| FRIDAY - JULY 20, 2007 - ISSUE NO. 270 |
Dear Friends of Wireless Messaging, What would you say if I told you that someone has invented a new pager with the following features?
No way! Not in today's market. No one would develop a device like that unless there was a great need, would they? The correct answers are: wrong, wrong, and right — there is a great need! THE NEW INVENTION It is basically an emergency pager that meets nuclear-grade emergency evacuation requirements — a souped up micro pager, with a lot of “extras” to meet the strict requirements of a nuclear facility. It was developed by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) for use by people working in “high-consequence environments.” Where and what are high-consequence environments? This is “government talk” for places where people work and are in BIG TROUBLE if anything goes wrong. They call this potential BIG TROUBLE a “criticality accident.” Wikipedia defines this as:
I am very happy that some of the top scientists in this country have recognized that the best way to alert several thousand people in just a few seconds is to use the one-message-transmitted-to-many-people-simultaneously feature of paging technology. We know it as “group call.” I have prepared a major report for you this week about the PAD. The first part is an advanced copy of a press release that I received on Tuesday of this week. The other — following reports — are from Internet searches and include information on the project going back a couple of years. I have been helping the project a little, with some occasional advice, over the last 2½ years. They asked me not to report on the device until now. One exciting fact is that this technology is being patented and made available for licensing — for commercial use under the NNSA's Technology Transfer program. As a former sales and marketing manager this makes my head buzz with the possibilities of peddling this device to every nuclear, chemical, biological, or other type of facility — all around the world — where rapid alarm notification is required. As a former engineering manager, it makes my head buzz with the possibilities of manufacturing a device that has already been designed and tested by some of our country's top scientists (with a big R&D budget, I am sure). I think this is at least worth consideration by anyone involved in the sales, marketing, or manufacturing of paging and/or wireless messaging devices. The potential is enormous if you include homeland security, school safety, tsunami warnings, hazardous material controls, and . . . and . . . and, well you know. . . 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.
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| AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF PAGING CARRIERS |
AAPC to send representatives to the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials International (APCO) Convention in August. APCO is the world’s largest organization dedicated to public safety communications, their members consist of emergency call centers, law enforcement agencies, emergency medical services, fire departments, forestry services, and others who work with communications systems that safeguard the world’s citizens. AAPC will be sharing a booth with one of our vendor members, Critical Response Systems to help promote the benefits of utilizing paging technology to this targeted audience. AAPC working with you to advance your business and the paging industry!
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| AAPC BULLETIN |
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Nighthawk Systems and SkyTel Join Forces — Nighthawk Devices to Operate on SkyTel Two-Way Network — — Collaborative Marketing Agreement — July 18, 2007 07:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time SAN ANTONIO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—Nighthawk Systems, Inc. (OTCBB:NIHK) and SkyTel, a division of Bell Industries, Inc. (AMEX:BI) today announced that they have agreed to join forces to provide two-way telemetry solutions to enterprise customers utilizing the SkyTel Wireless Network. SkyTel is a leading provider of wireless messaging and telemetry services to Fortune 1000 and government customers throughout the United States. Network Reliability and its superior customer service are at the heart of SkyTel’s ability to serve its customers. Nighthawk Systems is a leading provider of intelligent wireless power management and emergency notification solutions. Under the agreement, both Nighthawk and SkyTel can bundle each other’s services and products into their own telemetry product and service offerings. Nighthawk has recently announced its intention to market a hosted telemetry solution platform this year that will enable its customers to better manage and utilize Nighthawk control devices. This agreement and the hosted software platform will allow Nighthawk to offer fully automated, two-way telemetry solutions utilizing the SkyTel Wireless Network. SkyTel will add Nighthawk products to its offerings in an effort to further expand its own telemetry service offerings. Together, the companies will seek collaborative marketing opportunities for their bundled offerings. H. Douglas Saathoff, Nighthawk’s CEO, commented, “I’m extremely excited about this relationship with SkyTel, which has a long history of providing telemetry services. It gives Nighthawk a reliable, nationwide wireless network on which it can seamlessly offer enhanced, two-way telemetry products and services. We now have the opportunity to enhance our traditional control products