Another Ahab
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That's funny (or sad, depending how you look at it), but yeah I bet a search of those words gets ugly real fast.
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Our NEWEST project: M1010 Ambulance
- Thread starter Madmedic
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Madmedic
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Yeah...... can laugh about it NOW. But the frustration started when I got the M1009, and needed to replace the GROMMETS on the rear where the antenna cables come into the vehicle. Having relatives in the Commercial Distilling industry, my 1st thought was barrels, and bung plugs in barrels. KNEW that wasn't the right word, but it took me 3 months of talking to people and using words like Doohickey and Thing-a-ma-bob, when describing it, before an electrician said "GROMMET". And I looked at him and said "No, GROMMETS are METAL, on Tents, & Shelter Halves and stuff". And he showed in a hardware store.
Yeah...... I felt REALLLLY STUPID.
Yeah...... I felt REALLLLY STUPID.
Another Ahab
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There's no call for beating yourself about it, nothing you can do when you don't know the word (be a great app to invent: hand-drawn picture plus word description to give you a choice of closest items with a photo).
As a kid, I used to rock-climb in the area along the Potomac River (and other nearby spots, including Seneca Rocks in WV: killer):
- There was one piece of hardware that was almost always close to indispensable (when you needed it, nothing else would do)
- But if you didn't know the name of it you were mostly out-of-luck locating any
- 1) it didn't look like a conventional piton; and 2) not all climbers were familiar with it
- You just HAD to know
It was called a RURP (Realization of Ultimate Reality Piton). How screwey is THAT!?
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Madmedic
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Yeah. I'm sure that there are many stories like ours. I got over pretty quickly with a couple of shots of good Lowland Single Malt.
Madmedic
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Well...... We're still fighting with the floor mat. Frustration is not the accurate word for it, but it comes closest. Freddy Krueger saw my face after I stopped for the day, and ran for his momma.
We've got the driver's side seat back in, and have got the mat around/over the shifter with all parts re-installed, including the radio mount. There will be quite a bit of fine tuning/trimming of the floor mat material before we call "done". As shown in Pictures 3 and 4, we started out thinking that we would cut as few holes as possible, let the mat settle around all protrusions and cut tiny holes for the bolts to go through....... bad plan.
Better to cut AROUND the protrusions like the mounting points for the seats. the floor mat settles better, and it's easier to get the bolts back in.
.
We've got the driver's side seat back in, and have got the mat around/over the shifter with all parts re-installed, including the radio mount. There will be quite a bit of fine tuning/trimming of the floor mat material before we call "done". As shown in Pictures 3 and 4, we started out thinking that we would cut as few holes as possible, let the mat settle around all protrusions and cut tiny holes for the bolts to go through....... bad plan.
Better to cut AROUND the protrusions like the mounting points for the seats. the floor mat settles better, and it's easier to get the bolts back in.
.
Madmedic
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Well.... still plugging along. And fighting with the floor mat.
Got the antenna wires all snuggled in, and the Passenger's Side seat put back in. For those of you who've asked, we couldn't find a standard grommet large enough to fit that hole either. We used a Valve Cover Grommet instead. It didn't fit in "tight", but was large enough for the military plugs on the Co-Ax to go through. Also, a little silicone sealant was enough to fix any looseness.
We have run the cables under the rubber floor mat, over to the radio mounting tray. When complete, there will be a Military Issue VHF Low Band Set, plus a Motorola Dual Band VHF/UHF Radio mounted. Many of these ambulances carried both types of radios, for Inter-operability with the Fire/EMS/Hospitals both on and off base. The smaller military antenna co-ax is about 6 inches too short, but it's standard BNC connection, so an extender will be an easy fix.
Got the antenna wires all snuggled in, and the Passenger's Side seat put back in. For those of you who've asked, we couldn't find a standard grommet large enough to fit that hole either. We used a Valve Cover Grommet instead. It didn't fit in "tight", but was large enough for the military plugs on the Co-Ax to go through. Also, a little silicone sealant was enough to fix any looseness.
We have run the cables under the rubber floor mat, over to the radio mounting tray. When complete, there will be a Military Issue VHF Low Band Set, plus a Motorola Dual Band VHF/UHF Radio mounted. Many of these ambulances carried both types of radios, for Inter-operability with the Fire/EMS/Hospitals both on and off base. The smaller military antenna co-ax is about 6 inches too short, but it's standard BNC connection, so an extender will be an easy fix.
Madmedic
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Got the Comms in. Had to go to plan "B" on the Antenna Co-Ax Cables. Wanted to run them UNDER the rubber floor mat to the radios. Unfortunately, there simply wasn't enough slack in the cables to do it that way and actually connect to the radio. Plus, even just the little itty bitty cables were enough to cause the rubber mat not to settle correctly.
