Where In The World Is Sum1?

Working From Home

Locale: Bloomington, Illinois

Week of: May 16, 2022

         This week has proved to be a productive week as far as studying goes.  I reviewed the course materials for the class I delivered in Las Olas, and arranged to pick up some equipment when I'm in Schaumburg Monday.  Ah yes, about spending one day in Schaumburg.  I will deliver one day of a class for a co-worker so he can see his doctor.  This is an appointment he can't miss, and I'm the only instructor besides him that is qualified to deliver that class.  Actually, I'm the Master Instructor for that class, he's the other qualified instructor.  Doesn't matter really, I will cover for him because with all the appointments I've had in the past two years, I know what it's like to need to see your doctor.

         During the class for the Port Of Los Angeles, one of the senior technicians made a comment that made me realize I really should work on a certain course, and qualify to deliver it.  My manager has said the same thing.  Let me explain.  Fleetmapping is something that every customer should do when they purchase their system.  Let me describe it this way.  When a customer buys a radio system, there are many pieces of equipment that need to be configured/programmed.  I call one side 'The System', and the other side 'the field (or subscriber) radios.  The system side is equipment that is mounted in a rack.  You know, two metal stands about 19 inches apart with holes drilled in the sides.  The equipment consists of Virtual Servers, (a computer with numerous cores, a 600 GB hard drive, and about 16 vertically mounted 600 GB pocket sized hard drives mounted beneath it), and connected via a cable.  If you're glassy eyes already, please hang in there.  There's more.  The equipment also consists of networking equipment, routers & switches, repeaters (rack mounted radios), and numerous other pieces of equipment.  I teach a lot of it, and have more than a layman's knowledge about what I don't teach, but I do know what I don't know.

         Back to my story.  So this system is purchased at a cost of several hundred million dollars, depending on the size of it, and other factors.  Fleetmapping allows the customer to configure the system to their needs.  The system is very flexible as far as configuration goes, and can be configured in so many ways it makes my head spin.  But just configuring the system isn't enough.  The radios that people use, whether they are mounted in a vehicle, or carried on a person's waist, need to also be programmed/configured.  If the customer only configures the system and not the radios, they have wasted their money.  Realize that when I say configure, I mean configure to optimize their performance and operation on the system.  Configuring the radios incorrectly results in less than optimum operation, it could result in poor radio coverage, especially in an emergency situation.  So the radios should (I say MUST) be configured to match the system in order to maximize their performance.  Conversely, configure the radios so they do EXACTLY what you want them to do in any situation, but don't configure the system to match them, and once again, a lot of money has been wasted.  Fleetmapping teaches them how to maximize system and radio performance.

         So what class does my manager and this Senior Technician feel I should deliver?  Radio Systems Administration (RSA), which teaches technicians how to configure/program their system, as well as monitor it.  Yep, I teach Fleetmapping, which is all about System and Radio configuration, but I don't deliver this course.  I know a lot about it, but I don't know all the ins and outs necessary to deliver it.  So  this week, in addition to improving my knowledge of one course, I also started studying RSA.  I will pick up equipment on Monday so I can further improve my knowledge on that Las Olas class.  But I've also arranged to have remote access next week so I can perform the hands-on activities that are a part of the RSA course, and will review all slides until I'm sick of them.  Sadly, with the schedule the way it is, I may not get a 'team-teach', and will be 'thrown-to-the-wolves' for my first delivery.  Most likely it will be in Schaumburg so I will have ready access to a wealth on information in the form of our lab techs, and anyone who's qualified that course and is in the office that week delivering a different course.  We'll see what the future holds.

         You might be asking yourself how I can be so confident about things.  The answer is, I've been this way since Junior High School, maybe even earlier.  A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far, away, I realized there is little one can't do if they set their mind to get it done.  It's not just me, anyone can do it.  I approach every challenge with an attitude that I will get this done.  Heck, give me a manual on rocket science, its construction and design.  Allow me to work with the equipment involved assembling it, testing it, programming/configuring it, and I will learn it.  Again, any of us can do that with a positive attitude, and A LOT of work.  There's nothing we can't do if we put our minds to it.  One thing I don't do, is invent/create things.  My mind doesn't work along those lines, so don't look to me to invent something that is different than anything on the market.  Could I learn or gain that talent?  Probably.  But I don't have a desire to do that.  That's just my attitude, and the way my mind works.

In Closing

         I have been home this week, and will be home the next two weeks.  Monday I will be in Schaumburg teaching, then I will teach from home Monday night from 7pm til midnight.  My customer is the US Air Force, the base in Yokota Japan.  Major time difference which necessitates the odd hours.  I will teach that class Monday thru Thursday.  The following week is Memorial Day, I will be involved in Virtual meetings all week long, and present a very condensed version of Fleetmapping to co-workers on Thursday so a couple of them can qualify that class.  The first week of June I will be back in Fort Lauderdale for 2 weeks delivering Networking classes.  Maybe I will get to meet Lilli 🧿 ☕ this time, or anyone else who is in that area and would like to connect.  Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE!





Jim Dorrell