with monitoring and data-delivery capabilities, which translates into additional revenue-generating opportunities. I look forward to a long, mutually-beneficial relationship with SkyTel.” Jim Myers, President of SkyTel states, “Through our agreement with Nighthawk, SkyTel is reinforcing its ongoing commitment to the telemetry industry by supporting the growing demand for networks to provide command and control functions for the energy management industry.” SkyTel has been a wireless data industry leader for over two decades. SkyTel 2-Way technology, developed in partnership with Motorola, has been successfully delivering data to millions of customers. The fully redundant SkyTel nationwide network is mature, stable and extremely reliable, without the dropped connections and downtime experienced with competitors’ network technologies – an important distinction when you are basing your business decisions on the data provided over the Network.” About Nighthawk Systems, Inc. Individuals interested in Nighthawk Systems can sign up to receive email alerts by visiting the Company’s website at www.nighthawksystems.com. About Bell Industries, Inc. Individuals interested in learning more about SkyTel should visit the Company’s website at www.SkyTel.com. Forward-Looking Statements Contacts: |
Source: BusinessWire
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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 |
* Specifications Subject to change without notice
For information call 480-515-2344 or visit our website |
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WiPath Consolidates its Emergency Alert Solutions Lineup July 16, 2007 WiPath Communications has been involved in the development and provision of emergency alerting systems since well before they were called emergency alerting systems and because of the increased interest in these types of systems over the last few years has put together a range of solutions under this banner suitable for a wide variety of community and campus alerting requirements. WiPath is involved in the provision of EAS systems for tsunami and extreme weather warning, on-campus emergency notification and community alerting and works with a wide variety of emergency services and information systems providers to provide suitable solutions for each environment. Just released is a range of text to voice solutions that integrate with its paging data receivers and IP based alarm concentrator products to provide the ability to input voice alerts into other systems such as public address and fire alarm systems in response to a text message. WiPath is currently working with a number of university and college campuses to implement these solutions to enable fast notification of emergency situations. This range of solutions provides the flexibility to choose the delivery method whether it be wireless, internet, wide or local area network and also provides a variety of alerting methods. On some campuses the voice to text solution is the primary alerting method whilst on others they will add or substitute small in-room, text only displays or larger LED signs for common areas and in the outdoors. Some of these options are briefly described on the following webpage www.wipath.com/eas.html and we strongly encourage any enquiries from anyone interested in setting up a an emergency alerting system. About WiPath WiPath is a leader in the provision of intelligent solutions in both paging and mobile data with a wide range of innovative solutions including local and wide area paging solutions, mobile data terminals, dispatch and field service solutions, vehicle tracking and management. WiPath specializes in providing both off-the-shelf and customized solutions to the paging and mobile communications industries. Website: www.wipath.com WiPath’s ability to combine different technologies and networks in flexible, systems-based solutions using very cost effective equipment is what sets it apart from practically every other company in the industry. George Rishfeld
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| NEWS FLASH — SATELLITE FAILURES
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SEE WEB FOR COMPLETE LIST:
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Bell Industries' Chief Executive Officer Resigns; Board Appoints Director as Interim CEO July 13, 2007: 04:35 PM EST INDIANAPOLIS, July 13, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) — Bell Industries, Inc. (AMEX:BI) today announced that John A. Fellows has resigned as president and chief executive officer effective immediately. In accordance with his employment agreement, Fellows has also resigned as a director of the company. Bell's board of directors, by unanimous vote of the independent directors, has appointed Clinton J. Coleman, currently a director of Bell, as interim president and chief executive officer. Coleman will serve as Bell's interim chief executive officer and principal executive officer until such time as the company completes its on-going search for a successor. The company will retain a search firm to assist in identifying qualified candidates. Coleman is a vice president of Newcastle Capital Management, L.P., the general partner of Newcastle Partners, L.P. He also currently serves as a director of Fox & Hound Restaurant Group and was interim chief financial officer of Pizza Inn, Inc. from July 2006 to January 2007. About Bell Industries, Inc. Bell Industries is comprised of three diversified operating units, Bell Technology Solutions business, SkyTel and its Recreational Products Group. The company's Technology Solutions business offers a comprehensive portfolio of customizable and scalable technology solutions ranging from customer-relationship management (CRM) and managed technology services to reverse logistics and mobile/wireless solutions. SkyTel provides nationwide wireless data and messaging services, including email, interactive two-way messaging, wireless telemetry services and traditional text and numeric paging. Recreational Products Group is a wholesale distributor of after market parts and accessories for the recreational vehicles and other leisure-related vehicle market, including marine, snowmobile, cycle and ATV. CONTACT: |
