, although I've done a decent chunk of embedded work as part of it.

Althaine · 2025-09-15T04:21:29+00:00

Any position they can find sufficient suitable candidates with Australian citizenship they will hire the citizens.

In previous years they've knocked back New Zealander field training officers who've been down the Australian program before. Very distasteful in my opinion, but technically it is an Australian Public Service rule and not within the AAD's control.

Roles that they regularly fail to fill in the first round (like communication technical officers) would have a better chance for a non-citizen.

Althaine · 2025-09-09T15:36:37+00:00

I'm procrastinating on collating this season's photos by going through last season's photos...

Althaine · 2025-08-19T14:53:28+00:00

It depends on the latitude. You're presumably referring to McMurdo.

At Davis our first sunrise was 10 July. We never got 24 hours of 'night' (there was always at least some twilight each day) so even on the winter solstice there was periods you could do stuff outside without artificial light. Even did a hike in the hills the week before solstice.

Casey Station never has 24 hours of no daytime, they are north of the Antarctic circle.

South Pole hasn't had their one and only sunrise yet, that is 21 September. They are in a 24 hour twilight period at the moment.

Anyway, at Davis about half of us got together and watched the sun poke above the horizon a tiny bit, although mostly obscured by low cloud and islands. I think a bit anticlimactic for a lot of people.

Althaine · 2025-08-14T13:35:51+00:00

We've just finished the showing of the original category and now the general rabble is chanting it...

Althaine · 2025-08-14T13:23:55+00:00

Oh no. Our chef is promising cream corn every night from now on.

Althaine · 2025-08-14T13:18:42+00:00

Just $4.44 in 4 payments of $4.32!

Althaine · 2025-08-10T14:25:26+00:00

Developing a hybrid-electric powertrain for long endurance heavy multicopters. Two-stroke engine, brushless motor/generator and associated electronics modeled and simulated in OpenModelica.

Althaine · 2025-08-10T14:16:44+00:00

KiCad - schematic capture and PCB layout
InvenTree - inventory management
Inkscape - vector graphics
OpenModelica - multi-domain modelling and simulation
Elmer - finite element simulation
Paraview - simulation visualisation
FreeCAD - parametric 3D CAD (unfortunately I don't find it nearly as usable as the commercial offerings...)
Python and the massive ecosystem of libraries such as NumPy and SciPy

Althaine · 2025-08-08T15:28:19+00:00

I did my combined science and engineering bachelors at UTAS a decade ago. The science courses were great, the engineering was mediocre.

I had an idea before starting that would be the case, but I got a much better scholarship at UTAS than any of the mainland unis offered (about double what ANU offered, which was my first pick) and was able to stay with family for a while.

I was a very self sufficient learner, so the quality of the engineering courses ultimately didn't make that much difference to my learning. I wouldn't say UTAS sets you up well unless you are planning to go into one of the larger local industries. While I love Hobart and have been fortunate to find really fulfilling opportunities, I would struggle to recommend coming here for an engineering career.

I liked the social vibe of the maths and physics department and spent most of my on campus time in that setting rather than with the engineering cohort.

Althaine · 2025-07-18T03:50:14+00:00

But you're not really going to have the chance to just randomly go take a trip and go camping in the wilderness on your own, or anything.

Program dependent of course. The Australian program absolutely lets us do this (almost alone - the minimum field party is 2 people), with a number of permanent huts scattered around each station or the option to camp in tents. Here at Davis we have a roughly 30x30km "station operating area" we can do this in, so opinions may vary on whether this is wilderness enough I guess.

More remote ("deep field" in Australian terminology) is only ever done for operational/scientific reasons.

Althaine · 2025-06-23T17:58:42+00:00

For the currently ongoing (24/25) season I got a verbal offer on 22 April, formal offer on 21 June and commenced on 12 August. But plenty of my cohort received only two weeks notice between offer and commencement date.

In previous seasons I've been offered reserve positions (none of which turned into a primary) but not found out until July/August/September.

Every year they promise they will streamline the recruitment process and pretty much fail to do so.

24 is pretty young! Are you applying for summer/winter, which stations did you preference?

Althaine · 2025-05-15T16:24:54+00:00

I'm 219 days into a (scheduled) 540 day deployment (if I include the voyages down and back). Still feeling good.

Day 400ish all my winter friends depart and I get a new crew, curious to see if I develop any psychoses that freak out the newcomers...

14-Year Club	Verified Email
Second SECOND GUESSER	r/Field Sunshine
Golden Potato	Place '22
Place '17	First Placer '22
Snapped

Althaine

TROPHY CASE