All posts in April 2017

Delivering High-performance Car Radio Designs At Low Cost With Digital Low-if Cmos Amfm Automotive

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High-growth economies such as Brazil, Indonesia, India and China have an emerging middle class and rapidly growing automotive markets. The vehicle retail price in these markets must be relatively low, putting cost pressure on components in these vehicles. Additionally, automotive markets in developed economies such as the United States, European nations and Japan are also seeing an increased demand for cost-sensitive solutions after the global financial crisis that began in 2008.

Traditional technologies used in automotive AM/FM tuners are typically BiCMOS tuners with a 10.7 MHz IF tuner architecture. This technology/architecture delivers on radio reception performance, but the process and architecture are cost prohibitive for mixed-signal architectures where RF circuits are integrated with digital processing engines such as DSPs and microcontrollers in a monolithic circuit to deliver fully processed audio outputs.

Digital low-IF CMOS AM/FM receivers very much fit the bill due to the much lower cost points of CMOS foundries and the use of a digital low-IF tuner architecture. Digital low-IF AM/FM receivers have been in use in the handset and portable media player markets for a number of years.

RF Dynamic Range
In crowded FM spectrums that are very common in urban settings, the abundance of radio stations can overwhelm the radio receiver tuned to a desired station whose signal strength is relatively weak. The most severe and common non-linear distortion resulting from strong interferers is third order inter-modulation (IMD3) distortion resulting from two strong close-in blockers that show up on-channel on a weak desired station tuned to.

In many applications an external tracking filter is used on the front end of the receiver to attenuate the blockers. This technique, however, is costly in terms of components and PCB real estate.To minimize IMD3 distortion products, the dynamic range of the receiver front end must be adequate.

Selectivity and Dynamic Bandwidth Control
Selectivity refers to a tuner’s ability to receive a weak station in the presence of stronger stations at small frequency offsets. This is especially important for receivers in crowded FM spectrums in urban environments. An important performance requirement, especially for European markets where the channel spacing is 100 kHz for FM broadcast, is adjacent channel selectivity, which refers to suppression of signals 100kHz away from the tuned frequency and which is usually no better than 30dB in many tuners found in the low-cost category.

While 30 dB selectivity performance may be adequate for many field conditions, there are many situations in the world in which a listener is tuned to a station broadcast from a distant location while driving past towers broadcasting multiple stations in the local region. In this scenario, much higher selectivity is required.

Sensitivity
Sensitivity refers to a tuners ability to pull in weak stations. If you live in a rural area away from the transmitters of most radio stations, the sensitivity of a tuner will be of great importance. With current car radios, the performance requirements are typically microvolt level sensitivity, allowing the car radio to pull in an extremely weak signal and extending its ability to tune into a station dozens of miles away.

Alternative frequency (AF) Check
In Europe, alternative frequency (AF) technology is an optimal choice that allows the car radio tuner to tune to a different frequency that provides the same station when the first signal becomes too weak when moving out of range. This technology is often used in European car radio systems, enabled by radio data system (RDS) technology where the AF list is transmitted via RDS data.

In summary, continuing cost pressures in the global automotive market are driving the development and deployment of highly integrated and innovative CMOS radio receiver IC solutions that will provide significant cost savings in transitioning from traditional architectures and analog-centric semiconductor processes typically employed for car radio tuners.

Guatemala Pensionado Permanent Residency Program

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Introduction Guatemala is offering a Pensionado program. This is a permanent residency allowing one to live in Guatemala for the rest of their life. The Pensionado receives a Cedulla which is a national identity card that would allow the person to open a bank account in Guatemala without showing the passport from their home country. The Cedulla is a high tech digital ID card. The identity card can reflect a lawful name modification for additional banking privacy. With the Cedulla one can travel without a passport to five other central american countries, off the grid so to speak.

Time Frame The process takes approximately 2-4 weeks, so three weeks is a fair approximation of the time frame. One does have to be in Guatemala during the process. Five Star hotels run about $100 to $145 a night depending on the season. It is possible to stay in Antigua, Guatemala which is a lovely resort community (google Antigua Guatemala). A large steak dinner in a five star restaurant is about $20. You will find things cheap here.

Fee The complete fees are $8,000 for one person, $9500 for a couple. Each child is an extra $1000. Children must be under 18 years old. All fees are paid at the start of the application. Fees can be paid by cash or wire transfer. We do not take checks because they take longer to clear (30 days) than the program requires to complete.

Pensionado Economic Requirements The program is for retired or disabled people. There is no age restriction. One does have to show financial responsibility. An income of $1000 a month is needed. This is $1250 for a married couple. This is so stated in a declaration to the government. The income is proven with bank statements, stock broker statements etc. Income can be private sourced from investments, rental properties etc. It is a good idea to also present gold and platinum Visa cards as additional support for financial independence. You will not have permission to work as an employee for others. You can be self employed in your own business.

