The Course Manager is the general co-ordinator who arranges for all the logistical requirements to ensure a successful course.

This document gives more detail than the “Guidelines for hosts” document and should be handed to Course Managers when requesting them to serve as such.

Training Venue 

·    Is sheltered from rain and wind

·    Has electricity supply and lights for evening use, if needed

·    Has at least 2 tables for equipment, and enough chairs for everyone

The trainer needs 2 small or one large table, and if possible the trainees should have tables  

·    Has toilet facilities and a supply of clean drinking water

·    Is close to a satellite dish or cable from the dish for demonstrations

·    Bottles of drinking water for trainer and plenty of water for trainees

·    Lunch should be provided for all participants if at all possible

Training Equipment

 The following items of equipment should be available:

·  VCR & TV monitor

·  2 Receivers (pref 1 x Scientific Atlanta and 1 x Manhattan)  with Remote Controls

·  2 Display devices for Receivers (TV, projector, etc.)

·  Electricity extension cables board with 6 outlets

·  AV or RCA cables for Receiver - TV connections

·  White or black board with pens / chalk / eraser

·  Video projector with data facility (for Powerpoint) and data cable

·  A nearby phone connection to the Internet (www) could be useful to show our web site

·         Ladders in good condition.

·         Electricity supply to the dish, so that Receiver & TV can be positioned on table or trolley near the dish for tuning.

·         1 dish for every 8 students for practice purposes

·         Where a church has only one dish, it is useful to borrow a dish from nearby and set up a temporary pole, which can be mounted on a tripod weighted down with bricks (see photo below), or mounted in the ground.

See: Test for dish locations suitable for training (at end of this document)

·         Builders level - 400 - 500mm 

·         Protractor as used in schools*

·         Measuring tape - at least 3m (10 ft)

·         Centre / pin point punch

·         Builders steel square, small

·         Wood panel (3-6mm) 500mm square*

·         Magnetic compass (if available)*

·         White plastic or masking tape

Certificates

These will be issued after the course.  Ideally they should be handed out at the end of the course (as they are computer printed from a Word document this can be done if someone can do this on the last day of the course, which may be a Sunday!)

Duties of Course Manager

These duties will include:

·         Attending the entire course himself – he must be present ALL THE TIME

·         Assist the trainer and give counsel

·         Setting up a small support team of 2 –3 persons for the course

·         Ensuring that the venue is opened and closed and facilities required made available as required

·         Arrange for lunch for trainees, if required.

·         Advise on timing of breaks and meals

·         Ensuring that all the tools required are present and kept securely

·         Ensuring that the trainees know when to come

·         Arranging accommodation & transport for the trainer (airport, hotel, etc.)

It is possible that the Course Manager could also be the Translator

Communication

Important:  Immediately after his appointment, the Course Management should begin communicating regularly with ATN to ensure that the venue and equipment required will be ready on the required date.  In this way problems can be resolved before the course starts, ensuring success on the course.

How to test if your dish antenna can be used for training programs

It is important to be next to the dish.   This cannot be done from a distance.   If the dish is on the roof please use a ladder to get on the roof and carry out the following tests, or have some DO them, while you watch carefully.

If any of the answers to the above questions is NO, then the dish antenna is NOT SUITABLE for training purposes.

You should then do the following:

1)              Decide which dish antenna you want to take down to use for the course

2)              Measure the outside diameter of the pole for that dish (e.g. 90mm)

3)              Get a metalworker to construct a moveable stand as shown below