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 |  I travel the country on business, sometimes the world. Come see where I've been. |
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Talk about perks, my job has one of the best ones I can think of! I travel in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I am a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and teach classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2 way radio communications. I'm qualified to deliver approximately 30 different classes, but about half of those are 'Legacy' classes, and are not in demand anymore. My students are technicians, those who maintain, program, calibrate, and repair large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I get to travel, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where am I this week? This probably won't have daily entries, but I will make entries when I get to go somewhere, and keep an updated list of coming trips. My schedule changes faster than the weather, so don't be too surprised to see me list an upcoming class, only to remark later on that it is cancelled, or delayed. Delays are fine of course, but a later date might mean that someone else gets to go instead of me,,, Well, here we go with this, let's see where it takes us.  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
A Semi-Virtual Tour of A Nuclear Submarine This entry is inspired by Bikerider  's comment about a Newsfeed post I commented on recently."Note: Three Word Thursday In just three words , gi..." I initially provided a three word entry for this post, but decided I would write more, and ask questions about a submarine. As many of you might know, I served in our Navy for 20 years in the Submarine Force. So the questions weren't meant to be me looking for answers. It was meant to make you think about what it's really like on a submarine. Bikerider 's comment was that a written tour of a submarine would be interesting. While this is not a written tour, I really hope he finds this interesting!I really think that most of you would find a written tour to be pretty boring. So instead of a written tour, how about a pictorial one? Explanations provided with each photo of course. ** Image ID #2243064 Unavailable ** This is not a true representation of a submarine's interior, but it will suffice. Just aft (to the left) of the missile tubes, you see a hatch. That is how you enter or exit the submarine while in port, and also serves as an escape hatch should it sink. A quick blurb here about that. If a submarine sinks, every man on board is most likely dead. Your chances of actually being able to use that escape hatch are less than the chances of you winning the lottery. Why? Most likely the submarine will sink in water far too deep for it to survive, and it implodes. If it does sink in water that is shallow enough, it must be very close to upright for that hatch to be useful. I lived (slept really) on the third deck, right under the sail and masts/antennas. I worked in the Engineroom, which is aft of the hatch used to enter the boat. ** Image ID #2243065 Unavailable ** This is the heart and soul of a submarine. It is here that the Officer of the Deck (OOD) can raise the periscope and see the world above the waves. Here is where the men steer the submarine, as well as maintain its depth. This photo is of a much newer submarine than my first two, and a bit more roomy too. The man in the foreground (helmsman) is the one who steers the boat according to commands from the OOD. He also operates the forward planes. Depending on the class of submarine, these planes are either on the sail, or near the bow. The other position with that steering wheel looking thing is actually manned (planesman), but you can't see him right now. That man operates the stern planes, those which control the angle of the boat underwater. The man with his hands together in the back of the photo is the Chief Of The Watch. He is the one who would blow the ballast tanks to surface the boat, when ordered by the OOD. He also maintains the trim of the boat (along with that second helmsman), by pumping water from tank to tank. He monitors all external hatches, as well as air banks pressures, etc. He's a pretty busy guy really. All three of these men work for the Diving Office Of The Watch. The 'Dive' (as he's called), maintains the boat's depth as ordered by the OOD. It does take quite the team to operate something like this. ** Image ID #2243068 Unavailable ** Five photo's of a submarine interior. Left top: This is a view of the Maneuvering area in the Engineroom of a submarine. The panel in the photo is where a man sits and controls the reactor. The 'shim switch' in the middle of the panel is used to move the control rods in and out. Contrary to what Hollywood tells you, the Control Rods are very (and I do mean very) slowly. The rods must be pulled high enough to take the reactor critical. The reactor then heats the water in the primary plant, which is pumped through the primary piping to the steam generator. Just like the water heater in your house, the primary piping in the steam generator heats the water on the secondary side. Steam is formed, which is then sent to turbines to both push the boat through the water, as well as rotate turbines that couple to generators to provide electricity. That was my job, monitoring and maintaining all the equipment that created the electricity for the boat. I operated the panel on either side of the central panel there (not at the same time of course), as well as standing watches that allowed me to roam the entire engineroom. Lower left: The 'head', or restroom. You would have 20-25 men in here at once getting ready to go on watch. You can see the 'privacy' we had on board.  The middle photo is of a submarine going through a major refit. It's hard to say exactly where in the boat this is. Right top: A shower. Yep, all 3 foot x 3 foot x 6 foot of it. And that's being generous in describing its size. Lower right: A berthing area on a boat. On my first two boats, if you were more than 6 feet tall, you could not sleep stretched out in your bunk. Your legs were always curled. The passageway between those bunks might have been 2 foot wide.Here's a better photo of maneuvering  So while all looks so 'cool' on the outside, there's a lot going on inside. I'm sorry I don't have more photo's to share with you. If you want an entertaining read, and good photo's of submarine life, I recommend looking for 'Poopie Suits and Cowboy Boots' on Amazon. Very well done with stories written by people like myself who have served, and may still serve on submarines. I haven't contributed any to that yet, mainly because I just found out about these books. If you are curious about this life, please ask. I'll be happy to tell you what I can of it.  Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Bloomington, Illinois Week of: January 11, 18, and 25, 2021 For the longest time, I didn't really like delivering online classes. The reason? It meant I wasn't going somewhere, but that was only a minor consideration. In our online deliveries, there is no video feed, so we can't see the students, they can't see me. Yes, I can turn my webcam on, and I do at times when using my whiteboard. But there's really no need for it, then again, there's a big need for it. If you've participated in instructor-led online learning, you can appreciate the need to share video. At the same time, video requires a lot of bandwidth, and for some, that's not possible. Plus, at times I need to access the company's VPN which does cause connectivity issues at times. (There's a problem there somewhere, but it's not something I can correct). So, we don't use video for the most part. As an instructor, I like being able to see the students. I can judge how they are receiving the information, when they might be confused, etc. With no video, that's impossible. So for me, an online class is a necessary evil so-to-speak, one we can't avoid. These past two weeks, and this week, I am delivering classes from home. Next week I'm on vacation, and the following week I'm not scheduled to deliver anything. I won't know what to do with TWO Weeks free! (Kidding of course). This my fourth week in a row delivering a class, that's fine with me. I've delivered three different classes in those four weeks, and this is a rare occasion where I will deliver the same class back-to-back. I'm getting used to the online delivery, and like it more now since I can deliver classes from home. Such a long commute though! I have to walk downstairs to the basement after all. But it's a quiet commute, and quite safe, as long as I don't slip on the stairs. My schedule is staying full though, so that's a good thing. By the end of June, I will have delivered what is considered a full year's worth of classes. Well, almost. Still, that might give you an idea of how busy we all are. It could be a lot worse, so I'm not complaining one bit. Loving what I do is a benefit too. I just wish all of you were as lucky as I am in your careers. In Closing I am home this week, and the next two. Then it's off to Sarasota, Florida followed by Lyons, New Jersey. These two weeks free are necessary, because after that, my next free week won't be until May 24th! Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! |
| Locale: Flagler County, Florida Week of: January 4, 2021 This week finds me in Flagler County Florida for a class with the county techs. I drove down because I'm still avoiding flying as much as I can. Yeah, I know that they've tested airliners and found that the virus can't live in one because of the air circulation. That's not my worry. It's the airports, and everywhere between my car and the plane. So thanks, but no thanks, I'll drive when possible. This has been a fun class, but it's had its moments too. Imagine coming to a customer prepared to deliver a class consisting of equipment A and equipment B. Then, despite all your prep e-mails back and forth, despite all the pre-work you put in, you start the class, and discover that they only have equipment B. The problem is, covering equipment A and B would normally take 4 days (so you might wonder why it was scheduled for five? Don't worry, I do too, but they won't change it, no matter what we tell them), but now in covering only equipment B, you can get 2.5, maybe 3 days of training in. Oh wait, they paid for 5, so what to do, what to do? Fortunately, they have equipment C & D (yes, I'm using letters just to make it more understandable to Multicast Sites vs. Simulcast Sites will bore you to tears), and you just happen to be the only instructor who can really talk about equipment C & D at length. You got all that? I hope so, because there's a test following this.... So it's been a good week. The customer is happy with the training, especially since I know they don't want training on equipment they don't have, and that extra stuff I've taught them? Very few know it well, and they've had a lot of questions about it, so we've done well. Plus, I've gotten to spend a week in the warmth of Florida, huh! That's a wi-win if you ask me! To top it off, I've found at least two nice restaurants. Well, three really, but the third one happens to be closed this week.. Dang it. Noteworthy Restaurants: Flagler Fish Company https://flaglerfishandbeefcompany.com/daily-menu/ This is the kind of place I love to stop in and dine. A local run place, nothing fancy, just good food. To say their fish sandwich was good would be a gross understatement. It was Excellent! Along with that, Smoked Fish Dip. So good, I will stop there on the way out tomorrow, but a half-pint of it to take home! Portugal Wine Bar And Grill https://www.portugalwinebarandgrill.com/menu When I saw this on Google Maps, I knew I had to visit it. Why? One word. Paella. Yummmmm. A platter so large I had enough for a second night of enjoyment. It was a nice place to visit too, a bit 'fancy', but that was alright. In Closing I am home the next four weeks, delivering online classes the next three weeks before getting a week off to study and such. Then it's off to High Point NC, at least as of now. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! Jim Dorrell |
| Locale: Blooomington, Illinois Weeks of: December 21 & 28, 2020 It's been a relaxing two weeks here. I spent it working with a teammate in Schaumburg last week, learning a little about a new course. There is A LOT to learn for this class though, so it will be awhile. A little about this course and the product covered in it. A customer can purchase additional equipment for their radio system, and properly configured, it will allow their Cell Phones to communicate with users on their radios. A little extra info here too. A cell phone is really a radio, but it operates differently, and in a different frequency band that our 2-way radios, so it's impossible for someone on their cell phone to make a call on our radio networks. This optional equipment ties the two types of system together. How? Once the call is received from the cell phone, the system converts it to digital (1's and 0's), then puts it on a network. Since it's all digital, as long as there's a network connection, the call can be received by radios operating in their frequency band, which convert it back to audio that we can hear. So despite being in two different frequency bands, despite using non-compatible signaling schemes, by tying the two systems together over a network, communication can occur. So I have to learn all the in's and out's of this system, how it works, is connected together, and how to configure/maintain & troubleshoot it. This past week I used my time to complete final edits on that course I learned (and heavily edited) back in March. The course materials I've been using were 'okay' at least, but really needed a good sprucing up. That's been done, I've double and triple checked the sequence of doing the Microsoft Excel exercises, and feel it's ready for others to use. Now all we need to do, is get them qualified. At least they'll have better course materials than I did to start with, plus recordings of classes I deliver in January using these materials. We'll see what happens. In Closing I will spend the weekend at home before going to Florida on January 2nd for a class next week. After that, I am home for about five weeks (as of now), delivering classes from my basement all but one of those weeks. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE! |
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