Guatemala Taxes Guatemala does NOT tax offshore derived income. Money coming in from outside of Guatemala is NOT taxed. Your pension, investments etc from outside of Guatemala are not taxed. If you had a shoe store in Guatemala you would pay taxes. There is a VAT of 15% on some goods. A plasma TV costs a few hundred dollars more than in USA. USA cars are about same price without the discounts which are better in USA. European and Asian cars are higher priced. Solid wood furniture is far cheaper than in USA and better quality.

Official Documents Needed One needs their passport, birth certificate and marriage license if married. If possible marriage license and birth certificate should be the more modern variety with seals etc.

Language Requirement None. You do not have to speak Spanish. It is a great idea to start taking spanish lessons ASAP when here or before. There are a number of computer programs that are excellent. Rosetta Stone is popular. We do advocate learning the language. Our law firm and staff all speak English well. The better hotels and restaurants will have English speakers. Most of the Doctors speak English. Many establishments do not speak English as well.

Rights in Guatemala You have the rights of a citizen except you cannot vote and cannot get a passport. As a Pensionado you are not supposed to seek work as an employee for others. This is not the purpose of the program. You can own property, start businesses, own corporations, have bank accounts, get mortgages etc.

Time to Become a Citizen The normal time is five years. After you are a resident for three years to can apply to have the residency time shortened to three years from the normal five years. Only citizens can have passports, not residents.

Cross Border Travel as a Resident There is a Free Border Treaty in Central America. With a Guatemala Residency ID card you can travel by land or boat into the following countries without any passport needed: Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Belize. Costa Rica has signed the treaty but is known for not honoring it so don’t count on them. If you go by commercial airline you will need a passport. Your home country will not know where you are since the passport is not being swiped. You will not be able to open bank accounts in the other countries by just showing your national identity card (Cedulla), just Guatemala.

Name Change What can be done is the maiden name of your mother can be added onto your resident ID (Cedulla) as a third name. If you were Daniel Boone now and your mother maiden name was Smith you could now be Daniel Boone Smith. This is a lawful and customary practice in Latin America but of course optional. Now when you open your bank account in Guatemala it will be in name of Daniel Boone Smith and not reference your home country in the records. No lies and nothing illegal yet this allows you to fall through the cracks.

Guatemala Banking As a Pensionado resident in Guatemala you can have a bank account in Guatemala without showing a passport or any ID from your home country. NO passport needed. What can be done is the maiden name of your mother can be added onto your resident ID (Cedulla) as a third name. If you were Daniel Boone now and your mother maiden name was Smith you could now be Daniel Boone Smith. This is a lawful and customary practice in Latin America but of course optional.

Now when you open your bank account in Guatemala it will be in name of Daniel Boone Smith and not reference your home country in the records. No lies and nothing illegal yet this allows you to fall through the cracks. Guatemala has NO tax treaties for information sharing with any country. There will be no sharing of any banking information for tax reasons (any sort of tax or tax related case). Guatemala has no Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) with the USA, Canada, UK or EU Countries. This means sharing of information for criminal cases will be difficult.

Other Countries Pensionado Residency Programs – With the Panama Pensionado program there is a zero chance of ever opening a bank account without showing your home country passport. We know people who have tried this with a number of Panama Banks. The Panama banks are not allowed to take the pensionado ID or even a permanent residency ID to open a bank account. The cell phone companies in Panama will not open an account without one showing a home country passport no matter what sort of Panama permanent residency they have. All the panama residency programs, permanent, pensionado or otherwise, are nothing more than long term tourist visa, period. Panama residency ID’s of any sort do not allow for any cross border travel without a passport.There are very few Pensionado programs in the world today. There are residency programs. They usually take about six months to process a residency and one needs to remain in the country during this period of time.

Does One Live Free in Guatemala ? Oh think of it like the USA in the 1950’s. The police cannot come into your home without a search warrant. None of this “I heard a cry for help” garbage. Warrants from the patrol car radio are not happening. The police will need evidence of a violation of law to get a warrant. We did not say probable cause as in a reasonable person would deduct blah blah blah, that is USA not Guatemala. Not a common thing to see a search warrant issued here. If the police stop your car you can refuse to let them search it. You can also call your lawyer and wait until the lawyer comes and then the search proceeds, your choice. The police will generally be polite and a request to search a car would be like when there is an emergency and a roadblock scenario to catch fleeing felons who were shooting at police or something drastic. Not a common thing.

We have a kind of police called Transito. Traffic cops is what they are. They have no guns. They have cool yellow green uniforms with white helmets like Bermuda Police. They can only do traffic or auto equipment violations. Normally they will have a side of the road setup and look at cars to make sure they have a current sticker. They will check trucks to see if their loads are secure or not. When pulled they ask for driver license to make sure it is current. None of this – “where are you going, can I look in your trunk, do you have any weapons, have anything I should know about”. None of this happens with a traffic stop. If you do get a ticket just send your lawyer down to appear for you and pay fine. No point system. Very rare to ever see radar and never saw laser yet in Guatemala. People don’t even bother with radar detectors. Never saw any speed or red light cameras. They do offer parking tickets for parking violations and they can be generous in this area in some locations. Tickets are cheap, relax. Some towns like Antigua boot cars. Never park illegally in Antigua they love parking enforcement. Antigua has a special tourist police force that are on almost every corner when it is busy. They often speak English and you will find them very polite and eager to help. If you say you want leather belts they will even tell you where such a store that sells that is located.

