Disappointed that the solar power and terrestrial path acquisition appears to have been dropped. Now it is just a L-band antenna and tuner. With that said, glad to see that at least something is being released... 
Lantern Update from Syed Karim, Outernet CEO
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With the Outernet's L-band frequency active, you can do some quick experiments for the fun of it. 
Strip 1.9 inches of shield off of a feed cable to make a 1/4 wave antenna and tape it in place of the LNBF on your dish aimed at 97.6W. Then you can use a tuner card on your computer and tune it to whatever LNB LO frequency you set it to (doesn't matter) + 1539.8725. You should be able to see a signal on a spectrum graph, but I haven't had a chance to actually try it yet since I am in Maui right now with only my laptop and SDRPlay.
Of course, a dish isn't necessary if you have a portable L-Band antenna. I don't have one with me at present, but I was able to get a very weak signal without a dish using my SDRPlay running HDSDR and a generic telescopic radio antenna extended to a length of approx. 7.9 inches long (a full wave). As I rotated the antenna I noticed that the signal was strongest when the skew angle matched what would be vertical polarity on 97.6 at my longitude. That's what I observed here, but I have no idea if its really vertical polarity
Anyway, I think the move from KU to L-Band was an excellent idea as its much simpler than setting up a dish.
Strip 1.9 inches of shield off of a feed cable to make a 1/4 wave antenna and tape it in place of the LNBF on your dish aimed at 97.6W. Then you can use a tuner card on your computer and tune it to whatever LNB LO frequency you set it to (doesn't matter) + 1539.8725. You should be able to see a signal on a spectrum graph, but I haven't had a chance to actually try it yet since I am in Maui right now with only my laptop and SDRPlay.Of course, a dish isn't necessary if you have a portable L-Band antenna. I don't have one with me at present, but I was able to get a very weak signal without a dish using my SDRPlay running HDSDR and a generic telescopic radio antenna extended to a length of approx. 7.9 inches long (a full wave). As I rotated the antenna I noticed that the signal was strongest when the skew angle matched what would be vertical polarity on 97.6 at my longitude. That's what I observed here, but I have no idea if its really vertical polarity
Anyway, I think the move from KU to L-Band was an excellent idea as its much simpler than setting up a dish.
^^^ What I posted here Tuesday probably won't work. I did some more reading on this and I found out that they are using right-hand circular polarity and a proprietary modulation method developed by Viasat. So you would need either a helical antenna on a dish, or a portable patch antenna.
Outernet is now selling patch antennas for L-Band on Amazon. (Just search for "Outernet L-Band Air Gap Patch Antenna"). You would also need an LNA (low noise amplifier), an SDR, and a Raspberry PI running Raspian with Outernet software.
Seems they still exist, web page is still up etc. Also appears they ran out of kits but should have more stock later in March.
outernet.is
outernet.is
What the heck is going on with this project?!?! No lantern after so many years of waiting?
I give up.... 
Think I would have had more fun at the roulette wheel!
Think I would have had more fun at the roulette wheel!
I have to agree, I feel at this point that was a wasted couple of hundred bucks.I give up....
Think I would have had more fun at the roulette wheel!
This is the only crowd funded project, I have never received anything from.
Same here! Never have been in this situation where the crowd got nothing...
At this point they should have at least reached out to us supporters and offered a plastic decoder ring...
This is one project that I was confused by. It sounded grand but I kept saying to myself there is no way to make it work. I am glad I didn't have the money to send them.
Sent from my iPhone using the SatelliteGuys app!
Sent from my iPhone using the SatelliteGuys app!
They are selling Outernet kits, but not shipping anything to the backers? 
Seems to me that, at the very least, they should send the backers the $99 kit or offer a full refund.
Here is where they are selling the kit for $99 - http://store.outernet.is/products/deluxe-outernet-diy-receiver-kit
And here Syed says the February batch sold out quickly: http://forums.outernet.is/t/diy-kits-out-of-stock-shipping-early-march-email-backlog/3347
I think he should read this thread and offer a solution.
Seems to me that, at the very least, they should send the backers the $99 kit or offer a full refund.Here is where they are selling the kit for $99 - http://store.outernet.is/products/deluxe-outernet-diy-receiver-kit
And here Syed says the February batch sold out quickly: http://forums.outernet.is/t/diy-kits-out-of-stock-shipping-early-march-email-backlog/3347
I think he should read this thread and offer a solution.
I tried Skype, but no response. I mean left a message, didn't expect him to answer. Anyway nothing there. Told him we have some guys at Satguys that are wanting some answers.
I would not have funded this project had I not talked to him several times on the phone.
That's frustrating. However, he is active on his discussion board and he has responded to some of my posts last year when I was experimenting with antennas and Inmarsat reception. Maybe a post on his forum will get his attention?
I have started a thread about this on the Outernet discussions forum. (I am 'cbander' over there). Lets hope for a response from Syed.
Hi Everyone. Sorry for the frustration with this project. I know it's been two years since the campaign closed and we are now 18 months behind our original delivery date. We do have an operational network that is free to receive, but as you may have guessed, there have been many setbacks related to the production of Lantern. But this does not mean that we have given up on production. Our biggest issue now is getting a hold of 5000 CHIPs, which is not real easy at this point.
For anyone who would like to a DIY kit in lieu of Lantern, we are more than happy to make that exchange. In a previous backer update we made this offer, but only a few people reached out for it. Also, if you would like a refund, we are happy to provide those via Paypal.
The best way to make either of these requests is be emailing us: hello@outernet.is
We are a very small team, so it does take some time to reply, but we'll be sure to either provide the refund or make the exchange for you. Apologies that the campaign did not go as smoothly as we had hoped for. We've come along way and we inch closer every day, but an undercapitalized team of three can move only so fast.
For anyone who would like to a DIY kit in lieu of Lantern, we are more than happy to make that exchange. In a previous backer update we made this offer, but only a few people reached out for it. Also, if you would like a refund, we are happy to provide those via Paypal.
The best way to make either of these requests is be emailing us: hello@outernet.is
We are a very small team, so it does take some time to reply, but we'll be sure to either provide the refund or make the exchange for you. Apologies that the campaign did not go as smoothly as we had hoped for. We've come along way and we inch closer every day, but an undercapitalized team of three can move only so fast.
I want to express my thanks to Syed and his team for doing an honorable thing. I have just gotten my financial refund in the amount I paid for the Lantern Project. I'm using this medium to say, a big thank you to them for their efforts and wish them luck as they continue to work on their project.
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