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 Being Retired now, I thought that it was time for a new name to this Blog |
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Talk about perks, my career had one of the best I can think of! I traveled in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I was a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and taught classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2-way radio communications. I knew that when the time arrived that I would retire, and I have. I've always said that if you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, get out! I can't handle the heat anymore. I was qualified to deliver approximately 32 different classes, but about half of those were 'Legacy' classes, and were not in demand anymore. My students were technicians, those who maintained, programmed, calibrated, and repaired 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 traveled, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where have I been? Some of the places I've been (I can't list them all here, the list would be too long) are pretty interesting. 1. Hawaii - Four times, Oahu, Maui (twice), and the Big Island 2. BangkokThailand, twice 3. Frankfurt Germany, twice 4. Algiers, Algeria 5. Melbourne Australia 6. Bismarck North Dakota, Summer & Winter 7. Los Angeles, Too many times to count 8. Washington DC, Too many times to count 9. Seattle three or four times 10. Texas, all over the state 11. Florida, all over the state 12. New Mexico, HOME! Several times  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
| Teaching Teaching In Schaumburg For Two Days Locale: Schaumburg, Illinois Week of: 8/22/22 Yey!! I made it through a class without COVID hitting me. Well, okay, it was only two days, but still... I last taught this class about 4 years ago, but was not worried about my knowledge and presentation of it. The device is called the MLC 8000, with dimensitons of 1.7 in x 8.6 in x 10.4 in. It's a small box essentially, but does quite a few things. We designed it to do 2 functions, but customers have gone far beyond that. Luckily, I only have to know what it was designed for, not everything it's being used for. My concern in this class delivery was that the MLC's in my small system were not fully implemented. I had configured them many times, but needed necessary hardware (cables) made to connect them to other devices. Also needed is a small box called a TIM's set, or Transmission Impairment Measurement Set. This is used to check the level of an audio signal over an analog connection. I had neither the cables, nor the TIM's set on hand, and was sure it would be mentioned. And it was. In the course critiques, every student mentioned the lack of test equipment, and said we needed one. True statement. Sadly, that will not happen most likely, unless I purchase it myself. We'll see what the future holds. During the class, I cleared up some misconceptions that each of the students had about the device, and was able to answer every question asked. I guess that carried over to the course critiques, because they were surprisingly good. One student didn't really care for the class, the hardware on hand, and my knowledge. The other 4 were fine with everything. In fact, during the class, we made the necessary cables to connect the MLC's to the Base Radios!  After a quick calibration, the links were showing 'green', meaning the MLC connection to the Base Radio was good, and communication would occur if a radio transmitted on the channel. A major milestone and accomplishment if you ask me. I sent my supervisor a note about the class along with my thoughts and future goals. We'll see if any of those are acted on or what.I'm home the rest of this week, going to the Chiropractor today and tomorrow, and relaxing all I can. Other than vacation I scheduled last year, I am busy until Thanksgiving, then my next off period after that is Christmas.... In Closing I am in Schaumburg again next week before flying home to Albuquerque HS Class reunion, the 50th! My schedule remains full to the gills through the end of the year and through March of 2023. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE!  Jim Dorrell |
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Non-interchangeable parts - now there's a surprise. There are times you can't interchange parts for two editions of the exact same car that vary "only" by model year.