SCTE-WVMC Newsletter 2010 Cable-Tec Games Winners! Region 10 Director Bob Legg awards overall WVMC 2010 Cable-Tec Games winners Gold medalist Suddenlink s Aaron Spradlin Winter 2010 I NSIDE T HIS I SSUE 2 SCTE-WVMC contacts and events 3 Vendor Show and golf outing 4 Cable Games 5 5 Message from your President Adkins Award winner Silver medalist Suddenlink s Greg Lester 6 Safety Stop Kenny Heinlein 7 EXPO in Denver Suddenlink award 8 Suddenlink 100% certification article 9 Picture Gallery 10 2010 Board members Please submit any newsworthy items to Bobbie Ford Barbara.ford@suddenlink.com Bronze medalist Suddenlink s Mark Farley
WVMC SCTE C ONTACTS Ron Brunt rbrunt@dtechinc.com Al Partin - william.partin@suddenlink.com Bobbie Ford barbara.ford@suddenlink.com P LANNED 2011 E VENTS VIEW AND PRE-REGISTER ON LINE pre-register for our events here Brian Lewis brian.lewis@twcable.com Mike McCarthy - 28mjm@comcast.net Eddie James - Edward.James@suddenlink.com Chad Winnell Christopher.Winnell@suddenlink.com Kenny Heinlein - Kenneth.Heinlein@suddenlink.com Ken Gabehart - KGabehart@supply-solutions.biz Bob Legg - bob.legg@suddenlink.com Tia Lee Stackle tia.lee@suddenlink.com Dale Cunningham dale.cunningham@suddenlink.com Darlene Seaman darlene.seaman@suddenlink.com O UR W EB S ITE: HTTP://CHAPTER. SCTE. ORG/ WVIRGINIA/ BOARD AND OFFICERS 2010 elected officers Webmaster - Tia Lee with Suddenlink NEW! Treasurer - Bobbie Ford with Suddenlink Vice President - Al Partin with Suddenlink Secretary - Chad Winnell of Suddenlink NEW! President - Ron Brunt of Deployment Technologies Director members of the Board Dale Cunningham, Suddenlink Joe Jarrell, MegaHertz Brian Lewis, Time Warner Eddie James, Suddenlink Brent Cheesebrew, Baker Installations 2011 Committees and Ambassador Events Chair Ken Gabehart, Supply Solutions NEW! Election Chair Darlene Seaman, Suddenlink NEW! 2/17 BACK TO THE BASICS SUDDENLINK MEDIA OFFICE PARKERSBURG, WV 4/21 BPI CERTIFICATION TRAINING AND TESTING NORTHERN WV EXACT LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED 6/16 - SAFETY KANAWHA VALLEY EXACT LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED 8/18 OVER THE TOP WITH NEW TECHNOLOGIES HUNTINGTON WV EXACT LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED 10/4 - WVMC GOLF OUTING LITTLE CREEK PARK SOUTH CHARLESTON WV SPONSORED BY OUR VENDORS 10/5 - WVMC-SCTE VENDOR SHOW 7 TH ANNUAL CABLE-TEC GAMES WVMC BOARD ELECTIONS BENI KEDEM SHRINE CENTER CHARLESTON, WV 10/28 - RED CROSS BLOOD DRIVE SUDDENLINK COMMUNICATIONS REGIONAL OFFICE SCOTT DEPOT, WV CO-SPONSORED WITH OUR GOOD FRIENDS AT SUDDENLINK 11/3 TBA/FIBER TECHNOLOGIES LOCATION TO BE DETERMINED 12/6 - CATV PIONEERS DINNER BENI KEDEM SHRINE CENTER CHARLESTON, WV SPONSORED BY KEN GABEHART Ambassador - Mike McCarthy, db Communications
22001100 VVeennddoorr SShhoow Once again the meeting Vendor Show and Cable-TEC games were held at the Beni Kedem Shrine which continues to meet our location needs. The food, format, vendor showings, and games worked well again this year making the event a success! Thanks again to Chad, Eddie, and Brian for assisting with the Cable-TEC games and to Victor for offering to proctor this year. Please contact us with any ideas to help us improve. 22001100 Gool lff Ouutti inngg The weather was cool and overcast, but that did not prevent a successful outing for the third year in South Charleston at Little Creek Park. As usual, lunch was provided as were door prizes plus the winning teams were announced and given awards. Although President Ron Brunt enjoys operating the cold drink cart, he will happily share the joy with a volunteer next year.
