Where In The World Is Sum1?

Fleetmapping, Federal Customer

Locale: Bloomington, Illinois

Week of: 6/20/22


         For the first time in a while, I delivered back to back classes of the same course.  This is one of the things I love about being qualified in the courses I am.  I rarely deliver the same course two weeks in a row.  But here I am doing just that, and that's fine.  Once in a while.

         This week's class was a Federal Customer, and since it is the Fourth of July weekend, Friday was a holiday for them.  This necessitated a slight change in the schedule.  Instead of delivering the class in five 3-hour days, I would deliver it in four 4-hour days.  It changes things quite a bit really.  You might wonder why, so I'll explain.  I know where I want to be at the end of a given day for every class I teach.  So, teaching five 3-hour days is different than teaching four 4-hour days.  You stop at different places in the curriculum.  For some it's no big deal, they sort of 'wing' each delivery, teaching each delivery of the same class differently.  I was trained to follow a different approach due to my background in Nuclear Power.  You follow the Instructor Guide, and personalize the delivery with your knowledge.  For most others, personalizing means deliver the class in whatever order you wish, no need to follow a guide.  I lost that fight long ago, and though I haven't given up, I realize I'll never change their minds.  It would take management involvement to change the way classes are delivered.  Oh well.... maybe some day, long after I'm gone.

         I know I've mentioned this before, but Fleetmapping is all about configuring the system (in particular, a server at the Core called the 'Provisioning Manager') and the radios to maximize their capabilities.  I teach radio programming also, making this class a bit easier to learn initially.  In every class of radio programming, I tell the students that configuring a field value in CPS (the software used to program radios) only gives the radio the ability to perform that function.  The system in this case, is that server called the Provisioning Manager.  Here's an easy example.  Suppose I configure the radio with CPS to send a voice call using encryption?  I have to log on to the Provisioning Manager (PM), create/edit that 'radio object', and configure the radio in the PM to grant it permission to make that  kind of call.  Now imagine that your company, county, city, state, or whatever your agency is, has spent over 100 million dollars on this new radio system, and the radios you want to be able to send Encrypted Calls can't because they have not been configured correctly in the PM.  You start to see the value of Fleetmapping.

         I was given a copy of their Fleetmap, which is in the preliminary stage.  They have a long way to go, and a lot to learn.  The class was good, everything went well.  I could almost see their eyes becoming less confused as the class progressed, even though I never saw their faces.  (No one turns on their Webcams for class).  This group did a good job in asking questions and discussing topics they didn't understand well.  Only  time will tell how much they learned as they build their Fleetmap.

In Closing

         I am home this week, and will spend it working with a curriculum developer on modifying an online prerequisite dourse.  My session with military members was a complete flop since no one showed up.  Since they are still in the Military, they had Friday off also, so I'm not surprised.  My next trip will start Sunday when I fly to Kansas to visit Dorothy, and the town of Salina.  After that, it's back to Fort Lauderdale for a four day hands-on only class.  Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE!




Jim Dorrell