Working for a radio service company so you know heights are involved and there is an elevator - I'm guessing the prior techs did not have much initiative...they sent the "new guy" when it seems more logical to send an experienced tech on that equipment with the new guy. I could be wrong but it looks more like a work culture issue than an inaccessibility issue...
I agree Ann - so many times people do everything except go and take a look...funny how the most obvious task is usually skipped as people look for more exotic reasons for a failure. It also speaks of the importance of environmental factors on equipment and that it should always be a design consideration whenever possible. Better to have more rugged tower legs in the first place...and avoid the problem completely.
I don't know how long that had been a problem. I got the impression that it was just that spring. This was one of those 'it can't happen' things that Mr. Agan's talks about in his book. It also illustrates a couple of his points, 'understand the system' and 'quit thinking and look'.
This is a great example of how a technical problem can be caused by something as simple as checking out the physical environment: broken tower legs + a strong directional wind = no coverage. It reminded me of the freight train that interfered with the cellphone signal.
How long had this problem been going on ? It sounds like others had been tasked to find the cause prior to your visit. Do you know how many techs had failed to notice the broken legs ? Of course it is always best to investigate the problem while it is occuring, if possible.
Andrew Morris designed a circuit that could detect a stroke victim's groan and convert the sound into a signal so caregivers would know when help was needed.
New disc magnet motors fit into the design trend of stepping up to closed loop performance while maintaining the cost advantage of stepper motor technology.
At the Design News webinar on June 27, learn all about aluminum extrusion: designing the right shape so it costs the least, is simplest to manufacture, and best fits the application's structural requirements.
On April 21, NASA launched a novel project, putting into orbit three satellites that employ an off-the-shelf commercial smartphone as the control system.
From Dell / Intel® New Paradigms in Design Work Scott Hamilton, vertical market strategist for Dell Precision workstations, 5/2/2013 5
Early in my career, I worked as a draftsman and remember the days of drawing on vellum with numbered pencils and Mylar with plastic lead. This was a fun experience in the sense that I ...
I've been using workstations for more than 10 years and love finding ways to get more performance from my system. With demanding professional applications that require more power each ...
A lasting memory from my first job as an engineer in an auto assembly plant is standing on hard concrete at six in the morning, vending-machine coffee clutched in hand, listening to ...
For industrial control applications, or even a simple assembly line, that machine can go almost 24/7 without a break. But what happens when the task is a little more complex? That’s where the “smart” machine would come in. The smart machine is one that has some simple (or complex in some cases) processing capability to be able to adapt to changing conditions. Such machines are suited for a host of applications, including automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, computers and electronics, telecommunications, consumer goods, and so on. This radio show will show what’s possible with smart machines, and what tradeoffs need to be made to implement such a solution.
To save this item to your list of favorite Design News content so you can find it later in your Profile page, click the "Save It" button next to the item.
If you found this interesting or useful, please use the links to the services below to share it with other readers. You will need a free account with each service to share an item via that service.
Tweet This
0 
