The Big Dish Traditional Cache

This is a regular, kid friendly cache. It was part of a youth activity introducing them to the exciting world of geocaching. There is no need to open gates, climb fences or disturb any structures. The cache is placed with permission. Please be respectful of the buildings and grounds.

Here is a bit of history behind the Big Dish near GZ. Sputnik, the first Earth-orbiting satellite launched by Russia in 1957, inspired the development of satellite networks positioned well above the earth. These satellites allow us to play our treasure hunting game, but why would such a tiny church building have a huge satellite dish?

The first satellite broadcast in the US was in 1962 over Telstar 1. It featured clips from a Chicago baseball game, a news conference by President John F. Kennedy, and a concert from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. 

In 1980 the newly functioning satellite capacity was demonstrated when then church President Spencer W. Kimball spoke from Fayette, a remote town in upstate New York, his message traveling via satellite as a regular conference broadcast.