Source: CNNMoney.com
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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| SPECIAL REPORT |
Personal Annunciation Device (PAD)
To Receive R&D 100 Award
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Y-12 Receives Two R&D 100 Awards OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 17, 2007 — Engineers at the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Y-12 National Security Complex have won two R&D 100 Awards. The awards are presented annually by R&D Magazine in recognition of the year’s most significant technological innovations. Y-12 received the 2007 awards for its Rapid Deployment Shelter System (RDSS) and Personal Annunciation Device (PAD). “We are very honored by this national recognition of our engineering and design capability. It means a lot to have a project that demonstrates your capabilities and expertise chosen from among the cream of the crop for research and development,” said George Dials, president and general manager of BWXT Y-12, the company that manages Y-12 for the National Nuclear Security Administration. Peter Angelo, Ph.D., who led the multi-disciplinary team that developed the PAD said, “This is a great accomplishment for Y-12. We’re not a research and development lab, so no one really thinks of us as researchers or developers, but Y-12 has cutting-edge engineering and technology capabilities.” Since the awards program started in 1963, Y-12 has received 13 awards. The RDSS was originally designed as a mobile surgical suite for the U.S. Army but with a few modifications and it could be turned into anything from a command and control center to a logistics or operations center. Y-12’s Lee Bzorgi was the inventor of the RDSS. “It is very exciting and gratifying to receive an R&D 100 Award. It took a lot of work. We could not have done it without Y-12’s great team of craftspeople and engineers,” Bzorgi said. The 400-square-foot shelter can be easily set up in less than two minutes and offers substantial protection against small-arms, as well as nuclear, biological and chemical contamination, making it an ideal tool for many federal agencies, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Guard and Reserve units and homeland defense response teams. Y-12’s additional 2007 winner, the PAD, may very well be the world’s smallest self-arming multiple-use accident notification device. The prototype of the non-nuclear based, radio frequency receiver is about the size of a small pager, but Angelo said it goes beyond existing technology by including radio frequency identification (RFID) technology for accountability. A commercial version of the PAD could be the size of a car key fob and easily worn by anyone over an extended time. “This is the first time personal wireless technology has been integrated into a safety-related nuclear accident alert system,” said Angelo. “The PAD provides for a personal alert over a much wider area than portable detection devices.” The PAD can be easily adapted for chemical, biological or any other hazard event where traditional notification means are not adequate and rapid alert and accountability is required. While Angelo spearheaded the effort, he said it would not have been possible without the successful collaboration of talents from Y-12, Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the NNSA’s Kansas City Plant. Y-12 conceived and led the effort, integrating the prototype into existing plant systems; ORNL provided a micropower radio; and Kansas City Plant was responsible for packaging the PAD receiver components. The R&D 100 Awards will be presented Oct. 18 in Chicago by R&D Magazine. -END- |
R&D 100 Awards “The Oscars of Invention” — The Chicago Tribune
For 45 years, the prestigious R&D 100 Awards have been helping companies provide the important initial push a new product needs to compete successfully in the marketplace. The winning of an R&D 100 Award provides a mark of excellence known to industry, government, and academia as proof that the product is one of the most innovative ideas of the year.
Technology Transfer for Commercial Use
Y-12 leads PAD prototype development
“Can you hear me now?” If this catchphrase weren't already taken, it would make the perfect slogan for the Personal Annunciation Device or PAD, a miniature, non-nuclear-based, radio frequency receiver prototyped in part by the Y-12 National Security Complex.
Y-12 is leading a team of three Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration sites to design, build and test the PAD, which will annunciate or notify its wearer of a criticality accident.
When activated, the PAD has concurrent alarms (vibrations, light, sound) and displays building information and alarm status. Self-checking or “intelligence” is embedded in the PAD for enhanced reliability, giving the user information on battery usage and signals. The first-of-its-kind device is smaller than a pager and uses commercially available parts.
