Delete this message, IF:
IYou do not want to read about vanity call bitching. Delete this long message
NOW.
(tnx KG5U for fwd of ARRL bulletin regarding FCC and Gate 2)
#1 R K1ZX really long Tampa
FCC needs 4 Weeks processing time???????
What a bunch of crap.....all they needed to do was:
Anticipate the rush and prepare with temporary extra staffing...how much?
Assemble mebbe 16 or 20 data entry types for this and in a week it would
easily have be done....5k applications is not a lot....if you have 5k apps
and 20 clerks, that is 250/clerk/wk - or 50 a day for a week which should not
be impossible. I hunt and peck and I know I could enter 50 in a day (50/8
hour day is 6.25/hour or roughly ten minutes for each....the Gov't has to
have a pool of data entry types, who type way faster than I do, available
for crunch times like this.
OKAY, SIX PER HOUR IS TOO STRENUOUS? Double that number to 40 clerks and you
now have a 1 week goal's needed rate of prox 3 applications/hour - I know,
even Gov't employees aren't that slow but this is illustrative, you will see
my point shortly. (Flame suit on for PVRC members)
FOR CHECKING: Double your manpower to 80 clerks to "proofread" each of the 40
date entry persons' entries.... proofing should be faster, but we will say
they are equal.....so you are up to 80 clerks...this certainly should be
plenty of crew to do the gate 2 "inrush" job in a week.
80 people at 40 hours is 3200 man hours, lets say they are way way way
overpayed at $15.00/hr that is 48,000 smackers. All of my numbers have all
been inflated as I have gone along, my point is:
FCC got 5000 applications at 30 bucks a piece, that is 150 Grand, I think
they can afford to attack this project and whip it out with some temp help
considering there is a gross margin of (150K - 48K) = 102 Grand or MORE!
This was based on my clearly overinflated time and wage numbers....these
wages probably would be fine for around the clock staffing....lets see that
is two or even three shifts, divide that one week down into two or three
pieces...oh jeez, now I'm even madder at this four week crud.
Unless there are a limited number of terminals which can do this 610V work,
(FCC said they were expecting more Gate 2 applications...did they expect to
be backed up two months?) there is absolutely NO reason that the FCC couldn't
just throw extra manpower at this and be done with it. It is not rocket
scientists we are in need of, its plain old data entry...the good data entry
types are like 10,000 key strokes per hour!!!!
The 23rd was almost 2 weeks ago, already.....with the above approach of using
extra manpower - this would have been a breeze and by now everyone would have
found an excuse to post something to the contest reflector just so they could
sign it with their new call.
I don't get it, but then again I don't get a lot of stuff government has been
doing - did you hear this crap today about the Gov't maintaining new home
buyer deposit accounts for us to contribute to, for say, newlyweds....what
the hell is wrong with commercial banks? We need a little bit more attention
to programs' fiscal feasability and a lot less to public image and spin
....government is already too damned big and NOT thinking like a successful
business, but like a bankrupt one.
Sorry - its 2:30 AM and I can't sleep and I really am pissed at the FCC.
Alright, I've vented - but if I don't get a "4" call in plenty of time for
CONTEST season, and especially SS CW, I will be one angry citizen!
I warned you guys in the first sentence, I'm sorry for so much
non-contest-strategy bandwidth, Trey - but "something is wrong".
Jim
eventually ex - k1zx
(bonus points: name famous NCCC contester, and originator of the unique quote
"something is wrong"....big hint: he used to have a secondary N6 1X2 vanity
call when you could hold two calls - but chose to keep his 1X3 call when he
was forced to give one call up...NCJ-circa mid 70's)
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