| FRIDAY - AUGUST 10, 2007 - ISSUE NO. 273 |
Dear Friends of Wireless Messaging, I decided to move this “Letter to the Editor” up to the top of this week's newsletter because of its importance. This is a great example of why paging technology is still the best solution for Critical Messaging. From: Kathy Shank Hi Brad, I am the Director of Sales for the Minnesota market for American Messaging Services. I was in Minneapolis when the bridge collapsed. We have a large market share in that area including Hennepin County Medical Center, which is the trauma 1 hospital in the area. We were advised that all of the 1st notifications of the bridge collapse were done via pager. All of the hospitals in the area issued a code orange alert as well using their code orange group pagers. Cell phones were not working. 30,000 pages went out between 6pm and midnight through our system. We have heard nothing but positive comments on how well everything worked. Michelle Jacobson is the Emergency coordinator for HCMC. We have asked her for a letter in regards to how much they depend on pagers and use them as there first notification to get as much information out to as many people as quickly as possible. So when someone says "people still use beepers?" this is the reason why. I would really like it if you would include information on how well pagers worked during this terrible tragedy and are still the most reliable way to communicate in a crisis. If you would like to discuss this please feel free to contact me. Thanks Please join me in congratulating Mike Lyons on his well-deserved promotion to Chief Operations Officer of Indiana Paging Network. A letter from Bill Eisele (“Mr. E”) follows. I would like to extend special thanks to the advertisers who support this newsletter — especially to those who have made recent payments. With the help of a great new business manager, I am trying to get all the accounts up to date. Unfortunately several advertisers chose not to continue with their ads, and a few have not yet responded to new invoices. Due to my poor bookkeeping skills, several advertisers got a “free ride” for a year or more. There are three or four major players in our industry — who manufacture or distribute wireless messaging devices — and who really should be advertising here. For more info on the various ad plans available, please click here. Now on to more news and views. . . |
A new issue of The Wireless Messaging Newsletter gets posted on the web each week. A notification goes out by e-mail to subscribers on most Fridays around noon central US time. The notification message has a link to the actual newsletter on the Internet. That way it doesn't fill up your incoming e-mail account. There is no charge for subscription and there are no membership restrictions. Readers are a very select group of wireless industry professionals, and include the senior managers of many of the world's major Paging and Wireless Data companies. There is an even mix of operations managers, marketing people, and engineers—so I try to include items of interest to all three groups. It's all about staying up-to-date with business trends and technology. I regularly get readers' comments, so this newsletter has become a community forum for the Paging, and Wireless Data communities. You are welcome to contribute your ideas and opinions. Unless otherwise requested, all correspondence addressed to me is subject to publication in the newsletter and on my web site. I am very careful to protect the anonymity of those who request it. NOTE: This newsletter is best viewed at screen resolutions of 800x600 (good) or 1024x768 (better). Any current revision of web browser should work fine. Please notify me of any problems with viewing. This site is compliant with XHTML 1.0 transitional coding for easy access from wireless devices. (XML 1.0/ISO 8859-1.) Anyone wanting to help support The Wireless Messaging Newsletter can do so by clicking on the PayPal DONATE button above. Everyone is welcome to use the Pagerman logo “for the good of the paging industry.” A slightly higher resolution copy is available for download here. | |||||||||||
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This is a USB modem based on the G24 Data modem (GSM/GPRS/EDGE) — this equipment is for the transmission of data and voice using GSM/GPRS/EDGE cellular technology. When it is connected to a USB port of a device like a personal computer, it allows the user to communicate over the Internet or to make telephone calls, anywhere in the world [system dependent]. GPRS technology facilitates data communication from 85.6 Kbps up to 236.8 Kbps using the multislot class 10 provision of the EDGE protocol. In addition to data communication, and voice-telephone calls, the USB modem can also communicate over CSD* connections, it can send and receive SMS messages, as well as all the "smart" functions of today's cellphones like call scheduling, call transfer, and others. Special Offer: $235.00
