Where In The World Is Sum1?

Playing in Plantation

Date: Week of February 13^th

Locale:  Plantation, Fl.

         Wow, FIVE weeks with no travel, I was about to go bonkers! 

         That's not true at all, but I can't believe I haven't traveled since the first week of January.  That doesn't mean I've not been busy though.  I spent a week upgrading a small system in Chicago, spent two weeks teaching in Chicago.  One class was an on line class, the other a spur of the moment thing when two students showed up for a cancelled class (there was a big mix-up somehow of course, since they were already there and needed other classes, we gave them one of their choice, and I was the guy available).

         I am in Plantation Florida this week (yeah for the warmth!) delivering a special resident class for Hamilton County, Ohio.  It's a two day class that will teach their technicians how to program their new radios.  The model this week is the Motorola APX Multi-band radio.  I know, that means nothing to most of you.  So just a quick explanation.  Two way radios in the past operated in one band only.  The FM Band is divided into different bands by the FCC, and two way radios will operate in either the VHF, UHF, 700/800 Mhz, or 900 Mhz band.  This radio can operate in all four bands!  When you consider the electronics needed to allow it to do that, and the fact that it has to fit into a device you can hold in your hand, it's pretty amazing.

         I arrived a day early to spend some time with them as they were shown what's called the APX experience.  What they do here is assemble the radios, and test them.  These radios undergo very rigorous testing, far more than you might believe, so I will tell you a little about it.  First, the radios can operate without problems in temperature ranges from -22 degrees Fahrenheit, or 130 degrees Fahrenheit.  They are also very shock resistant, water resistant, and dust resistant, and much more.  All of this I already knew of course, have to in order to deliver these classes.  But yesterday I saw some of the testing the radios are put through.  Some of the things they showed them included:

                   1.  They took a hand held radio, powered it on, and lowered it into a large tube of water to a depth of five feet.  Left it there for 3-4 hours.  Once in a while, they would transmit from another radio, and watch the indicators on the submerged one, showing that it could still receive the voice.

                   2.  The guy doing the demonstrations took the radio he was holding, and threw it on the ground as hard as he could.  Nothing broke on the radio, and it remained powered on.  He offered to let anyone take a radio outside and throw it as high in the air as they wished, but no one tried that. 

                   3.  They showed a video of a radio meant to be mounted in a car being placed on the ground and slowly run over by a firetruck.  The whole time, they had a microphone plugged in to it, and transmitted to another radio.  They also stopped the firetruck and lowered its leveling jacks to the radio, and lifted the trucks wheels off the ground.  Again, the radio still worked.  It was then sprayed with a fire hose on straight stream, and still continued to operate.

                   4.  The radios are placed in an air tight chamber, and  a fine grit, white dust is blown around them at high speeds for three hours.  At the end of that time, each radio is tested for proper operation.  Every button and switch is tested 30 times, each must work every time, or the radio fails the test.  Here is one that has been tested, and already wiped clean, or as clean as simple wiping can get it.

         There are more tests performed on the radio, including vibration testing, static electricity, audio testing(think working at a fire scene, sirens and horns blaring nearby, loud noises everywhere).  Of course the radio will transmit, but can the voice be heard on the other end without all that background noise?  I've read about this in the past, I knew this was done, but I'd never seen it done.  For me, it was a real eye-opening day.  You might wonder why we put our radios through such testing I'm sure.  The reason?  They are used by first responders.  Police, Fire, Military, and many other jobs, like construction, utility company's, etc. .  Often they end up being dropped, fall out of helicopters, submerged, etc.  I saw one that had even stopped a bullet!  These radios cannot fail to work when these people need them.

         Today I will start teaching them how to program those radios.  The radios are useless if the technicians don't know how to program them.  My job is 'easy', at least compared to some/  Yes it's very technical, it can be demanding, but at the same time, easy.  I just have to be prepared is all, and I am.

         My next trip is in two weeks, when I will be going to the Big Island of Hawaii to deliver this same class, as well as the follow on class that will teach the technicians how to maintain these radios.  Things like disassembling them if needed, of course reassembling them also.  Testing, calibrating/aligning the radios, repairing them should they fail.  Two weeks in paradise!  To say I'm looking forward to it would be a gross understatement.

         Til next time, y'all stay warm out, it's still winter.  If down under, stay cool, it's still summer!