“Sentinel Assignment Telemetry and Notification”
Erik Bard: SATaN
The name, “SATaN” stands for “Sentinel Assignment Telemetry and Notification.”
The name, “SATaN” is a dark-humored acronym chosen by the principal investigator to more or less describe the role of the device that has archived so much data from inside of the concrete pit, through physical contact with the ground or through antennas and pass-through openings to the outside world.
The SATaN instrument was designed and built for taking continuous measurements, over periods of months or years, of seismic and sound-pressure disturbances, speculated to be responsible for unusual sensory experiences of ranch occupants.
Many of the things described by ranch residents, personnel and visitors align with the physical effects of exposure to strong, low-frequency vibrations or sounds below 20 Hz, known as “infrasound.” Under the right conditions and at high-enough intensity, infrasound is reported to cause disorientation, dizziness, nausea, visual hallucinations and unpleasant emotional states, including anger or terror or the menacing sense of being watched, all of which match the experiences reported by many on the ranch.
Some sources claim extreme effects from exposure to these low-frequency vibrations can include prolonged sickness or even death. The non-lethal effects are a decent match to several, but hardly all, of what we see happening to people, otherwise without any confirmed cause. The working idea behind “SATaN” is that unique atmospheric conditions or local seismic disturbances, perhaps from natural processes in the earth or even as an unintended consequence of nearby oil and gas industry activity could somehow account for noted effects on human beings at the ranch.
Below ground level on the eastern side of the Skinwalker property, not far from the command center is a concrete chamber that has come to be known as the “SATaN pit.” It was built by ranch superintendent, Thomas Winterton, in 2018 at the request of principal investigator, Erik Bard, with approval of property owner, Brandon Fugal.
Construction of SATaN Pit:
The sealed and secure enclosure is equipped with line power and network connectivity and was added to assist with instrumented measurements or with long-term experiments that cannot easily be kept running or monitored under battery power on the ranch. The first science objective for the vault-like “SATaN pit” was to host the “SATaN” instrument itself. Hence, the name.
The SATaN instrument:
So far, the data collected by the “SATaN” device have been found to contain interesting features at specific times during which the signals deviate from normal values, but they do not provide clear support for the original working hypothesis. We are still collecting data in search of clues.
Over the years, the “SATaN” platform has evolved to include additional, useful and data-logging devices whose measurements are likewise best collected out in the field. These include continuous monitoring of low-frequency magnetic and RF (radio frequency) electromagnetic signals as well as signals emitted by aircraft in the vicinity.