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El módem USB esta basado en el Data módem G24 (GSM/GPRS/EDGE), es un equipo para la transmisión de datos y voz, utilizando la tecnología celular GSM/GPRS/EDGE. Cuando está conectado con el puerto USB de un dispositivo como una computadora personal, permite al usuario comunicarse a Internet o hacer llamadas telefónicas en cualquier parte el mundo. La tecnología GPRS permite la comunicación de datos a velocidades hasta de 85.6 Kbps y hasta 236.8 Kbps en multislot clase 10 para EDGE. El modem USB puede efectuar además de la comunicación de datos, llamadas telefónicas de voz, conexiones mediante CSD*, recepción y envió de SMS y todas las funciones sabidas de un dispositivo celular, como agenda telefónica, transferencia de llamadas, entre otras. Oferta Especial: $235.00 USD
Llacom, S.A. de C.V. | ||||
| * CSD Circuit Switched Data is the original form of data transmission developed for the time division multiple access (TDMA)-based mobile phone systems like Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). CSD uses a single radio time slot to deliver 9.6 kbit/s data transmission to the GSM Network and Switching Subsystem where it could be connected through the equivalent of a normal modem to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) allowing direct calls to any dial-up service. (Wikipedia) | * CSD (del inglés Circuit Switched Data). Es una tecnología de conexión de datos alternativa al GPRS. Una conexión CSD es considerada una "llamada de datos". Es muy similar a una llamada de voz, pero con la codificación/decodificación (codecs) de voz desactivados. Ocupa el mismo ancho de banda que una llamada por voz. |
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9 August 2007 Brad Dye, Editor Dear Brad: I am pleased to announce the promotion of Michael Lyons to Chief Operations Officer of Indiana Paging Network. Over his career, Mike has over 15 years of experience in the paging and wireless telecommunications industries. Michael joined IPN in 2002 and has served as System Engineer, System Manager and Chief Technical Officer. He will continue to serve as CTO and oversee the Technical and I.T. departments. Mike's system knowledge is another one of lPN's strengths. Mike has also been involved with the Sales, TAS, and General Operations of IPN for the last few years and will assist me in the overall goals of IPN. He has become a critical part of the management team of our company. His primary office will be in Indianapolis, but will be in the LaPorte facility on a regular basis. Mike is a member of the Technical Committee for the American Association of Paging Carriers and serves as an Alternative Board Member for AAPC. He has traveled to Europe to become involved with the EWA and EMMA — to learn about new concepts for the paging industry. The Executive Management Team of Michael Lyons, COO/CTO, Mary Stradinger, CFO, and myself will continue to work together to guide our company into the future. Please join me in congratulating Michael on his new position.
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Source: Indiana Paging Network, If you would like to congratulate Mike by e-mail, click here. 
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| SATELLITE CONTROL FOR PAGING SYSTEMS $500.00 FLAT RATE TAPS—Texas Association of Paging Services is looking for partners on 152.480 MHz. Our association currently uses Echostar, formerly Spacecom, for distribution of our data and a large percentage of our members use the satellite to key their TXs. We have a CommOneSystems Gateway at the uplink in Chicago with a back-up running 24/7. Our paging coverage area on 152.480 MHz currently encompasses Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, and Kansas. The TAPS paging coverage is available to members of our Network on 152.480 MHz for $.005 a transmitter (per capcode per month), broken down by state or regions of states and members receive a credit towards their bill for each transmitter which they provide to our coverage. Members are able to use the satellite for their own use If you are on 152.480 MHz or just need a satellite for keying your own TXs on your frequency we have the solution for you. TAPS will provide the gateways in Chicago, with Internet backbone and bandwidth on our satellite channel for $ 500.00 (for your system) a month. Contact Ted Gaetjen @ 1-800-460-7243 or tedasap@asapchoice.com |
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Source: FCC
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Before the
ORDER
