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on 12/22/99 8:53 AM, Michael Johnson at michaelj -at- oecmed -dot- com wrote:
> Season's Greetings from Utah!
>
> Because I have a good understanding of electronics, radio communications,
> microwave communications, and satellite communications, I always thought
> that I could rightfully represent myself as one having a good knowledge of
> telecommunications. Not!
>
> Can anybody recommend a good book? Also, would somebody who works in the
> telecommunications field kindly explain what the telecommunications
> "professionals" mean when they say the word "telecom". Although the word is
> frighteningly chic, I'll bet it has as many meanings as users.
Telecommunications consists of a huge range of things, just as technical
writing can mean techie marketing pieces, web site development, online help,
printed docs, and all of that it any number of industries.
My particular company is in "telecommunications". We make hardware and
software that tests telecommunication networks (ok, a little
self-referencing). What I mean is, our stuff tests anything from cellular
phone networks to standard phone lines to T1 lines and everything in
between. We don't do anything with radio or microwave technologies.
Two good books for our area of telecommunications are
Voice and Data Communication Handbook by Regis J. Bates and Donald Gregory
and
Communications Network Test and Measurement Handbook by Clyde Coombs and
Catherine Anne Coombs.
Many industries cover a wide range, like the techwhirler looking for info on
biotechs-- he specified bioinformatics and genomics. When I worked in
biotech, it wasn't that (and I wasn't there long enough to tell you exactly
what it was).
Christi Carew
Technical Writer
christi -at- sageinst -dot- com
p. 831-761-6565
f. 831-761-2452
Sage Instruments
240 Airport Blvd.
Freedom, CA 95019
www.sageinst.com
You may be on the right track, but if you just sit there, you're bound to
get run over.