Work entertainment

[Jherrith]

Well, moved the freq standard to where it was meant to be and got it all set up and my senior tech figured out why his monitor was not seeing it, had a bad attenuator ... imagine that , guess they do go bad after all.

Anyway "biod" must have been in pouty mode because he didn't move the other monitor back at all, since both the senior tech and myself got onto other business. Fine let him pout, don't care.

Received more radios for the boats only two mine you and at least this time it is for a boat we do service since they port in our area. Anyway got started on the adding to RM and setting it up for programming and what do I get when I try to read them into RM (radio management) yep failed ...

Turns out that they have updated the firmware yet again in new radios and lo and behold the current version of RM and CPS2 will not read it ... .. typical, a communications company that does not know how to communicate with the rest of the organization.

 

So had to go on the Easter egg hunt to see what is going on and at last I found them. Apparently what I use for key words and what they think is a key word for a search box is 'ehem' far apart. Now the fun part download it, why because now they have this insult to those of us that can download files in there called download manager. I seriously do not need help to download or manage my downloads, they are as bad as SPAZ with that idea.

The funny thing is all right if you say I need it. I will bite ... guess what it would not install. Yep, nifty piece of software dummies ....

Downloaded as I normally would got it and went to install it .... my goodness, I don't know what they did to it but I have not seen anything recently take so long just to get started. It is copying and transferring files faster then one can read which is normal, but the progress bar nada .. nothing ... zip .... showing. It was every bit of five minutes before I saw even a glimmer on the progress bar. So you all improved this how???? Inquiring minds want to know ...

Now this is all well and good except RM has two parts a client portion which is what I am to use and the server portion which is to go on the network which is what our "client" talk to ... oh great because without the server updated the client will not work. So had to call in the guy that does that stuff or was doing it prior to being turned into a system tech to take care of it, since I have not been shown or taught what to do for stuff of that nature yet ... still ... or at all.

Whatever installed CPS and yes I can now read the radio so there is that at last. Fun part was I told my senior tech about it out loud in the tech area, biod is sitting there with his noise cancelling headphones on ... I guess so he doesn't have to listen to anyone so he doesn't know yet that the version has updated. So I guess we shall see how long it takes for that to be noticed by him. Since I am not going out of my way to say a thing to him. You're the one with the headphones on so you don't have to interact with anyone not me.

Did drop a line to two of the customers that mess with programming on the radios themselves since this is something I cannot control or work around. One thanked me and I haven't heard from the other as of yesterday.

Should be fun times coming soon to a shop near me

[Jherrith]

  I wonder how much noise the "biod" would have made yesterday if he was in any way shape or form involved with programming the school bus radio's that me and the senior tech did yesterday.

Had 121 of them to program. There are all packed in boxes in no particular order regarding serial number. So you have to pull out a radio, check the serial number to get the ID then you can program the radio. It wasn't till we got started that it was found that there was a set of radios where the bus rep fat fingered the serial number on one character. Didn't affect what we were doing mind you but he did have to call it in to the radio shop people so it could be corrected there, we on the other hand just kept programming.

Bet it would have set the thin skin one off based on his current behaviour though

Granted I miss the previous boss at the school bus depot as he had them in order with the ID painted on the radios so very little if any cross checking required at all. However between the two of us we were still done in four hours.

Got back to the shop and was talking with the senior office lady about something else and thin skin walks up and asks her what standard does the calibration company use when they do the test equipment. WTF

In my mind why are you asking her? Two why aren't you calling the calibration company instead? And three who wants to know and why?

I have been there 11 years, the senior tech has been there 25 and in all that time it has never been questioned or asked ... so whose ass are you trying to kiss "biod"

And for the real $24K question why in heaven's name are you still around with this task, it has been every bit of four weeks now and still no end in sight.

Lord knows if it had been assigned to me and it took that long the boss would be putting me on the carpet and asking why aren't you done yet.

Well, imagine that when we got back to the shop the "biod" had finally moved the service monitor back to where it came from and had it hooked up to the freq standard Will wonders never cease.

[Jherrith]

And now on to today's adventure.

Who says I do not have fun on occasions.

 


Yes got to mess about with a helicopter for EMS ... they be definitely different when it comes to programming

[Jherrith]

Well, took the day off due to a doctors appointment and what happens I now have two more appointments due to that one.

Then I finally got off my collective ass and finally made two other appointments that I have put off for entirely too long.

Eye doctor and a dermatologist.

Four appointments to contend with and one of them is the crazy echocardiogram thing ....

Hopefully that will be fine, as todays appointment was all normal across the board, so that is good news.

[Jherrith]

Back to work related entertainment.

The boat is now asking for the programming software so they can program their radio to work on 403MHz - 512MHz instead of the 403MHz - 524MHz that they came with from the factory.

  Isn't 512MHz below 524MHz, so what would it matter if the freq band goes a bit further?

Got to wonder if the people in their engineering department are playing with a full deck.

Asked both the senior tech and the boss if that presented a problem and they both gave me the expression.

So, guess I am not as dim as I think I am on occasions. Quite comforting, at any rate I did say sorry you need to get in touch with your sales rep to get the software. I can't help you and oh by the way it has been updated to this new version number. So be very specific.

Got to love it when it is not my problem or responsibility to resolve the issue. Doesn't happen often but when it does it is so nice to put the sale people on the "burning carpet"

Make promises, you had best keep them because it is not in the lowly field techs list of duties to perform.