By the Commission: 1. In this Order, we extend the effective date of the recently adopted Section 12.2 of the Commission’s rules to October 9, 2007.1 This rule requires local exchange carriers (LECs), including incumbent LECS and competitive LECs, and commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) providers to have “an emergency backup power source for all assets that are normally powered from local AC commercial power, including those inside central offices, cell sites, remote switches and digital loop carrier system remote terminals.”2 The rule further states that “LECs and CMRS providers should maintain emergency back-up power for a minimum of 24 hours for assets inside central offices and eight hours for cell sites, remote switches and digital loop carrier system remote terminals that are normally powered from local AC commercial power.”3 LECs that meet the definition of a Class B company as set forth in Section 32.11(b)(2) of the Commission’s rules and non-nationwide CMRS providers with no more than 500,000 subscribers are exempt from this rule.4 Absent an extension, this rule would become effective on August 10, 2007, which is 30 days after publication of the Katrina Panel Order in the Federal Register.5 2. On July 31, 2007, CTIA – the Wireless Association® (CTIA) filed a “Motion for Administrative Stay” of Section 12.2.6 In particular, CTIA requests an administrative stay, pending further review, of the requirement that CMRS providers have an emergency back-up power source for all assets that are normally powered by local AC commercial power, including a minimum of eight hours of back-up power for cell sites, by August 10, 2007.7 3. On our own motion, we hereby delay the effective date of the back-up power rule adopted in the Katrina Panel Order for a period of 60 days from the original effective date of the rule (i.e., the new effective date will be October 9, 2007). This will provide the Commission with additional time to consider the issues raised by CTIA in its Motion for Administrative Stay and to hear from other concerned parties on those issues. 4. Accordingly, IT IS ORDERED, pursuant to Sections 4(i) and (j) of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended, 47 C.F.R. §§ 154(i) and (j), and Sections 1.108 and 1.427 of the Commission's Rules, 47 C.F.R. §§ 1.108 and 1.427, that the effective date of Section 12.2 of the Commission’s Rules, 47 C.F.R. § 12.2, is delayed for a period of 60 days. The new effective date of this rule will be October 9, 2007. 5. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the effective date of this Order is the date upon which this Order is released by the Commission.8
1 See Recommendations of the Independent Panel Reviewing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks, EB Docket No. 06-119, WC Docket No. 06-63, Order, 22 FCC Rcd 10541, ¶¶76-78 and Appendix B (2007) (Katrina Panel Order); see also 47 C.F.R. § 12.2. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: FCC
GTES, LLC
GTES has recently made the strategic decision to expanding its development activities to include wireless location technologies; a market that researchers forecast could reach $3.6 billion by 2010. In support of this new strategic direction, GTES has developed SHERLOC™ a complete one-stop wireless location service, providing the flexibility of being protocol neutral and network agnostic. Targeted at business customers who need to track their high-value shipments or better manage their service or delivery fleets, SHERLOC™ is a hosted application that combines configuration flexibility with ease of use. GTES is offering SHERLOC™ services both directly and through authorized resellers. If your company has an interest in finding out how location services can enhance your revenue stream, and has the contacts and expertise to make you successful in the location marketplace, please contact us for further information at www.sherlocgps.com and select “Reseller Opportunities,” or call us at 770-754-1666 for more information. www.gtesinc.com GTES is the only Glenayre authorized software support provider in the Paging industry. With over 200 years of combined experience in Glenayre hardware and software support, GTES offers the industry the most professional support and engineering development staff available. Continued Support Programs CALL US TODAY FOR YOUR SUPPORT NEEDS
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GSS to Integrate 3n Emergency Notification Technology Into Alert FM 8.10.2007 Global Security Systems and 3n are collaborating on integrating the latter’s “mass notification” technology with Alert FM. The GSS Alert FM uses RDS to send digital information over FM radio infrastructure. With Alert FM, targeted alerts and messages are delivered by satellite to FM towers and can be received on Alert FM receivers and mobile devices such as PDAs, cell phones and other specialized receivers with FM chips. The companies say the scalability of their notification technologies will let organizations send messages without having to worry about audience size or location. 3n calls itself the National Notification Network. Its system enables one person, with one call, to communicate with thousands of people on devices including phone, fax, computer, PDA and pager using voice and text communications such as e-mail, SMS and IM. It system will continue to cycle through each device available until the message is delivered and confirmed by the recipient, according to 3n. GSS President/CEO Bobby Adams said by partnering with 3n, Alert FM is adding a robust communication channel and is now able to operate on a much broader scale. Customers of the joint offering will also be able to receive weather alerts and updates through a direct feed from NOAA. |
Source: Radio World Online
We at Unication have listened and delivered.
About Unication Co., Ltd.