22001100 CCaabbl lee- -TTeecc Gaameess We had 21 contestants from 5 teams vying for the individual event and overall medals, along with the Chapter Cup for the winning team. Event winners MTDR Hosted by Chuck Phillips & Bob Owermohle Gold Mark Farley, Suddenlink Beckley Silver Greg Lester, Suddenlink Beckley Bronze Dave Walker, Suddenlink Shrewsbury WVMC 2010 Cable-Tec Games contestants Meter Reading Hosted by Doug Taylor & Frank Yaskin Gold Dolan Bailey, Suddenlink Parkersburg Silver Richard Setliff, Suddenlink Beckley Bronze Dennis Blankenship, Suddenlink Buckhannon Drop Connector Hosted by Paul Prescott & Raymond Mills Gold Mark Farley, Suddenlink Beckley Silver Paul Yeager, Suddenlink Shrewsbury Bronze Dennis Blankenship, Suddenlink Buckhannon Cable Splicing Hosted by Tim Papa, Roger Mathews, & Robin Lee Gold Greg Lester, Suddenlink Beckley Silver Orland Allen, Suddenlink Beckley Bronze Aaron Spradlin, Suddenlink Buckhannon Chapter Cup winning team - Suddenlink Beckley Members (l-r) Mark Farley, Greg Lester, Orland Allen, and Richard Setliff Chapter Cup 2nd place team Suddenlink Charleston Paul Yeager, Brent Dennison, Dave Walker, and George Harless Chapter Cup 3rd place team Suddenlink Buckhannon Kenny Mathews/Brian Byrd, Aaron Spradlin, Michael Thompson, and Dennis Blankenship Fiber Splicing Hosted by Scott Caldwell, Craig Henderson Gold Aaron Spradlin, Suddenlink Buckhannon Silver Greg Lester, Suddenlink Beckley Bronze Mark Farley, Suddenlink Beckley Cable Jeopardy Hosted by the WV Mountaineer Chapter Gold Aaron Spradlin, Suddenlink Buckhannon Silver Greg Lester, Suddenlink Beckley Bronze Mark Farley, Suddenlink Beckley OTDR Hosted by Ivan Alvey & Jim Smith Gold Greg Lester, Suddenlink Beckley Silver Brent Dennison, Suddenlink Shrewsbury Bronze John Schweer, Suddenlink Shrewsbury Chapter Cup Challenge 1 st Place Suddenlink Beckley 2 nd Place Suddenlink Shrewsbury 3 rd Place Suddenlink Buckhannon
Adkins Award winner Message from our President Hello members! What a great year for WV and for our Chapter! Bob Legg is SCTE s 2010 Member of the Year! Tia Lee makes CableFax magazine s top ten women in cable technologies! Eddie James, Darene Seaman, Victor Canterbury and Chad Winnell are instrumental as trainers and proctors in getting Suddenlink s technical staff to 100% in at least one SCTE certification! A Suddenlink team comprised of WVMC members Curtis Bevins, Mark Hall, Kevin Anderson and Von Glore competes well in this years Bluegrass Chapter Cable- Tec Games, and Curtis is the overall winner! This makes for a golden opportuntiy for the WVMC to represent us well at the International Cable-Tec Games in Atlanta next year, as Aaron Spradlin of Suddenlink Buckhannon will be there as well as our overall gold medalist from this year s Games. See you at one of our events real soon! Tia Lee Stackle /Suddenlink This year s Adkins Award was presented to Tia Lee Stackle of Suddenlink on October 6 th, 2010 at the SCTE show and Cable-TEC games. Tia is a Regional Data Engineer and is responsible for the networks in seven states including routing, switching and the fiber optic transport networks supporting video, data, DOCSIS and commercial services. She has earned our Internet Protocol Engineering Professional (IPEP) certification as well as the Master Technician - Customer Premises certification from NCTI. Tia is a regular speaker for this SCTE chapter on DOCSIS technologies and networks plus has been elected to serve on the SCTE West Virginia Mountaineer Chapter's Board of Directors for 2011 and to fill the new Webmaster position. It is easy to see why Tia earned this award!
Safety Stop Kenny Heinlein Safety Administrator S dd li k A l i R i Fiber Optic Safety The safety issues for fiber optics are not what everyone thinks of first: getting your eyeball burned out by laser light in a fiber. Most fiber optic systems have power levels too low to do any damage. In addition, the light is coming out of the fiber in an expanding cone, meaning the further away the end of the fiber is, the less the danger. Most systems also operate with light over 1000 nm wavelength, where the liquid in your eye absorbs the light, heavily preventing retinal damage. That said, it s stupid to look into a fiber when you don't know what is being transmitted through it! First of all, most of the light is invisible to the human eye, so you can't see anything anyway. Secondly, if it is high enough power to be a problem, the damage is likely irreversible! So don't look into fibers! Use a power meter to see if power is present, especially if looking at the end of a connector with a microscope. The two major safety issues are proper disposal of the glass shards created by cleaving the fiber or accidentally breaking it and the cleaning chemicals and adhesives used. ALWAYS DISPOSE OF FIBER SCRAPS CAREFULLY! We recommend a disposable paper cup (those used for take-out soup work best) to keep all scraps in. Be careful about getting scraps on the floor or your clothes. Be careful in dealing with the chemicals. Some are flammable; some are hazards to breathe or may cause allergic reactions. Always work in well-ventilated areas. Fiber Optic Safety Rules Keep all food and beverages out of the work area. If fiber particles are ingested they can cause internal hemorrhaging Do not smoke while working with fiber optic systems. Always wear safety glasses with side shields. Treat fiber optic splinters the same as you would glass splinters. Never look directly into the end of fiber cables until you are positive that there is no light source at the other end. Use a fiber optic power meter to make certain the fiber is dark. When using an optical tracer or continuity checker, look at the fiber from an angle at least 6 inches away from your eye to determine if the visible light is present. Only work in well ventilated areas. Contact wearers must not handle their lenses until they have thoroughly washed their hands. Do not touch your eyes while working with fiber optic systems until your hands have been thoroughly cleaned. Keep all combustible materials safely away from the curing ovens. Wear disposable aprons if possible to minimize fiber particles on your clothing. Fiber particles on your clothing can later get into food, drinks, and/or be ingested by other means. Put all cut fiber pieces in a safe place and dispose of properly. Thoroughly clean your work area when you are done.
