Teleconferencing Project Correspondence

August 5, 1997

TO:

County Superintendents, Chief Business Officials and FCMAT County Contact Persons

FROM:

Bill Luehe
FCMAT Director, Professional Development

SUBJECT:

FCMAT Teleconferencing Project Update

In our last communication, July 31, 1997, we mentioned that we would be sending you some specifications for the equipment and equipment rack that you will be receiving. Attached is an information sheet that we hope will be helpful. You should plan to house the equipment as pictured in the accompanying digital photo.

Your equipment and equipment rack will be delivered to your site by the satellite installation crew when they arrive to install your down link equipment.

A quick overview of some of the things that lie ahead as we move the teleconferencing project forward:

  1. Installation crews are presently making appointments to install the down link equipment. Installations are currently set to begin on August 25, 1997. If you haven't already received your satellite dish, you should within the next few days. Don't forget to store the dish face down.
  2. You may have received a call or FAX from COMSAT asking for a purchase order to cover additional costs for the installation. These additional costs are related to the hook-up of your system from the satellite mount to your conference room. This item was addressed in the "Use Agreement" that was sent to you on March 31, 1997. COMSAT/COMM-CRAFT cannot begin installations until they receive purchase orders from all 60 sites, statewide. Once all purchase orders are received, COMSAT will order, custom package, and ship the specific materials needed at each site. You will then have the materials in hand when the installation crew arrives. Please get your purchase order to COMSAT as soon as possible. It is important to hook your equipment up while the installers are there so that your system can be completely checked out. Those locations that must have roof or side mounts instead of ground mounts will have additional costs for these.
  3. Once again, our project calls for a ground mount installation and we highly recommend that to you, if at all possible. At those locations where a change has been requested from roof mount to ground mount, a second visit by the survey crew will have to be done.
  4. Be prepared for the installation crew. Have your installation site clearly in mind. If you are doing a ground mount installation or another type of installation, make sure that all permits, codes, CC and Rs, etc., are cleared. In addition, if you are doing a ground mount and haven't already surveyed the installation area for existing underground utilities, you should do this to prevent severing electric cables, water lines, etc.
  5. If you must do a roof mount, the additional cost for the roof mount, above the cost of the ground mount, is $1,250. This does not include your additional costs for the use of any hoisting equipment (lift, crane, helicopter, etc.) if that must be used.
  6. An orientation and training tape are being developed by the Kern County Superintendent of Schools Office and will be shipped to you at the end of August.
  7. Depending on how smoothly the installations go, the reception between your down link equipment and the uplink equipment that will be used for our inaugural broadcast will be tested in September.
  8. A new date for the FCMAT Inaugural Broadcast will be set as soon as possible.

We have received numerous calls from various COEs with both questions and updates as to what is happening at specific sites. One question that has been asked on several occasions is "What type of digital signal will the downlink equipment receive?" Your equipment is set up to receive MPEG II signals. It will not receive DigiCypher II signals. It is multiple channel DVB (digital video broadcast) compliant.

If you have questions regarding the FCMAT Teleconferencing Project please feel free to call:

  • For installations questions - Woody Bilyeu at 318-628-7924
  • For technical questions - Larry Ciecalone at 805-636-4755
    Ken Richter at 805-636-4809
  • For non-technical, easy to answer questions - Bill Luehe at 805-636-4692

Don't forget, FCMAT also has project information on the Web at:

Finally, we need your immediate help on a matter. Would you please call our office at 805-636-4692 if you will not be using a ground mount. We need this information to do final planning and coordination with the installation crews.

Again, thanks for your patience and help with the project.

 

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