Hello All
(Moshe Edri agreed to translate this E mail into Hebrew
I have taken it upon myself (since we have lost Kobi rabeno as our center point contact man) to search and come up with an alternative communication system to our active paragliding pilots
An attempt to solve the problem was done by our friend Amir Malik via our forum, it apperas that Amir is ahead of our time and gave a brilliant, cost effective solution, However, Due to the fact that most of us do not have phones that can access the internet, and the fact that it is not easy to write a message into the forum or to retrieve it via our small keyboard phones. it makes the system difficult to operate
compound that by the fact that the incoming messages into the forum has to be eliminated after a certain amount of time when they are no longer relevant, (a process that requires human intervention) makes that system cumbersome for our current needs.
To make a very long research story short, let me say that I have checked most of the solutions that are offered today in Israel, with technology ranging from Human secreterial services, to SMS, to answering services, synthesized voice, computer based programs, ,cell phones programs, IvR, voip etc. ranging in price from tens of thousands of Shekel down to close to nothing
I think I came up with the most cost effective system that can answer all of our current needs and has ample room for expansion
The company name is Tikal Networks from Tel aviv they have offered us a PRI system (primary rate interface) off site, server based application At a total cost of one hundred and seventy 170 shekel per month plus a small set up fee
How will this workSystem will be on 365, 24/7
We will be given our own dedicated phone number, the pilot who would like to leave a message, will be directed to press a number and be given sufficient time (at our discreation) to leave a message describing his location ,wind conditions, sky conditions
who is in the air and other general remarks, the message will be time stamped by the computer
The system can take up to 30 simultaneous callers that want to leave a message
Pilots intrested in current flying information, will call the same phone number and by pressing a digit will be able to listen to the last several messages entered by our members, The system can take up to 30 simultaneous listeners with no "hold "situation
the Amount of time a message stays on the system will be set up to 3 hours, and once the message is 3 hours old it will automatically be deleted
The system can take unlimited amount of messages
We can, at our option in the future split the country into regions or sites and be routed to the specific site information if so desired, however initially we will keep the country as one region
I suggest that a senior experienced member of our comunity will have his own message button to report his own forcasted active sites, and to read the bruksteinn forcast or radio sonada analysis to the intrested parties, his message will not be erased until the end of the day
It appears (about 50% probability) that the system will be able to collect up to the minute information from our windmeters and read it back to us with a sinthesized human voice any time day or night
We may, at no additional cost program a special "pick me up" button for pilots that need transportation for after flights pick ups
We can also, at no additional costs program a special ride share button for pilots organising a trip to remote locations
The system can handle our brothers with the hanggliders with their own access codes
if we decide to include them
Since the system is very flexable we will be able to expand our utilization of the system into the future, some of the possible
f uses can be
Automatic Sending of SMS to our members when certain parameters has been reached
by the wind meters or members "good flying conditions" status alert
Accessing the voice messages left on the system, from home via the internet
A very cool feature was offered to me for a cost of 40 shekel per participant per month, the system can track pilots on the ground and on the air via their cell phones and
the information in a graphical map format on any PC, this feature might be very usufull for the league tournaments as well as regular pilots for after landing pick up
Please bear in mind that generally additional features cost additional funds
I have discussed this system with Moshe Edri and Amir Malik and we are in agreement as to its cost benefits and value to our community, as always since we are a non for profit organization, and currently not a funded group, we will be depended on you all for financial contributions. I will be committed to a six month at a time contract
It is my estimate that in two years, when we all have I phones or equal portable phones with inexpensive cell internet access and more usefull keyboards, we will be moving on to Amirs, Web based application
If all goes well the Beta system will be up and running in 2 weeks
At this point we do not need any funds to be collected
See you in the sky
Moshe Grad
Moshavat Kineret
