How does one find employees, including trainees?

[Tommy]

Agreed. I do the hiring, and any one who wants on the list needs to
know some basic electronics or be teachable, and have decent mechanical
skills.

 

[Tommy]

--

True, but in this newsgroup that qualifies it for at least another
263 posts. :^)


No problem. But that's why I bothered to correct you.

For everyone. i can take it as well as dish it out.

 

[Bob Worthy]

Dunno. I haven't "attacked" you in months. You do seem to enjoy taking
"potshots" at me though.

He luv's ya, man!! I'll bet he has a blown up poster of you behind his
kitchen counter. )

 

[Frank Olson]

I don't see it as confusion, i just feel that if you are using a meter
to find resistance, you are instinctively using the formula. but then
maybe i am equating memorization with understanding.

The "formula" is not instinctive. Unless of course you touch a live
wire...

 

[Frank Olson]

Robert L Bass scribbled:

Guys like Olson,
Cracker and Jiminex spend more time and energy attacking me than they do
running their business. Guess who they hurt.

Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to spend some time on your own
website... Like *changing the contact information for instance* (you're
still showing your old address... Tsk!). I notice that you no longer
use the free "Kounter". Those pop-under ads from "Winfixer" were
annoying as hell, weren't they? I'll bet you got lots of complaints
(considering the number of hits you supposedly get every day)... And
what ever happened to that "troll-free" number you said you were going
to get?? Seems to me that a guy that's doing business "online" should
definitely have one. In fact, ISTR you used a similar argument when
deriding a competitor a while back...

 

[Tommy]

I guess not if you are training monkeys. if you dont know what the
numbers on the meter mean all you are doing is "reading" the meter.
using that information from the meter implies an understanding of the
concepts behind numbers.

 

[Tommy]

Using your own analogy, If you didn't know what the tach on your bike
meant when it reached 7,000 rpm you would probably push it to 10,000
and blow something up, brag about it or both.

similarly, if you don't know what ohm's are do you really know how to
read a meter. You can probably get by, but that is different than
knowing what you are doing

 

[Robert L Bass]

I don't see it as confusion, i just feel that if

you are using a meter to find resistance, you
are instinctively using the formula. but then
maybe i am equating memorization with
understanding.

The explanation is simpler than that. You were wrong. You don't need to
know Ohm's law to use a meter. Many people who don't know Ohm's law at all
can still read the meter. There's no "instinctive" use (whatever that
means) of what they don't know.

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
941-866-1100 Sales & Tech Support
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[Robert L Bass]

I guess not if you are training monkeys. if you

dont know what the numbers on the meter
mean all you are doing is "reading" the meter.

There's a difference between knowing Ohm's law and knowing what the numbers
on your meter mean. I don't need a degree in automotive engineering to know
that when the tach on my bike approaches 7,000 rpms I need to let up on the
throttle or upshift.

using that information from the meter implies an
understanding of the concepts behind numbers.

In the case of a VOM using the information on the meter only implies knowing
that 2.2 with the meter set to kOhms means 2,200 Ohms. It does not mean
that there are n Amps or y Volts.

You're trying really hard to justify a position which you seem to realize is
wrong. You say you can take as well as give. Well, take this. You're
wrong.

 

[Mark Leuck]

I long since forgotten Ohms law and I do know how to read a meter, I bet
most people here are the same way

 

[Everywhere Man]

I thought Ohm's law had to do with Yoga chanting. And enough of this
meter bullshit. We're in America. It's called YARDS. God damn canucks
with their bootleg math.

 

[Robert L Bass]

Using your own analogy, If you didn't know what the

tach on your bike meant when it reached 7,000 rpm
you would probably push it to 10,000 and blow
something up, brag about it or both.

