Hello,
I have a customer that is looking to purchase two Used MET/CAL Licenses. They are wanting versions MET/CAL 7.2 or 7.3.
If you have offical license and can show that they are valid I will put you in touch with my customer.
Mike.
buy them from Fluke
A Metcal license has to be one of the quickest ROIs out there...no sense in buying used
Quote from: USMC kalibrater on 12-03-2012 -- 04:54:53
A Metcal license has to be one of the quickest ROIs out there...no sense in buying used
Now if we could just get the military to figure that out...
What does it matter if you buy it "used"? Will it work any different? I am not being a smart A I just don't understand what the difference is?
Well I was not a Fly on the wall at that point in time..
I am sure I will hear about this from the Fluke People, but Fluke came and gave then the whole demo of their current product. And long story short, they want an older version.
Mike.
Quote from: griff61 on 12-03-2012 -- 06:48:06
Now if we could just get the military to figure that out...
Sometimes I think the Government is penny wise and pound foolish. But you and I only get to see one small corner of the whole system. I know in the past when I was able to reseach things, get all the information. I could see their point of view. (That is not saying I agreed with it, only that I could see it.)
Mike
Why why why would someone want anything less than 8.0? We just upgraded and started running Metcal 8.0 server based...its awesome. The new editor is great...no way would I go back to 7.xx version.
Also I think its good the DoD hasnt started running Metcal yet, I think a person should know how to run things manual before the get into automation. How much knowledge would a young Metrologist be cheated out of if they didnt have to learn how to use the equipment they were calibrating.
Automation in the hands of an experienced knowledgeable tech is pure $$$$
Metcal 8 sucks!! We are seriously considering going back to 7.2. There are too many older programs that will not run on 8.0 and are not supported by Fluke Gold. Someone has to sit there and make the corrections.
Quote from: USMC kalibrater on 12-03-2012 -- 11:31:43
Also I think its good the DoD hasnt started running Metcal yet, I think a person should know how to run things manual before the get into automation. How much knowledge would a young Metrologist be cheated out of if they didnt have to learn how to use the equipment they were calibrating.
Automation in the hands of an experienced knowledgeable tech is pure $$$$
I would agree, except that they are paying to reinvent automated calibration and package it undera different name (and not exactly automated either) IMHO, it would be more cost effective to simply adopt what already works rather than spend time on trial and error.
Also, automating the procedure for a handheld meter with no interface is a waste of time compared to microwave equipment.
In an apples to apples calibration, manual calibration vs Metcal. A good tech might....might beat Metcal one time calibrating a hh DMM. He wont beat it ten times in a row, again running each and every test that Metcal runs, a tech alone cannot do ANY calibration faster.
Ill bet on that!
I agree though the real benefit is in RF...full data on a spec in in under two hours! Hell Yeah!
Also as far as 7.x to 8.X I can write and edit. I have been able to easily move some of the older procs to 8.0.
We moved to a server based setup, much more stable alot less issues than the older version.
Quote from: griff61 on 12-03-2012 -- 17:20:20
Quote from: USMC kalibrater on 12-03-2012 -- 11:31:43
Also I think its good the DoD hasnt started running Metcal yet, I think a person should know how to run things manual before the get into automation. How much knowledge would a young Metrologist be cheated out of if they didnt have to learn how to use the equipment they were calibrating.
Automation in the hands of an experienced knowledgeable tech is pure $$$$
I would agree, except that they are paying to reinvent automated calibration and package it undera different name (and not exactly automated either) IMHO, it would be more cost effective to simply adopt what already works rather than spend time on trial and error.
Also, automating the procedure for a handheld meter with no interface is a waste of time compared to microwave equipment.
I agree, but I also see the other side of the coin (at least in the Army's eyes). Unfortunately, the only OFFICIAL procedure is the written TB. All they are allowed to do (until someone with a brain gets in charge of certain areas) is automate the written procedure. Which, is why the automated procedures look like, feel like, and even have the same stupid typos and mistakes in them as the written procedures. So glad I don;t have to use them. But, I am also using HTBasic for most of the stuff I do, which is almost worse IMHO..... almost.
That is the thing.. Most people think software is easy. But there is a lot of work that goes into writing good quality automation.. (And it is never perfect.)
Most companies when they deal with the government have dollar signs in their eyes. So they want to license the software just like the do in the commercial world. I believe, that is the biggest reason the government writes their own software.
What the metrology industry needs is a partnership with a software company, the military and industry. We all test equipment the same way. There maybe different test points and test that are skipped. But DC Volts is DC Volts.
Mike.
On the topic of licenses, I agree with RFCAL: Buy them from Fluke, if possible, though I'm not sure the older versions are supported.
Regarding RFCAL's opinion of MET/CAL® 8 ("Metcal 8 sucks!!"): Though I agree with the fact that the user interface of v8 is a significant departure from all previous Windows® versions (v4.2 - v7.3), railing about the change(s) without providing useful feedback, documented bugs, or other verifiable content serves no purpose beyond perhaps continuing to torture what must be a 'battle-hardened' support team at Fluke. If you're not happy with the product, contact Fluke with specific, helpful feedback and they may act on it. Without such input, however, no one can rectify even the simplest of difficulties.
Quote from: CalLabSolutions on 12-05-2012 -- 10:19:04
That is the thing.. Most people think software is easy. But there is a lot of work that goes into writing good quality automation.. (And it is never perfect.)
Most companies when they deal with the government have dollar signs in their eyes. So they want to license the software just like the do in the commercial world. I believe, that is the biggest reason the government writes their own software.
What the metrology industry needs is a partnership with a software company, the military and industry. We all test equipment the same way. There maybe different test points and test that are skipped. But DC Volts is DC Volts.
Mike.
Reviewing Mike's quote (above), there are several things I find noteworthy:
- Most people think software is easy. But there is a lot of work that goes into writing good quality automation.. (And it is never perfect.)
- Most companies when they deal with the government have dollar signs in their eyes. So they want to license the software just like the do in the commercial world. I believe, that is the biggest reason the government writes their own software.
- What the metrology industry needs is a partnership with a software company, the military and industry. We all test equipment the same way. There maybe different test points and test that are skipped. But DC Volts [sic] is DC Volts.
I would like to amplify Mike's first point by saying that not only is software not easy, in the general case, but when coupled with a metrological output, i.e., calibration, it IS NEVER PERFECT. Translation: Continued resources are required to install, update, and maintain software. Unlike hardware installation, it is never simply over and done with.
On Mike's second point, I would like to offer that the military has collectively spent upwards of $20 million in the not so distant past to develop in-house software packages, if I remember correctly, enough that any company would be willing to talk for that kind of money. Perhaps industry and government/military are singing different tunes?
On Mike's last point, perhaps the most efficient way for military and industry to work together, for the interests of both, is to agree on a common definition, approach, and implementation of the calibration process. Such agreement could also be the catalyst for better products and increased competition - everybody wins.
The only problem with the above (last) point is that the relationship between the US military and industry is a singular one, and it is somewhat at the exclusion of the rest of the metrology world!
Another problem is that even within DOD there are differing ways of doing things... That's the main reason you usually have at least 3 different procedures for common items...
AF K Pro, NavAir Pro, and Army TB...
I never thought you could sell a MET/CAL license, I thought once it was applied to a database, it could never be removed and used again on another database.