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| BLOOSTON, MORDKOFSKY, DICKENS, DUFFY & PRENDERGAST, LLP |
BloostonLaw Telecom Update FCC Clarifies Roaming Obligations for CMRS Providers At its August 7, 2007 open meeting, the Federal Communications Commission clarified the roaming obligations of Commercial Mobile Radio Service (“CMRS”) providers, stating that automatic roaming is a common carrier obligation for CMRS carriers. The FCC required CMRS carriers to provide automatic roaming services to other carriers upon reasonable request and on a just, reasonable, and non-discriminatory basis under Sections 201 and 202 of the Communications Act of 1934, as amended. When a reasonable request is made by a technologically compatible CMRS carrier, a host CMRS carrier must provide automatic roaming to the requesting carrier outside of the requesting carrier’s home market. The FCC also decided to retain its current manual registration roaming requirement, which requires CMRS providers to permit the customers of other carriers to roam manually on their networks, for example by supplying a credit card number, provided that the roamers’ handsets are technically capable of accessing the roamed-on network. It is hoped that the new roaming rules will benefit rural wireless providers that have often encountered issues in their roaming arrangements with larger carriers. Under the FCC’s new automatic roaming requirement, the common carrier obligation to provide roaming extends to real-time, two-way switched voice and switched data services that are interconnected with the Public Switched Telephone Network and utilize an in-network switching facility that enables the provider to reuse frequencies and accomplish seamless hand-offs of subscriber calls. The FCC also extended the automatic roaming obligation to “Push-to-Talk” and text messaging services; and sought comment on whether the automatic roaming obligation should be extended to services that are classified as information services that are not CMRS, such as broadband internet access, e-mail and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). As of press time, the text of the FCC’s Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking had not been released. FCC Extends Deadline for LECs and CMRS Carriers to Implement Emergency Back Up Power The FCC has extended the effective date of the recently adopted Section 12.2 of the Commission’s rules to October 9, 2007. This rule requires local exchange carriers (LECs), including incumbent LECS and competitive LECs, and commercial mobile radio service (CMRS) providers to have “an emergency backup power source for all assets that are normally powered from local AC commercial power, including those inside central offices, cell sites, remote switches and digital loop carrier system remote terminals.” The rule further states that “LECs and CMRS providers should maintain emergency back-up power for a minimum of 24 hours for assets inside central offices and eight hours for cell sites, remote switches and digital loop carrier system remote terminals that are normally powered from local AC commercial power.” LECs that meet the definition of a Class B company as set forth in Section 32.11(b)(2) of the Commission’s rules and non-nationwide CMRS providers with no more than 500,000 subscribers are exempt from this rule. Absent an extension, this rule would become effective on August 10, 2007, which is 30 days after publication of the Katrina Panel Order in the Federal Register.
FY 2007 REGULATORY FEES ARE DUE SEPTEMBER 19: The FCC has announced that licensees and other regulates who are required to pay annual regulatory fees must make their fiscal year (FY) 2007 payments no later than September 19, 2007. The FCC has not yet announced when the official fee collection window will open, but we expect it to be immediately following the Labor Day holiday. All regulatory fee payments must be received at the FCC’s Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania address by 11:59 P.M (Eastern Time) on September 19, 2007 in order to avoid being charged a 25 percent late-payment penalty. All payments must also include the FCC Registration Number (FRN) in order to be processed. New this year, the FCC has indicated that it will apply regulatory fees to interconnected Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) providers. Additionally, the FCC is expanding its regulatory fee billing program to include satellite earth stations and cable television relay service (“CARS”) stations. However, because the obligation for VoIP providers will not be effective until 90 days following notification to Congress, it is unknown at this time whether or not the FCC will be able to collect the VoIP fee this year. The FCC’s new regulatory fees will be a mixed bag for our clients. In certain circumstances, the fees have been reduced, while in other cases they have increased. Below is a summary of the fee changes:
Here is effect of the new regulatory fees on private user services:
The FCC has also released a Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in order to address the methodology for calculating regulatory fee payments in the Broadband Radio Service. Pursuant to an earlier decision in the FY2006 Decision, BRS licensees will pay a fee in one of three categories based on the Basic Trading Area (“BTA”) size as ranked by population instead of the flat fee now assessed. The FCC is proposing to use a weighted average approach based on its 2006 Decision to establish three tiers of regulatory fees using a 3:2:1 ratio (i.e., 3x for Tier 1, 2x for Tier 2 and 1x for Tier 3) where Tier 1 would be the top 60 markets, Tier to would be markets 61 – 200 and Tier 3 would be markets 201 to 493 (which have populations of less than 250,000). Comments on the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will be due 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. Reply Comments will be due 60 days after publication.
