"Ari Silversteinn" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 13:03:57 +1300, Ken Taylor wrote:

Well, he's not a troll in that he's making it up as he goes - it appears
he
really is hoping to do for his company what he says (source: Google).

I have a clear history for anyone to Google.

Sure do, I was pointing that out. Hence I don't think you're a troll.

However it's a job which really equates to:
Government fleeces tax-payers
Bureaucrat gets hold of budget allocation
Bureaucrat needs to succeed - ie. unload allocation
Ari and co. want to be under the hopper when the jackpot payout
commences

Not too much wrong with that synopsis, Ken.

A valid way of doing business, but still a crock.

Ken

Indeed it is both. Considering we gave away a central DB technology to
DHS-NOLA, then they failed to use it, we are hoping to make money this
time
around *and* that they will get their acts together.
--
I'm really not criticizing you, per se, but I don't think the concept is
well thought out.

You refer elsewhere to this being an auxiliary warning system on a loco -
level crossing lights/bells/boom gates not enough? They usually are, so why
the worry now? (Okay, we know it's the moolah....).

You also refer to 1,000W being available - it's just not enough for what you
want to do. Period.

Good luck with them getting their act (I would have said something else!)
together, but don't bet the bank on it. I'm actually an ex-bureaucrat myself
and to call me cynical of governmental abilities would be an understatement.
But if you do come up with something useful (I bet it ends up being a
spin-off rather than the initial concept seen here), I hope you get
something out of it.

Cheers.

Ken

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 11:27:44 -0400,
Ari Silversteinn wrote:
On 4 Oct 2005 14:12:19 GMT, Allodoxaphobia wrote:

On Mon, 3 Oct 2005 17:19:42 -0400, Ari Silversteinn wrote:
DHS has proposed a change in scenario. They want an on locomotive alerting
system that could be commandeered and driven at, near or about a disaster
site. Everything else stays more or less the same, overbroadcasting on
local AM/FM, power off the locomotive, selective or full frequency
broadcasting, train (s) to be in motion at all times. 20-30 second messages
that would also combine a message to be aware that a locomotive (at speed)
will be flying by the at grade crossings.

Comments?

And what are these messages suppose to convey?

Primarily two things, alerting pre-evac and at grade crossing alerts that a
high speed locomotive is approaching.



they'd be better off with bells and lights at the crossing for the
latter...


We all (outside the screwed zone) saw the blizzard of useless
"messages" the government(s) issued during and after Katrina.

And a blizzard of useful ones as well.


wheat from chaff?


--
Jim Richardson http://www.eskimo.com/~warlock
"The three principal virtues of a programmer are Laziness, Impatience, and
Hubris."
-- Larry Wall in den Perl5-Manpages

On Wed, 5 Oct 2005 08:19:05 +1300, Ken Taylor wrote:


You may find that sci.electronic.misc or sci.electronic.design may be
more
relevant, since it's commercial/military and not amateur. Mind you, they
may
also be less polite.....

Ken

Thanks, Ken.

Should I be scared?
--
No, but forewarned is fore armed. :-) Your spec's are a bit nebulous, to say
the least. I'm not accusing you of having no clue, but I'm damn glad DHS
doesn't use tax-payer funds from this part of the world. This is an exercise
in getting rid of funds grabbed during a crisis, when the opportunity arose
to expand the empire. Standard bureaucratic function.

The problem is that anything that is speced at this point is bound to be
changed by FEMA, DHS, FCC, and God knows who else. The idea is to start
somewhere and march forward beginning with the writing of a "white paper"
that can be shot full of holes.
--
Drop the alphabet for email

Indeed it is both. Considering we gave away a central DB technology to
DHS-NOLA, then they failed to use it, we are hoping to make money this
time
around *and* that they will get their acts together.

On Wed, 5 Oct 2005 08:26:12 +1300, Ken Taylor wrote:

I'm really not criticizing you, per se, but I don't think the concept is
well thought out.

By it's very nature, it cannot be, it is a dynamically moving target and
will be for some time I would imagine.

You refer elsewhere to this being an auxiliary warning system on a loco -
level crossing lights/bells/boom gates not enough? They usually are, so why
the worry now? (Okay, we know it's the moolah....).

The number of unmarked or unworkable crossings is greater than the ones
quadrant marked and useable.

You also refer to 1,000W being available - it's just not enough for what you
want to do. Period.

3 watts per frequency?

Good luck with them getting their act (I would have said something else!)
together, but don't bet the bank on it. I'm actually an ex-bureaucrat myself
and to call me cynical of governmental abilities would be an understatement.

Well, if in the process we get paid, then wtf, you know?