The VHF/UHF radio is mounted underneath the mount on the passenger's side, but within reach of both the driver and the Passenger. The Siren will be mounted this afternoon, on the driver's side of the mount.
The VHF/UHF radio is mounted underneath the mount on the passenger's side, but within reach of both the driver and the Passenger. The Siren will be mounted this afternoon, on the driver's side of the mount.
Madmedic
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Final work has been done on coms. We've got the Siren in, Radios and Sirens are wired up. Even got the Stereo in. Now, remember, this was the 80's. We were high tech!! Stereo had BOTH AM AND FM. Even came with a CASSETTE PLAYER. No more 8 Tracks for us. NO SIR!! (Radio was stored behind the passenger's side seat when not in use). The one non-standard item I've added is a cigarette plug adapter next to the VHF/UHF on the passenger's side. While some crews installed these in their units, it normally was NOT an approved modification.
dmetalmiki
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Good work,That is really coming allong nicely. Looking forward to seeing the finished project.
Another Ahab
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Agreed. And it looks like no detail is being left undone. It looks like you've really got ti all covered.
Madmedic
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AUXILIARY POWER OUTLET, Patient Compartment.
We had a question about them, and I figured I would expound on the answer I already provided via PM. The power outlets were there to provide auxiliary power to a number off different medical devices that MIGHT be used in the ambulance, mainly in long term transport situations. These devices would include, Incubators for infants, sealed and self powered/ventilated NBC transporters, "THUMPERS" (a CPR device that didn't work), Portable Ventilators, and portable suction devices.
The portable suction system shown here, was carried by ambulances in some cases. Most often they carried the IMPACT series 305 or 308. The suction was primarily used for keeping airways open, in case a patient should vomit, or have an injury that caused continued bleeding into the mouth or trachea.
Although ALL the devices mentioned were supposed to be battery powered and independent. That depended on the operators keeping the batteries charged, and in long transports, the batteries did not last.
We had a question about them, and I figured I would expound on the answer I already provided via PM. The power outlets were there to provide auxiliary power to a number off different medical devices that MIGHT be used in the ambulance, mainly in long term transport situations. These devices would include, Incubators for infants, sealed and self powered/ventilated NBC transporters, "THUMPERS" (a CPR device that didn't work), Portable Ventilators, and portable suction devices.
The portable suction system shown here, was carried by ambulances in some cases. Most often they carried the IMPACT series 305 or 308. The suction was primarily used for keeping airways open, in case a patient should vomit, or have an injury that caused continued bleeding into the mouth or trachea.
Although ALL the devices mentioned were supposed to be battery powered and independent. That depended on the operators keeping the batteries charged, and in long transports, the batteries did not last.
Madmedic
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M.A.S.T. Trousers:
MAST or Military Anti Shock Treatment, trousers, is another thing I've been asked about. Yes, they still show up in lots of medical supplies coming out of DRMO. NO!!!! They are generally NOT used anymore.The military and some Civilian EMS departments just refuse to read that memo.
MAST Trousers were first fielded by the US Military and shortly thereafter by civilian EMS departments, in the mid 1970's. The "INTENDED" purpose was for as the name implies, fighting shock. They did this when applied properly (which is rare), by placing pressure on the legs and pelvis, and forcing that blood to move up into the upper body. It is the same principle as a pilot's G-Suit.
PROBLEMS were, that 1. It takes too much time in most cases to apply the pants. 2. Even trained personnel had/have a hard time applying them correctly. 3. The air bladders failed regularly. 4. Many, Many, Many, patients died when used, because hospital staff were not aware of the "PROPER" way to remove the pants, resulting in a massive drop in blood pressure, as the blood rushed back into the groin and legs.
AVOID THESE AT ALL COSTS.
MAST or Military Anti Shock Treatment, trousers, is another thing I've been asked about. Yes, they still show up in lots of medical supplies coming out of DRMO. NO!!!! They are generally NOT used anymore.The military and some Civilian EMS departments just refuse to read that memo.
MAST Trousers were first fielded by the US Military and shortly thereafter by civilian EMS departments, in the mid 1970's. The "INTENDED" purpose was for as the name implies, fighting shock. They did this when applied properly (which is rare), by placing pressure on the legs and pelvis, and forcing that blood to move up into the upper body. It is the same principle as a pilot's G-Suit.
PROBLEMS were, that 1. It takes too much time in most cases to apply the pants. 2. Even trained personnel had/have a hard time applying them correctly. 3. The air bladders failed regularly. 4. Many, Many, Many, patients died when used, because hospital staff were not aware of the "PROPER" way to remove the pants, resulting in a massive drop in blood pressure, as the blood rushed back into the groin and legs.
