Chat Transcript - NAFA Leadership Chat May 9, 2005
| BCSam | Good Evening |
| dgsmith | Good evening Sam |
| BCSam | Sorry to be late. I was held up at a City Council meeting over zoning. |
| dgsmith | OK, folks, I think we'll get this started (and start the transcript) |
| dgsmith | If you'd like to ask a question, send a private msg to me by double clicking me up on the left. Wait for your turn and I'll give you the floor. |
| dgsmith | So far we have lots of people with no questions ;-) |
| dgsmith | Or topics |
| BCSam | Thank you all for coming out. There are several new things going on lately. One of which is the new light system that is in the final stages of testing. |
| BCSam | Signature gear is working to make final adjustments to me light and are on the verge of giving to us the first five sets. We look forward to getting these out. |
| dgsmith | Ellen, the floor is yours |
| Ellen | just my usual quickie......NAFA news? |
| BCSam | A NAFA News is being worked on and we try to get out them out with minutes. Should be out this month. |
| Ellen | how many meetings will this cover? |
| BCSam | Actually I don't recall. We met in LA in March and have had one conference call since then. |
| BCSam | A lot of effort has been going into the BSL fight lately. |
| Ellen | ok, so at least three of which you are aware..... |
| Ellen | thanks....that's all for that i think |
| dgsmith | OK, Renobeeno is up next with a question on the lights - floor is yours |
| Renobeeno | What's unique, special, different, improved with the new lights? |
| BCSam | OK the first thing you will notice is that it provides displays with each set |
| BCSam | It also give three decimal place times accurately. |
| BCSam | IT also provides negative start splits to show you How early was the start on a false start |
| BCSam | It is wireless and doesn't clutter the lanes with wires |
| Renobeeno | Great improvements...I especially like the display. |
| BCSam | It reaches back and gives a preparatory signal to the start dog. If you can remember we used to have a blue light going off when the button was pushed. There is now an extra light in thesequence |
| BCSam | Dale what am I forgetting |
| dgsmith | Better inidication when a false start is pending in one lane. |
| BCSam | Easier set up and alignment |
| dgsmith | Less of a "window" in which bad passes can occur and not be caught |
| dgsmith | Light tree is based on LEDs so not slow incandescent bulbs |
| BCSam | One difference is that the lights are brighter but yet can be turned down for indoor use or up for outdoor use |
| dgsmith | Computer interface for those that twiddle with electronic tournament programs |
| BCSam | And best of all we are backed up by a compnay that can provide service over a long period of time |
| BCSam | I would love to see a preventative maintenance routine started |
| BCSam | We need to be putting the lights in for service BEFORE they fail. |
| BCSam | We haven't been able to do that because Lights were too needed. |
| BCSam | Now we should be able to cycle the lgihts through the manufacturer to check them out on a regular basis to try to stop failures before they get to a tournametn. |
| BCSam | We have tested the lights at several tournaments and we are going to finish the month testing but 5 are on order pending approval and adjustments. |
| barbaraFAX | are there any pics of the systems floating around yet ? |
| BCSam | I have some proto type pictures |
| BCSam | send me your address and I will send them to you. |
| barbaraFAX | flaairxp@aol.com |
| barbaraFAX | thanks |
| dgsmith | I took some phots in Springfield but haven't done anything with them yet. They were in Chelsea last weekend. |
| Renobeeno | As a lead handler, I'm used to seeing the judge go to push the start button or tell the table to do so...will I still have some "warning" before the lights actually start? |
| BCSam | Chelsea is the most recent picture. Mine go back to the AGM |
| barbaraFAX | guess the question would be, where can they be posted ? the flyball list doesn't take attachments |
| dgsmith | You have a sequence of lights as the "bulbs" are tested and then three yellows followed by a green |
| dgsmith | I'll try to put somehting on the NAFA site. |
| barbaraFAX | great !! |
| BCSam | Yes. The warning will be a reversal of the sequence. |
| dgsmith | Perhaps I can pursuade one of my elves to craft something. |
| BCSam | So the lights will in reverse order go on |