But if you do come up with something useful (I bet it ends up being a
spin-off rather than the initial concept seen here), I hope you get
something out of it.

Cheers.

Ken

Thanks, Ken, it would be nice to do something that would save lives and
limbs and also make a few asspennies
--
Drop the alphabet for email

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 13:06:27 -0700, Jim Richardson wrote:

Primarily two things, alerting pre-evac and at grade crossing alerts that a
high speed locomotive is approaching.


they'd be better off with bells and lights at the crossing for the
latter...

Many crossings have none.

We all (outside the screwed zone) saw the blizzard of useless
"messages" the government(s) issued during and after Katrina.

And a blizzard of useful ones as well.


wheat from chaff?

Yep, that's the strategy for now.
--
Drop the alphabet for email

On Wed, 5 Oct 2005 08:12:56 +1300, Ken Taylor wrote:

It's not my call, Wayne, it's the client driving the systems.
--
But you've already changed it! Initially you said it was to be used at an
emergency site, and now you're saying it's to warn of a high-speed train
cometh. What the hell gives?

Ken

Both, there are three defined needs (today) 1) on locomotive, permanent at
grade crossing and mobile, take-to-site-and-leave.
--
Drop the alphabet for email

Allodoxaphobia wrote:
On Mon, 3 Oct 2005 17:19:42 -0400, Ari Silversteinn wrote:

DHS has proposed a change in scenario. They want an on locomotive alerting
system that could be commandeered and driven at, near or about a disaster
site. Everything else stays more or less the same, overbroadcasting on
local AM/FM, power off the locomotive, selective or full frequency
broadcasting, train (s) to be in motion at all times. 20-30 second messages
that would also combine a message to be aware that a locomotive (at speed)
will be flying by the at grade crossings.

Comments?


And what are these messages suppose to convey?

The target audience already knows it's screwed.

We all (outside the screwed zone) saw the blizzard of useless
"messages" the government(s) issued during and after Katrina.

Just what I need to hear from a locomotive blowing by at 50 mph:

"Hi! We're the government and we are here to help you."

The best that came out of post-Katrina was from self-help and
assistance from non-government organizations. And, the
government even thwarted some of that.

The inmates are running the asylum:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/10/02/news/storm.php

Ninety-one thousand tons of ice melting in idling 14-wheelers.


The Republicans are going to take care of all those problems! Darned
Democrats anyhow!

- Mike KB3EIA -

How little you know!
Ever hear of Weather Alert?
Amber alert?


"Ari Silversteinn" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 5 Oct 2005 00:51:49 +1000, John Doe wrote:

Durrrrrr,
Can anyone spell EAS
http://www.fcc.gov/eb/eas/

The EAS is designed to provide the President with a means to address the
American people in the event of a national emergency.
--
Drop the alphabet for email

On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 18:33:00 -0400,
Ari Silversteinn wrote:
On Tue, 4 Oct 2005 13:06:27 -0700, Jim Richardson wrote:

Primarily two things, alerting pre-evac and at grade crossing alerts that a
high speed locomotive is approaching.


they'd be better off with bells and lights at the crossing for the
latter...

Many crossings have none.


I was thinking of putting the bells and lights on the train...


More people have ears, than radios. Few of the ones without ears, use
radios


--
Jim Richardson http://www.eskimo.com/~warlock
The mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer.
--Ancient Egyptian Wisdom, 2200 B.C.

I think you will find that the FCC has the FINAL call on frequency band
usage. I can't see them authorizing such intrusive use of the normal
broadcast bands, especially after the broadcast industry gets wind of your
proposal.

From a technical standpoint, broadband transmission of a signal is not hard.
A simple VFO sweep of all the normal broadcast bands is all that is
required. Obviously, the appropriate modulation techniques would have to be
used for each band.

Another approach would be the use of a local (LOW power) sweeping UP/DOWN
converter. In this method, you could transmit a specific (authorized) signal
from the site. This signal would be received and detected by a local
receiver. This information would be used to modulate and rebroadcast the
signal within the vehicle. However, this would require onboard equipment.

I still think that your biggest hurdle will a legal one.

Wayne-
(KC8UIO)

"Ari Silversteinn" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 5 Oct 2005 08:12:56 +1300, Ken Taylor wrote:

It's not my call, Wayne, it's the client driving the systems.
--
But you've already changed it! Initially you said it was to be used at an
emergency site, and now you're saying it's to warn of a high-speed train
cometh. What the hell gives?

Ken

Both, there are three defined needs (today) 1) on locomotive, permanent at
grade crossing and mobile, take-to-site-and-leave.
--
Drop the alphabet for email