Enhanced 911 System

I learned more about the Enhanced 911 system and the FCC involvement than I ever thought I would. It astounds me that the FCC and the USDA are basing their entire Rural Wireless Community VISION Program on the Essays that are written by each community. If a rural community can get someone to write a great essay, the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau will supply regulatory, engineering, legal and technical support. The USDA's Rural Utilities Service will supply the financial and telecommunications expertise of their loan-grant officers and their regional general field representatives. Seems like a contest more than the implementation of an Enhanced Emergency Network.

I also learned much more about GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and how they work. It basically comes down to just a few steps:

* Triangulation from satellites, a GPS receiver measures the distance using the travel time of radio signals.

* In order to measure travel time, GPS needs very accurate timing which it achieves with some tricks.

* Along with distance, you need to know exactly where the satellites are in space. High orbits and careful monitoring.

* Finally you must correct for any delays the signal experiences as it travels through the atmosphere.

I also enjoyed the reading about the routers, bridges, and gateways. We are currently moving from one hangar at Pax River to another location down the road. I was able to diagram a before and after shot of the network and the router and switch connections and I knew what I was talking about instead of just putting down on paper what the network guys told me.