Wrong again. Even if I didn't know how the tachometer works (actually, I'm
not 100% sure how it works) I still know from reading the manual that I'm
supposed to keep it under 7,000 rpms. The same is true of the tire gauge.
I know the tires can fail early if left underinflated. I'm not certain why
but I read the manual and I believe what it says. So I keep the engine
under 7,000 rpms and I make sure the tires are properly inflated. My bike
seems to appreciate it. :^)

similarly, if you don't know what ohm's are do you
really know how to read a meter...

Hmm. Now you're changing the focus (taking lessons from Olson?) to dodge
the fact that you're wrong. I didn't say he doesn't need to know what an
Ohm is. I said he doesn't need to know Ohm's law.

You can probably get by, but that is different
than knowing what you are doing

I've been "getting by" just fine for more than a quarter century in this
business. So far I've rarely used Ohm's law to calculate anything. In
fact, the most recent time I used it I made a mistake but it didn't affect
anything other than my pride. :^)

--

Regards,
Robert L Bass

=============================>
Bass Home Electronics
4883 Fallcrest Circle
Sarasota · Florida · 34233
941-866-1100 Sales & Tech Support
http://www.bassburglaralarms.com
=============================>

 

[[email protected]]

I don't see it as confusion, i just feel that if you are using a meter
to find resistance, you are instinctively using the formula. but then
maybe i am equating memorization with understanding.

No - for starters you have to know TWO variables before you can use the
formula.

And for finishers, you have to need to know the remaining third. If
what you need to know is right there on the meter display, you aren't
using the formula.

If you want to know the current, and you read the resistance and know
the voltage, then you are using ohms law. But most people would simply
measure the current, unless it would be difficult to do so.

If you look at the meter, see 2 ohms, and decide that given the length
of the wire runs that's reasonable - YOU ARE NOT USING OHMS LAW.

 

[Michelle]

What kind of hourly rate can a competent security technician earn these
days?

I always got the impression, they don't earn much. ( < 35K/yr)

 

[Frank Olson]

Robert L Bass wrote:

Hmm. Now you're changing the focus (taking lessons from Olson?) to dodge
the fact that you're wrong.

Excuse me??? I thought the Bass-onova was your specialty. Take credit
where it's due, Robert.

 

[Bob Worthy]

What kind of hourly rate can a competent security technician earn these
days?

I always got the impression, they don't earn much. ( < 35K/yr)

What part of the country are you from or are outside the US?

Installers make more than 35K. Some piece workers can make up to 70-80K if
there is enough building going on and they are willing to work alot of
hours. A "Competent" service technician, for burg, on a 40 hour week can
earn around 50k with benefits. A fire technician will probably earn more.

 

[Bob Worthy]

What kind of hourly rate can a competent security technician earn these
days?

I always got the impression, they don't earn much. ( < 35K/yr)

Forgot to add. Don't let an installer convince you they are a technician
without proof of competentcy. Because they know how to install a system
(even properly), does not constitute being a technician. Hell, they might
even need to know Ohm's law to get the big bucks.

 

[Frank Olson]

What kind of hourly rate can a competent security technician earn these
days?

I always got the impression, they don't earn much. ( < 35K/yr)

Depends on how "competent" they are. We pay union rate even though ours
isn't a union shop plus bonuses (profit share). Typically around $40 -
45K per annum (but that's Canadian dollars which used to translate to
about $21.35 US). ;-)

 

[Michelle]

It seems around here (Edmonton, Canada) most techs aren't paid much.

Is there a shortage of good security technicians in North America?

 

[Michelle]

I'm in Canada... (Edmonton).

I've always considered moving to a security alarm installer career
because I love working with security, fire alarm systems... and other
auxiliary type systems (ie: nurse call, card access, CCTV). I've been
installing security alarms selectively since the 80's and the reason I
did them selectively was that I only did it part time, since my full
time job was an electrician. I left electrical back in 95 to enter into
a computing career... however still install the systems, as people ask
me to.

The reason I haven't gone into it as a full time career, is because I'm
female and and I didn't know how well it would work having me wander
into unknown customers homes... but then again maybe I am just a bit
cautious. On the commercial side, I'd have no problems.