Re: loose express card
 

Thanks, I'll try and google search it out when I have time to breathe once again, with all that's going on it Haiti I have been doing near 20 hour days driving from Toronto to CFB Trenton and back shooting the military loading planes for Haiti, been using the live-via internet stuff a lot as well from the base and it's been working amazing but now I am leaning towards building a desktop into a pelican case as it would be more protected from rain as well as easy BNC/XLR connectivity as opposed to firewire with the laptop.

Perhaps for a desktop style unit I could get a video card that had firewire as well as RCA type connectors for video and audio and then just make my patch cables from there.

Amazing stuff though, just wish I had this 10 years ago.

Re: loose express card
 

Mike,
We have been hearing good things about the ToughBook series. I think they have waterproof cases and keyboards. Pricey but worth the expense when needed.
Al

Re: loose express card
 

Apparently they are great for blocking the wheels of a truck in flooding situations and still usable aftwerwards but I had heard the problem with toughbooks besides the price was graphics cards and CPU, not as high end due to heat dissipation issues.

As I type this here at CFB Trenton a competing station's sat truck has a problem, something snapped, the dish is now pointed skywards but not southwest and it's secured from rotating by a rope, my FTP system is working fine and all my video is back in Toronto. I'd recommend mobile FTP for all existing live trucks as well as a back-up transmit system for when things like this happen and the happen to all of us from time to time, now I just have to make a more durable kit for rapid deployment and use in bad weather.

There was a snap and 10 min later not one but two live truck operators were atop the sat truck all while a beeping sound was coming from inside and that's never a good sign.

Probably metal fatigue or something, it just broke and the dish fell back and it's staring at the sky.

m

Re: loose express card
 

Sounds like the elevation lead screw or mount let go. Never a good thing. They need it to stow the dish so they can drive. Someone needs to take a picture for the archives though.

Re: loose express card
 

I took two pics with my blakcberry camera but I can't see too well up there, probably the elevation lead screw because the whole thing seems mounted normally from what I can see, they have a second truck coming hopefully with an engineer on board, that stuff up there looks rather heavy to move around though.

They were just opening up the dish and I heard this loud "chunk" in the background as I was filming this C17 take off and then I saw two guys on the roof of the truck securing the dish with rope.

Stowing it will be a problem because even if they can safely get their paws on the thing it looks heavy, I wouldn't want to be up there with no safety railing that close to the edge.

I remember five years ago our truck failed on the story of the year, 15 minutes to air, broken fan belt on generator, I took a peek and saw many cracks in the belt and knew right away that the price you pay for not doing minor maintenance.

I'm sure the cold weather affects the parts up there as well.

Fyi, I did offer to help the competition as I have lots of tools on board but it's way too heavy for us to mess with right now. They were rather interested in my FTP system on the seat of my truck though :)

mark

Re: loose express card
 

Sounds like a revenue opportunity.

Re: loose express card
 

Maybe, or just a good secondary method of transmitting, they have two engineers on top of the truck now and I'm hearing it's probably that elevation lead screw that popped out. The one engineer has also brought his small dog to the scene, a dog named snoopy AKA: director of engineering, apparently it's not only FIRST teams who have mascots and as I type this I see the dish moving and all looks well and apparently it was a "resolver", calibration off and the computer stopped everything as it was getting a signal that the antenna was in the right place when it wasn't.

I learned something today.

Re: loose express card
 

If it was the resolver calibration, the lead screw motor may have run to the mechanical endstop and then broke it off. (It might have a shear pin to prevent any real damage.)

Re: loose express card
 

I saw the engineer at another scene last week and that's exactly what happened, wow! You know you're stuff. Who say's stuff can't be diagnosed and fixed over the internet or phone? :)

Re: loose express card
 

This is where I am supposed to respond "That's why I get the big bucks!" but you know how wrong that is working for PBS. It was mostly just looking at what you reported and coming to a conclusion that fit. I am a maintenance guy after all and have worked on these up close before. When we meet, you will have to ask me about the Franki Valle and the Four Seasons Live to satellite event. That was a day when I really earned my pay.