“Way cool” is how Peter Angelo, principal investigator for the project, described the PAD. “The overarching technology is simple,” said Angelo, “but we’re applying it in a novel way to a high-consequence environment.”
The Innovation Group, Y-12’s highly creative think tank headed by Y-12 Senior Scientist Doug Craig, came up with the PAD idea in response to NNSA’s concerns regarding the use of personal radiation detection instruments as notification devices.
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Y-12 PAD team members include Peter Angelo, Rich Bell, Tom Berg, Doug Craig, Mike Cruse, Paul DeMint, Kevin Finney, Dave Harvey, Earl Knoch, Don LaMaster, Gary Mason, George McPeters, John Miller, Tommy Rhea and Jim Younkin. |
The group then handed off the concept to a Plant Directed Research, Development and Demonstration technical team. The team looked at the features of existing pagers and cellular phones, but no single technology met all of their requirements—to be secure and reliable, be small, require little human interface and most importantly, guarantee annunciation where audibility is required.
The team further refined the concept and involved telecommunications and security personnel, system integrators, radio frequency identification specialists, criticality accident and alarm system experts and others from the Kansas City Plant and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as well as NNSA regulators, to build a prototype.
 The PAD prototype is about the size of a standard pager. |
The team’s solution was developed in record time—just seven months from concept to design to prototype development to testing. “This time frame is a testament to the folks at Y-12, KCP and ORNL who worked as one team and used the development challenge of the PAD as the focal point for their efforts,” said Tom Berg, PDRD manager for the project.
The PAD also has application outside of Y-12. “The warning applications are varied,” explained Angelo. “Although we are developing it with criticality events in mind, the PAD could easily be adapted for chemical, biological or any other event requiring rapid notification where traditional pagers are not adequate.”
The next phase of the project will be to make the PAD smaller with custom parts and easy for users. “We want the user to have a ‘set it and forget it’ mentality,” said Angelo.
Kevin Finney, Applied Technologies division manager, has high praise for the multi-site development team: “I can’t say enough about the super job the team has done. They solved this problem with an outside-of-the-box approach.”
Source: BWXTymes June 2005
[Please note, the device shown above is a prototype, not the finished product.]
PAD is simple solution to pressing problem
 Shown in actual size is the first Personal Annunciation Device prototype, which integrates wireless technology and the existing criticality accident alarm system. Subsequent prototype generations are expected to be 25% smaller. |
Y-12 is leading a DOE–NNSA team in the development of a new notification device that will warn wearers of a criticality accident.
The Personal Annunciation Device is a miniature radio frequency receiver that has concurrent alarms (vibrations, light, sound) when activated. Self-checking or "intelligence" is embedded in it for enhanced reliability, giving the user information on battery life and signals. This first-of-its-kind device is smaller than most pagers and uses commercially available parts.
PAD is a response to NNSA's concerns about the use of personal radiation detection instruments as notication devices.
The PAD prototype is the result of a successful collaboration of experts from Y-12, the Kansas City Plant and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, as well as NNSA regulators. Funding for PAD development comes from Y-12's Plant Directed Research, Development and Demonstration program.
In May, PAD demonstrated successful integration with Y-12's existing alarm systems during the annual Criticality Accident Alarm System surveillance. The next phase will make the prototype smaller and increase usability. "We want the user to have a 'set it and forget it' mentality," said Y-12 principal investigator Peter Angelo.
Source: Y-12 Report — Summer 2005, Vol. 2, Issue 2
KCP, Y-12 Develop Emergency Notification Device
Collaboration between NNSA’s Y-12 facility in Tennessee and the Kansas City Plant (KCP) in Missouri has resulted in the development of a device that can immediately notify Y-12 employees if a nuclear criticality accident were to occur.
 The Kansas City Plant’s Barry Driscoll led the team that built a prototype of the PAD unit in time for a test of Y-12’s emergency notification system. |
Because of the nature of its work, which includes use of nuclear material, the Y-12 facility operates under very stringent safety guidelines, including a requirement to provide emergency notification in the event of a criticality accident — a mishap that could release a large amount of radiation.
In the event of an emergency such as a radiation leak, it is essential that employees be notified immediately. Y-12 has been challenged by the NNSA to provide a notification system to supplement the Criticality Accident Alarm System (CAAS) currently in use at the facility.
Using Plant Di
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