OCTOBER 1: FCC FORM 507, UNIVERSAL SERVICE |
Source: Blooston, Mordkofsky, Dickens, Duffy and Prendergast, LLP
For additional information, contact Hal Mordkofsky at 202-828-5520 or halmor@bloostonlaw.com
| BLOOSTON, MORDKOFSKY, DICKENS, DUFFY & PRENDERGAST, LLP |
| EUROPEAN MOBILE MESSAGING ASSOCIATION |
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| EUROPEAN MOBILE MESSAGING ASSOCIATION |
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• FIREHOUSES • SCHOOLS • PUBLIC FACILITIES • GOVERNMENT FACILITIES • EMERGENCY ROOMS • WHAT DO FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, FORTUNE 500 COMPANIES, WISPS, HAVE IN COMMON? THEY ALL USE NIGHTHAWK. Nighthawk Systems Inc. manufactures low cost and reliable remote control products for fire house alerting, volunteer alerting, activation of warning signs and sirens, and a number of applications for public safety. The Company manufactures the EA1 and the FAS-8 which have been designed specifically for these applications. Both products are paging based and will work with any public or private paging network. They are available in all VHF, UHF, and 900 MHz paging frequencies. The products can serve as the primary notification system or an excellent, low-cost backup to existing systems.
The EA1 is the solution for remotely activating public warning signage. Examples include tornado sirens, flash flood warnings, fire danger, Amber Alert, icy roads, etc. The EA1 can also send text messages to scrolling signs. This can occur in conjunction with the activation of audible alarms and visual strobes. This is ideal for public notification in buildings, schools, hotels, factories, etc. The group call feature allows for any number of signs or flashing lights to be activated at the same time over a wide geographic area. In addition, the EA1 Emergency Alert is the perfect solution for low cost yet highly effective alerting of volunteer fire fighters in their home. When activated the EA1 will emit an audible alarm and activate the power outlet on the units faceplate. A common setup is to simply place the EA1 on a table and plug a lamp into the faceplate. When paged from dispatch or any touch tone phone the EA1 will awaken the fire fighter to a lit room. As an option the EA1 can be ordered with a serial cable, allowing for attachment of a serial printer. When paged the alphanumeric message will be printed out at the same time the alarm sounds and the outlet is activated. The EA1 is an ideal complement to alphanumeric belt pagers common to volunteers.
The FAS-8 is designed for activating one or more relays in a firehouse and if desired, printing the alphanumeric message to a serial printer. For this application the FAS-8 is set to activate upon receiving the proper paging cap code sent from 911 dispatch. Up to eight different devices can be activated all with individual time functions. The most common devices to turn on include the PA amplifier, audible wake up alarm, and house lights. The most common device turned off is the stove. The FAS-8 can accept up to 8 different cap codes and have separate relay and time functions per cap code. This allows for different alerting to be accomplished at the same physical location depending upon which cap code is sent. This can be very helpful when fire crews and medical crews are housed in the same building.
Put the innovative technology of Nighthawk to work for you. For more information on any of our products or services, please contact us. Nighthawk Systems, Inc. Phone: 877-764-4484 |
Please click here to e-mail Ayrewave. | |||||||
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Download Mr. Mercer's resumé. | ||||||||
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Complete Technical Services For The Ira Wiesenfeld, P.E.