| BCSam | Then all will go out. And a ready light will come on at the same interval as the others. So effectively you will have an extra light |
| BCSam | So now you can say REady, ON your Mark, GEt set then a GO light |
| BCSam | Thanks Dale for doing the pictures |
| BCSam | I am pleased with what I have seen |
| BCSam | The Signature Gear folks have really listened to us and worked with us. |
| dgsmith | OK, next over to LN with a BSL questoin |
| dgsmith | The floor is yours |
| Ellen | quasi BSL, actually |
| BCSam | Ok BSL |
| Ellen | sam, in surfing the BSL sites (banned aid & dlcc) there is a page on the dlcc with contributors |
| BCSam | Ok |
| Ellen | NAFA isn't listed and I was wondering why |
| BCSam | We donated to the Banned Aid group. Do they list donations? |
| BCSam | I am not fimiliar with dlcc |
| Ellen | no, but the banned aid site is copyrighted by dlcc, so didn't know how that worked |
| Ellen | dog legislation council |
| Ellen | which i assume is all-encompassing of dog stuff |
| Ellen | while banned aid is the legal end of BSL |
| Ellen | but.... |
| BCSam | Well I would have to refer to MR check writer to tell you when the check went out. DALE?? |
| Ellen | just thought that if dlcc & banned aid are basically one and same, that nafa should be listed, right? |
| Ellen | just don't know if they are for sure....and just wondering |
| BCSam | Yes they should list us. |
| Ellen | just for an FYI, dogworth is listed....so don't know what they did differently |
| BCSam | Since I don't personally write the checks I can only go on what action was taken. At the AGM before the election we voted to send the money to Band Aid |
| Ellen | aaaaaaaaah......so bandaid.....not banned aid!!!! |
| Ellen | that's the problem....LOL...just kidding |
| BCSam | The check was given to an Ontario Board Member for delivery. I will check and see what the status is . Thanks for bringing that to my attention. |
| Ellen | but nafa will be forever known as the org that cares about small wounds..... |
| Ellen | ok...that's it for that then |
| BCSam | Now I can see it.....we give out Snoopy Band Aides |
| dgsmith | Next up is BarbaraFAX - floor is yours |
| barbaraFAX | back on lights -- why was the extra yellow light thought to be needed ?? was it the lack of the *blue light* going OFF ?? did Signature have problems incorporating our *blue light* ?? <G> |
| BCSam | WE didn't get blue ( I tried) but the blue light isn't intense enough to be seen well outside. |
| barbaraFAX | AHHHHH..... |
| BCSam | So the color blue lost but we still have the ready lgiht |
| dgsmith | The blue light on the old systems is meant to indicate the system is ready to the judge. |
| barbaraFAX | good enough reason to make a change -- eventually they will all be alike (again) |
| barbaraFAX | true BUT we all learned to use it as an *alert* |
| BCSam | Yes and when it went out, every start person watched |
| dgsmith | We have some new green LEDs that provide that function on the SG lights but they're not very visible to the start handler |
| BCSam | When it left we missed it |
| dgsmith | Kind of the same as the black lights now. |
| barbaraFAX | black ?? |
| barbaraFAX | I can't wait to see these things <G> |
| BCSam | Well in the new lights this ready light will be right where the start person is looking |
| BCSam | Easier to see. Along with that is the test sequence that really stands out |
| dgsmith | The extra yellow also gives us the "chance" someday of considering a 1 second based cadence rather than our current 1.2 second cadence (just because that was the best electronics could do when the verrryyy first lights were designed) |
| barbaraFAX | okay... |
| dgsmith | Any other questions? |
| dgsmith | Comments? |
| dgsmith | Going once |
| barbaraFAX | Sam... want to thank you for coming to Perry |
| dgsmith | Going twice... |
| BCSam | Hey it was a hoot. |
| dgsmith | Gone |
| BCSam | I loved the site and was glad I could come over and visit. I wish I could have stayed the second day but the JUdge wouldn't let me out that long |
| barbaraFAX | we are already planning next year |
| BCSam | I will try and get a team over to play |
| BCSam | great site and you really couldn't ask for more room |
| barbaraFAX | the weather was perfect... hope we can do THAT again |
| BCSam | For the record I hd jury duty the morning after |
| BCSam | and had to be back |
| barbaraFAX | I remember |
| BCSam | Again thanks all of you for coming out. |