SCTE Expo Special Award goes to Bob Legg The Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers SCTE Cable-Tec Expo 2010 was held in New Orleans on October 22 nd. Cable engineering professionals received an immersive education in ways to optimize current networks and build for new generations of IP service delivery. During the three-day event, the cable technology community met to showcase product innovations and discuss a variety of initiatives that are designed to help the industry to reduce costs, optimize network performance and enhance customer satisfaction. The event attracted more than 8,200 attendees and nearly 400 exhibitors to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. Several of the attendees were from our own Chapter. While there was a full agenda, time was taken to present the Man of the Year award to Bob Legg (VP of Technical Operations for Suddenlink s Atlantic Region and our SCTE Region 10 Director) in part for having 100% SCTE certified Techs within his area of Suddenlink. This is the first region of any MSO to achieve this prestigious goal which was made possible in large part by the efforts of Eddie James, Chad Winnell, and Victor Canterbury who are Suddenlink Technician Trainers, plus Norma Lontz, Laura Surface, and Darlene Seaman who are all SCTE proctors. Shown below is Bob Legg accepting his ribbon from Ron Brunt.
AUGUST 2, 2010 (Exton, PA) Suddenlink Communications and the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers (SCTE) today announced that as of Friday, July 23, all broadband technicians and installers with Suddenlink for at least 90 days had attained one or more professional certifications from SCTE. Suddenlink is the first major cable operator to reach this milestone. SUDDENLINK S ENTIRE BROADBAND TECH FORCE ACHIEVES SCTE CERTIFICATION First Major Cable Operator to Reach this Milestone In the second half of 2008, Suddenlink launched its Careerlink initiative for technical staff, to boost their knowledge and skills and assist them in achieving SCTE certifications. Since then, more than 1,500 Suddenlink engineers and other field personnel have earned more than 3,000 SCTE certifications, for an average of more than 125 certifications per month. Suddenlink estimates this comprehensive training and certification effort has contributed to millions of dollars of savings due to meaningful reductions in repeat service calls and customer churn. Specifically, between the end of 2008 and 2009 the first full calendar year with Careerlink in place Suddenlink realized a 10 percent reduction in repeat service calls and a four percent reduction in customer churn. In addition, according to J.D. Power survey results, Suddenlink was the most improved video provider in its region, in overall customer satisfaction, between 2007 and 2009. The effects of SCTE certification and our Careerlink program have been felt throughout the organization, said Jerry Kent, Suddenlink s Chairman and CEO. We made this investment because we know that enhancing the knowledge and skills of our workforce leads to greater customer satisfaction and improved operating results. We have every intention of continuing this initiative and introducing similar development programs for other members of our workforce. We applaud Suddenlink, as they are the first major MSO to achieve this milestone, said Mark Dzuban, president and CEO of SCTE. Suddenlink s Careerlink program is a template for how cable system operators can use SCTE certification resources to help ensure that their employees are prepared to provide the best possible customer experience. Shown to the left is Dave Bach (Atlantic Region Vice President, Suddenlink Communications) accepting a plaque to commemorate achieving 100% Broadband Technician and Installer SCTE certification. The award was presented by Ron Brunt (SCTE Mountaineer Chapter President) on 12/2/10 in Scott Depot WV.
Picture Gallery Parkersburg 2/11 Parkersburg 2/19 South Charleston 10/5 South Charleston 10/5 Charleston 10/6 Charleston 10/6 Charleston 10/6 Charleston 10/06 Charleston 12/1 Charleston 10/6 Charleston 12/2 Charleston 12/2
SCTE- WVMC 2011 Board Ron Brunt Brent Cheesebrew Dale Cunningham Bobbie Ford Ken Gabehart Ken Heinlein Eddie James Tia Lee Stackle Al Partin Darlene Seaman Chad Winnell