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REMARKS OF FCC CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN Thank you, Wanda for that kind introduction. And thank you to the entire Board of Officers. I am very pleased to be here with you today. I would first like to start today by thanking you for everything you do. Ensuring the safety of its citizens is the most fundamental function of government. At the Commission, we have no greater responsibility than meeting the needs of public safety. Emergency communications are critical to enabling you to come to the aid of those in need. They allow you to warn people of an approaching threat, rescue those in danger or injured, and coordinate the rebuilding and repair efforts. During my time at the Commission, I have made and will continue to make public safety a priority. And I have worked closely with APCO on every aspect: from 911 to 800 MHz re-banding to interoperability. This morning, I would like spend some time updating you on all three issues. Last week, the Commission took a historic step creating a nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network. We all remember too well the problems created by lack of an interoperable communications system on 9/11 and during Hurricane Katrina. Emergencies – natural or man-made – do not make distinctions among emergency responders. We need a system that allows all of you to communicate during an emergency regardless of the uniform you wear or the towns in which you live. Like you, my first choice would have been to dedicate a network exclusively for the use of public safety. However, the reality is that there currently is not enough funding. The use of a public safety-private partnership, however, creates an opportunity to provide state-of-the-art technologies to you in a timely and affordable manner. The adoption of a National Public Safety Broadband Licensee to be a part of this partnership is also the best way to establish a truly national interoperable network. It will facilitate a unified approach to the use of this spectrum, enabling all public safety users across the country to talk to each other during a crisis. And I greatly appreciated APCO’s support and that of other public safety agencies for this approach. But your continued backing will also be critical to our efforts. We need to work together to make sure the auction and this joint venture is a success. The rules adopted by the Commission ensure the shared network will meet public safety’s needs. They require hardened network facilities; choice of handset equipment; a specific time line for construction of the network; and clear rules governing public safety access to commercial spectrum during emergencies. I believe this public safety- private partnership is our best chance to make the goal of a national interoperable broadband network a reality and to give first responders the communications capabilities they need. Similarly, the Commission remains committed to ensuring that 800 MHz re-banding is completed as quickly as possible. The Commission recently reaffirmed this commitment, clarifying the standard for determining what licensee re-banding costs must be paid by Sprint. This standard takes into account not just lowest cost, but all of the objectives of the proceeding. These include timely and efficient completion of the re-banding process, minimizing the burden re-banding imposes on public safety, and preserving public safety’s ability to operate during the transition. Finally, one of my first actions when I became Chairman was to ensure that all Americans could pick up the phone and dial 911 and connect to emergency services whether they were using a wireline, wireless or VoIP phone. However, as APCO’s Project Locate clearly demonstrated, we must also ensure that when people call for help, first responders can easily and reliably find them. To achieve that goal, we need to ensure that our enhanced 911 rules provide meaningful automatic location information. In our recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Commission tentatively concluded that our E911 rules should be clarified to require carriers to meet our location accuracy requirements at the PSAP service area level. State-wide averaging can mask the reliability of 911 outside of large urban areas. Meeting location accuracy standards on average in the entire state of New York by providing enhanced 911 capability in Manhattan does not help first responders in Buffalo. We have long known that the two location technologies used by carriers — handset-based GPS and network-based triangulation— each have limitations. Network-based technologies are not as effective in rural areas often due to lack of sufficient towers. Handset-based technologies are not as effective in urban areas, as signals often have difficulty penetrating buildings. As technology has developed, however, so must our standards and expectations. We recognize that our decision on this issue must be prompt. We are working to address these issues as quickly as possible. I look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that public safety has the tools it needs to provide for the safety of our nation and its citizens. Thank you for your invitation to be here today. And thank you for your service. -FCC- |
Source: FCC
| LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
Ron Mercer Reports From The APCO Convention
From: Ron Mercer
To: Brad Dye
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2007 9:13 AM
Subject: APCO Convention in Baltimore
Hi Brad. I hope all is well with you and Sherry. I've been busy in the booth in Baltimore and have not had a chance to call. The show is quite good. Approximately 400 exhibitors and 3,500 attendees. More people are completely unaware of the capabilities of paging than I had expected. But many seem pleasantly surprised when the capabilities are explained. We still have a lot of work to do, but I am more convinced that viable niches exist and I am optimistic that if we can tell our story within these niches we can succeed. I'm heading home this afternoon and I'll call when I leave the convention.
Regards,
Ron Mercer
More On The Passing Of Ernie Oswalt
On Aug 3, 2007, at 4:56 PM, Bill Hays wrote:
Brad,
It was with deep regret that I learned of the passing of Ernie Oswalt yesterday (August 2, 2007). He suffered a heart attack while cutting the grass for his church. As you know Ernie was a long time vice-president for SkyTel. I knew Ernie when I went to work for MCCA in the early 80's. He was a man of unequaled integrity and always was someone you could depend upon to do the right thing. He was also very knowledgeable of every aspect of the radio paging and two way radio business. We will greatly miss Ernie.