AVOID THESE AT ALL COSTS.
Another Ahab
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It sounds like some of these medical devices need a WHOLE lot more time in Research-and-Development before being put out in the field.
I mean yikes.
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Madmedic
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Welllllll, there are many different explanations on that thought.
First, there are many things, in any field of Medical, Engineering, etc., where something works really well on paper, or in theory, and is an absolute failure in real life. In field medicine, we teach medics first in the classroom. THEN we go out and teach them in the field. Some of the things that we teach them in the "BOOK" is contradicted by what is taught in the field. AND there are many tricks instructors have learned by trial and error (or desperation), that we show them in the field, which aren't in the "BOOK". It's an old instructor's trick to make us look smarter.
Another issue is that, what works in theory, (talking about the medical field ONLY now) people have $$$$$$ invested into, and don't want to admit that it doesn't work, soooo they keep re-working and re-designing it. That is the case of the THUMPER. The first incarnation of the THUMPER was also in the late 70's, early 80's, along with standardized CPR. The THUMPER was an electrically powered, pneumatic (I know, sounds like a contradiction) device, which was mounted to the stretcher, directly over the patient's chest. It is intended to replicate a person doing CPR Compression's. Buuuuuttttt, with each patient being of different sizes, if the THUMPER was not set up EXACTLY RIGHT, it would wind up being set too shallow, and not doing any good, or too deep, and turning most of the chest cavity including the heart into jelly.
Every few years, some company comes out with a new version of said device, claiming they've fixed all the issues the previous types had, and that THEIRS will actually work. Some work better than others, but so far, none have ever delivered on all their promises.
First, there are many things, in any field of Medical, Engineering, etc., where something works really well on paper, or in theory, and is an absolute failure in real life. In field medicine, we teach medics first in the classroom. THEN we go out and teach them in the field. Some of the things that we teach them in the "BOOK" is contradicted by what is taught in the field. AND there are many tricks instructors have learned by trial and error (or desperation), that we show them in the field, which aren't in the "BOOK". It's an old instructor's trick to make us look smarter.
Another issue is that, what works in theory, (talking about the medical field ONLY now) people have $$$$$$ invested into, and don't want to admit that it doesn't work, soooo they keep re-working and re-designing it. That is the case of the THUMPER. The first incarnation of the THUMPER was also in the late 70's, early 80's, along with standardized CPR. The THUMPER was an electrically powered, pneumatic (I know, sounds like a contradiction) device, which was mounted to the stretcher, directly over the patient's chest. It is intended to replicate a person doing CPR Compression's. Buuuuuttttt, with each patient being of different sizes, if the THUMPER was not set up EXACTLY RIGHT, it would wind up being set too shallow, and not doing any good, or too deep, and turning most of the chest cavity including the heart into jelly.
Every few years, some company comes out with a new version of said device, claiming they've fixed all the issues the previous types had, and that THEIRS will actually work. Some work better than others, but so far, none have ever delivered on all their promises.
Madmedic
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Pm sent
Madmedic
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HAPPY DAYS!!!! M1010 is going to the Air Conditioning shop today. Still NO idea on when we can get it into the Paint shop, due to the weather.
Madmedic
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Weather is finally cooperating with us. As soon as unit comes back from AC shop, it's off to the paint shop.
Before we sent it out, we FINALLY got finished (sort of) the liner in the front cab. There's still some areas that need little final touches, but over all we're finished. NEXT time, I'll pay the extra $$$ and have the professionals do it.
Also re-dyed the cushions in the patient compartment. It generally takes 2 1/2 cans of dye per cushion. Y'all can see why in the pictures.
Before we sent it out, we FINALLY got finished (sort of) the liner in the front cab. There's still some areas that need little final touches, but over all we're finished. NEXT time, I'll pay the extra $$$ and have the professionals do it.
Also re-dyed the cushions in the patient compartment. It generally takes 2 1/2 cans of dye per cushion. Y'all can see why in the pictures.
Madmedic
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THIS PROJECT IS..........FINISHED!!!! Well,,,,,,,,,,,,, mostly. Little fiddly bits of clean up and stuff to do, BUT, the paint is finished, the heater now works as does the Patient Compartment AC. Sometime later, we may make it camouflage instead of straight O.D., but that's for later. The Army Medical Corps Placards are not shown, because at the time the pictures were taken, their paint was still drying.
Another Ahab
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Oh, Man; it looks GREAT; nice job.
Did you keep the rolling "jump seat" in the back?
Did you keep the rolling "jump seat" in the back?