Another good one I heard is the school install that the guys and myself did back in Jan. of this year has just now been turned on and it is acting "funky" ... funky must be a technical term I am not familiar with, either that or I am to old to understand it.

 

At any rate the fun part on this topic is that the school declined tuning, programming and testing  ...  now that it is acting "funky" now they want us to offer solutions on how to fix it.

For free ....

Sorry about your luck, and since the equipment that they had me install was provided by the school, and was quite obvious by it's appearance that it came from another school in the system and the IT department was basically re-purposing it with no regard for the "details". Such as tuning of the duplexer, preselector and repeater to the same freq across the board. Oh by the way, let us not forget checking to see if the portables are on the same freq.

  You don't need to do things like that to make a radio work ....

Show me a purchase order then we will talk.

[Jherrith]

The other part of the day was we picked up radios from the hospital we programmed the helicopter for to bring back for repairs.

I kept them in my office since "biod" doesn't think that there is any purpose to using Smartsheet to track the repairs from the customer. First it is not your call to make that decision as the customer has instructed us to use it.

Get the over it ... or better still leave them to me instead.

Quite interesting as when I checked the records I found of the seven I got that four had not received a PM. One was never programmed and the other two have been in for other problems.

The fun part is that these are a model that I have not repaired before, so a learning experience for me. They are a model I am not fond of as they are tiny and are only 2 watts, so a low power radio and talk about jamming all the electronics in a space that do not favor fat fingers like I possess.

One of the reasons that I am adamant about taking charge of the repairs for the customer is that the last time a radio of this model came in for repairs the "biod" sent it straight to depot even though we have all the parts to repair it in stock.

Believe me they had better be in my office when I come in tomorrow. Or there will be to pay.

Hopefully the three that I did get repaired on Wed. will be ready to take back tomorrow when I am doing a site walk at the same facility.

So we shall see if I can do the two birds, one stone trick tomorrow.

The other upcoming fun project is that I am expecting 25 new radios for programming. So asset tags, ID's, entry into Smartsheet.

Better still is that I have to create the code plug for these radios as I do not have one from the initial roll out, for the model bought. So you can rest assured that I certainly don't want him anywhere near them.

[Jherrith]

On another note had a bit of a bother with the fancy ass key for the company truck. Wouldn't retract as designed, so decided to ask for the spare until I could get to the place that replaced the battery in it and see what they could do for me.

Sounds simple right?

Until the boss couldn't find the key to the lock box where all the spares are kept. Swore up and down it is kept in one spot and one spot only and it wasn't there, tore his desk apart and never found it. He made the comment that this was the second time a key has come up missing. Disturbing indeed but I do not know what to tell you.

Drilled the lock out, on the lock box eventually and got the spare, used it for the rest of the day until I got back to my side of town to have my key fob looked at, big surprise was that they were able to get back to normal operations. So thought that was a win.

This was on Tuesday, fast forward to Thursday and get a call from the boss while off, what else is new. Anyway asked about a service call that supposedly came in, sorry no record or idea about it. No missed call, nothing.

The real kicker was that he mentioned the lock box thing again and guess what now the key he couldn't find is now back where it was supposed to have been all along .... curiouser and curiouser.

[Jherrith]

How fun had a site walk this morning, for a project started three years ago ... talk about falling through the cracks ... good grief.

Anyway got back to the shop and the portables for a different project had come back from the engravers. Thought I was going to be able to help program them but it turns out that the code plug was one that had to be built from scratch by the senior tech as I do not understand P25 code plugs.

And since he had to build one for a portable and all he had to start with was a code plug for a mobile and plus add other talk groups to existing zones. Yep way above my skill level so I went back to repairing the radios I brought back on Wed. got three of four completed so that is pretty nice.

Then got a text message stating that the hospital in Apopka had issues with their EMS radios, so went out there and boy howdy the new model was defintiely "hosed" so had to bring that one back with me to look at on Monday. The backup is an older model and they were having problems with it, but when I looked at the battery indicator and the date code on it, twas quite obvious what the problem was and since I had brought a test battery with me.
I swapped it out and now we have power on the battery indicator above zero, bet it will work a wee bit better now.

Not certain why people think that batteries are forever ... but for some reason they do and it is disturbing that I as a field tech have to re-educate the end users.

  Sales people, since they never follow up until the customer complains to us the service shop.

So why do I have to do their job?

[Jherrith]

Well, it is quite obvious some of my students are hiding their abilities, gave them a mock code exam for extra credit ... neglected to mention it was a "master's exam" and surprise, surprise had several of them that earned over 50 points on the exam.

Had my standard 20+ point range but to have more then one above 50 and even one as high as 65 didn't see that happening.

So interesting to see that I have shall we say some "sleeper students" good to see something of this nature.

They are the next generation of electricians and who knows some will be building the next set of business, education centers, retirement communities and so forth for the future.

I do like to be able to pay things forward and this is one tiny way to do so, and as mentioned it is refreshing to see that some folks are ready to go forth and just need a little encouragement to stay the course.

[Jherrith]

Well, so much fun. The radios that were supposed to have been delivered last week still didn't show up as of Friday. One can only hope that things will change on Monday

Hopefully we will also get some insight as to what is wrong with the one radio that I picked up from the hospital.

Also do look forward to seeing or getting some insight on another repair that is coming back. Volume is backwards ???? hell does that means