Bill Hays
From: "Bill Hays" <bhays@ttagroup.com>
Date: August 4, 2007 2:10:30 PM CDT
To: "Dennis Cameron" <d.cameron1@earthlink.net>, "Jim M. Tucker" <jtucker@e1w.com>, "Ron Mercer" <rmercer@globalfaxnet.com>, "Brad Dye" <brad@braddye.com>
Subject: Re: Ernie Oswalt
Here is Ernie's obituary as published in today's paper:
Ernest Oswalt
Ernest (Ernie) Alva Oswalt, 69, passed away Thursday, August 2, 2007. Visitation was Friday, August 3, 2007 from 5-8 at Chancellor Funeral Home in Byram and today from 12:00 p.m. until the 1:00 p.m. service time in the funeral home chapel. The graveside service with interment will follow at Roseland Park Cemetery in Hattiesburg.Ernie was born July 15, 1938 in Hattiesburg to Alva and Nita Oswalt and grew up in Petal. He lived in the Jackson area since 1976. He worked in the communication industry for 50 years and retired from SkyTel in 2005. He was a member and elder at Wynndale Presbyterian Church in Terry.
Ernie's greatest passion was serving God through helping and loving people. Above everything else, he loved the Lord and treasured his family. He was loved and will be missed by all. Survivors include is wife of 49 years, Betty of Raymond; son ,Alan Oswalt and wife, Lisa, of Raymond; daughter, Gerry Grimes and husband, Tom, of Raymond; grandchildren, Scott and Christopher Oswalt.
Memorials may be be made to the Faith Promise Missions program at Wynndale Presbyterian Church at 6600 Terry Rd. Terry, MS 39170, or to the charity of your choice.
On line guest book available at www.chancellorfuneralhome.com.
Published in the Clarion Ledger on 8/4/2007.
Bill Hays
Advice Needed — Can You Help?
From: Brian Gilmore
Subject: FW: [ats] Question about text message alternatives
Date: August 9, 2007 1:21:57 PM CDT
To: Brad Dye
Brad,
Can you offer some advice to this ATSI member so he can help his client?
I recall that at least one of the satellite companies (maybe Iridium?) offered a satellite text pager for a while but I believe it was very expensive and really intended for use in very remote areas.
I don't think there is a still a text-only RIM Blackberry unit still available, but perhaps you know better.
I also recall Nextel used to offer iDEN units without interconnect if all you wanted was dispatch and wireless text messaging. I don't know if that is still an option. Sprint Nextel and other wireless telcos may still offer the option to lock down each handset so the user can only call pre-programmed telephone numbers, but even assuming they locked down the handsets so employees could only call the office, they'd still need some kind of voice plan for each handset and that could be quite costly for a quantity of units.
At this point, I suspect the only good alternatives in the marketplace to meet the client's needs are going to be belt-worn POCSAG, FLEX or ReFLEX units. While I suspect those would be excellent 'no voice' hardware choices, what about Clint and his client's impression that the paging RF coverage and penetration in their area is "a bit iffy"?
Perhaps the real trick is for Clint and his client to be able to identify all the wireless text messaging carriers operating networks in the desired area and then dig into the coverage and penetration characteristics of each. That sounds like an ambitious project.
Does the wireless text messaging industry offer such a resource when the demand arises?
(I notice that even the cellular and PCS carriers are becoming pretty good about sharing their detailed RF coverage maps on their websites.)
Thanks for any insight and/or assistance you can offer,
Brian
For the ATSI Government Relations Committee
-----Original Message-----
From: Clint Ryle
Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2007 12:13 PM
To: ATSI Discussion List
Subject: [atsi] Question about text message alternatives
Hi all,
I have a customer that is exploring alternatives to using a digital pager. I have discussed alpha paging and text messaging to a cell phone. Digital and alpha paging in this area is a bit iffy due to the terrain around here and reliable reception is one of the things that she is not happy with. Text messaging to a cell phone is a good alternative but she does not want her on call personnel to use the phones for personal calls and ideally wouldn't be able to make any calls. Thus my question:
Aside from alpha pagers are there any text only devices out there that I can send messages to?
Clint Ryle
| UNTIL NEXT WEEK |
That's all for this week folks.
With best regards, 73 DE K9IQY | Brad Dye, Editor |  |  |
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