O
Outspoken
I have been posting for a couple of days now and thought I should post an Introduction.
My name is Jim, 47 years old, have been in the "electrical game" since I was 17 and a qualified Spark since completing a fully indentured apprenticeship in the mid 1980's. I completed the 236 part 1/2 and the C certificates before moving on to complete a HNC in Electrical and Electronic Enginerring.
I lived in Canada for 5 years to avoid family problems here at home and worked on heavy machinery in lumber mills, dockyards in the Oil/Gas industry and 6 months installation at a Nuclear Facility.
I have installed in domestics, but not since I was an apprentice as I hate it, as a deliberate thought process I have remained in the Heavy and Critical Installation arm of the industry. I was self employed and ran my own contracting company for many years, at it's peak we employed 84 Engineers, technicians and 12 additional support staff, but working away all over Europe and Africa cost me my first marriage so I made a change. I sold the company and for 10 years I have worked in Critical Services in the UK, a mix of Installation and Maintenance of systems. I have installed equipment for mobile phone cell infrastructure and equipment in Nuclear and classified facilities.
The most recent project is an installation that is both List X and List N which is a secure critical site deep in the wilds behind fences, armed MOD Police and dogs. Getting deliveries has been a nightmare because everything must be booked in at least 48 hours ahead and all drivers must be UK nationals to pass the main gate!!
I have been an IEE/IET member for about 15 years and was a CIBSE member but that lapsed, I currently have an application in to rejoin. I am in the throws of doing a distance learning MSc (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) and hope to complete that in 2015.
Anyway, I have two children that are mine (Lucy 4.5 and Max 3) as I was a late father (42) and an inherited 13 year old from my current partner's first marriage. My Hobby is Astronomy, has been since I was 8. I completed an OU BSc (Honours) in Astronomy is 1993 for my own purposes and in 2007 managed to finally complete my PhD in Planetary Atmospheres. I currently own 4 telescopes, a Meade ETX 125PE, a Meade LX90-8 and a Meade LX200-14. Plus I own a robotic observatory in Canada that houses a 0.62m Cassegrain reflector that I control from my PC via the internet.
The hobby got me into Land Rovers and I currently own a 2010 TDV6 3.0 Discovery, a 1997 300TDi and a Defender 130 with a 2.5L BMW diesel engine fitted out of a Range Rover that has been converted for expeditions, with my Telescopes, to the top of Mountains in far flung places with silk black skies.
Over the years I have written articles for several magazines connected to Computers, Astronomy, technology and general Science, currently I am writing a book about the Solar system and hope to publish it on Kindle later this year..if I get time to finish the darned thing.
I speak my mind and say what I mean, hence the moniker I chose here, normally I post in my own name on any forum I am a member of but decided to change that after some rather unpleasant behaviour by a brain dead half wit about 6 months ago.
I do like a wind up, so please note that I might not always mean to be serious when I post something if people appear to have "bit the baited hook"..but I won't allow it to become a farce and will stop if it appears to risk getting out of control or stop being funny.
If you have something personal to say to me, use PM, who knows I might agree with you if your able to justify your comments.
My name is Jim, 47 years old, have been in the "electrical game" since I was 17 and a qualified Spark since completing a fully indentured apprenticeship in the mid 1980's. I completed the 236 part 1/2 and the C certificates before moving on to complete a HNC in Electrical and Electronic Enginerring.
I lived in Canada for 5 years to avoid family problems here at home and worked on heavy machinery in lumber mills, dockyards in the Oil/Gas industry and 6 months installation at a Nuclear Facility.
I have installed in domestics, but not since I was an apprentice as I hate it, as a deliberate thought process I have remained in the Heavy and Critical Installation arm of the industry. I was self employed and ran my own contracting company for many years, at it's peak we employed 84 Engineers, technicians and 12 additional support staff, but working away all over Europe and Africa cost me my first marriage so I made a change. I sold the company and for 10 years I have worked in Critical Services in the UK, a mix of Installation and Maintenance of systems. I have installed equipment for mobile phone cell infrastructure and equipment in Nuclear and classified facilities.
The most recent project is an installation that is both List X and List N which is a secure critical site deep in the wilds behind fences, armed MOD Police and dogs. Getting deliveries has been a nightmare because everything must be booked in at least 48 hours ahead and all drivers must be UK nationals to pass the main gate!!
I have been an IEE/IET member for about 15 years and was a CIBSE member but that lapsed, I currently have an application in to rejoin. I am in the throws of doing a distance learning MSc (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) and hope to complete that in 2015.
Anyway, I have two children that are mine (Lucy 4.5 and Max 3) as I was a late father (42) and an inherited 13 year old from my current partner's first marriage. My Hobby is Astronomy, has been since I was 8. I completed an OU BSc (Honours) in Astronomy is 1993 for my own purposes and in 2007 managed to finally complete my PhD in Planetary Atmospheres. I currently own 4 telescopes, a Meade ETX 125PE, a Meade LX90-8 and a Meade LX200-14. Plus I own a robotic observatory in Canada that houses a 0.62m Cassegrain reflector that I control from my PC via the internet.
The hobby got me into Land Rovers and I currently own a 2010 TDV6 3.0 Discovery, a 1997 300TDi and a Defender 130 with a 2.5L BMW diesel engine fitted out of a Range Rover that has been converted for expeditions, with my Telescopes, to the top of Mountains in far flung places with silk black skies.
Over the years I have written articles for several magazines connected to Computers, Astronomy, technology and general Science, currently I am writing a book about the Solar system and hope to publish it on Kindle later this year..if I get time to finish the darned thing.
I speak my mind and say what I mean, hence the moniker I chose here, normally I post in my own name on any forum I am a member of but decided to change that after some rather unpleasant behaviour by a brain dead half wit about 6 months ago.
I do like a wind up, so please note that I might not always mean to be serious when I post something if people appear to have "bit the baited hook"..but I won't allow it to become a farce and will stop if it appears to risk getting out of control or stop being funny.
If you have something personal to say to me, use PM, who knows I might agree with you if your able to justify your comments.