The regular Guatemala police are called the black police (policia negro) because their cars and uniforms are black. They have guns. They do not work traffic and cannot pull you for traffic reasons. They are crime fighters only. They generally ignore you. The police will probably never show if you call them to come to your house or if they did it would take a lot of time. I never knew anyone to have their house robbed. We live in gated communities with armed guards. We have alarm systems. When the alarm goes off two ex military guys from the alarm company on a motorcycle come with guns. Often in about five minutes. One hides behind cover and the other walks around to see what is up. They have body armor and are serious fellows. So you have the armed guards in the community, some sort of fence, the alarm and now the alarm guards show up. Never knew anyone to have his home robbed.

The lawyers and court system does not work in a harassing way like in USA. This is not a society that likes lawsuits. Lawyers do a lot of contracts, real estate law, family law, criminal law but not a lot of civil litigation. If you go about your business and do not bother other people, no one will be bothering you. People here do not go out and start trouble with their lawyers like up north. People will tend to settle their differences more sanely here than the USA. That being said never ever sign any real estate agreement or any contract without a lawyer to review it. I think this rule applies anywhere. The freedom here is very noticeable.

Firearms A resident can apply for permission to own and carry concealed firearms. Assault weapons are not allowed to be purchased now which means no centerfire rifles under a current law which is going to expire in a few months and will most likely not be renewed, as a political guess. There are some already registered assault rifles that could transfer but would have to be kept in the home only, no carrying. They will be hard to find and most likely in .223 caliber.

You can have handguns in any common caliber and 12 ga. Shotguns in semi-auto, pump, double barreled etc. Glocks, CZ, Beretta, Sig Sauer, Walther, Jerico, and Bull are the popular quality handgun brands. Mossberg and Remington are popular shotgun brands. Franchi makes a 14″ pump in 12 ga that is sold as a regular shotgun and can be included on a carry permit, legal and nice for the car. One can get plastic shoulder stocks for some glock pistols and Jerico pistols. The stocks are not a restricted or controlled item. This is called a short barreled rifle in some countries. The most popular handgun calibers are 9mm and .40 but there are a lot of 45acp., .380, and .22 pistols available. Anyone who thinks they cannot defend themselves adequately with a Berretta or Glock handgun and a 12 ga pump shotgun in an urban environment does not know what they are talking about, end of story.

A person is only allowed to purchase 700 rounds of ammunition per month for each gun owned, range ammo excluded. Most manage without shedding any tears. Importing guns is a possibility but they are never going to consider more than two guns being imported. A forty two gun collection is either an arsenal or a store to the customs officials, forget it. Same with your 35,000 rounds of ammo. We have quality shotgun ammo and premium Magtech, handgun ammo in the gun stores. The gun and ammo variety in the USA is not here but we have anything you need for functional self-defense. No handloading. That is considered an ammunition manufacturing facility in most Latin America countries.

One can own an unlimited amount of firearms in their home. Each firearm has a title certificate for it similar to a car title. A person can only have 12 weapons included on their carry license. Rotating guns on the license is possible but a big pain in the neck, ill advised. There are at least 18 gun stores in Guatemala City and the suburbs. There are a lot of guns in Guatemala. We have 100,000 security guards most with a Mossberg 12 ga maverick pistol grip or a .38 caliber revolver. We keep our homes, communities, stores, malls, restaurants safe that way. It does not let the criminals take root.

This paragraph is so extensive because a lot of people are escaping police states and gun ownership is a cherished right and we applaud and support this right. On the other hand no law says you have to own a gun and many people do not own guns. Guatemala is a free country and we do not impose our will on people.

Knives and Edged Weapons Many people carry machetes on their belts, usually in the countryside. Can be startling at first since it looks like a sword. They use them to work on the land. A single edged folding knife with a blade of 3.9″ or less can be carried in a pocket or on the belt in an urban area but is not restricted in the country. There are no size restrictions in the code for non-folding knives. There is a prohibition against automatic knifes, stilettos (not sure of legal definition) and daggers (again not sure of legal definition). If you ask where assisted folders etc stand the answer is we do not know. Could be construed as an automatic or not? Same for flippers. Laws not defined clearly. Generally speaking knives are not considered a prohibited item and enforcement is not tight, but follow the law. This section was included because many of our clients are escaping from oppressive police states and their rights are very important to them and thus to us as well.

Drivers License Of course you can have a driver license as a resident. It is a bit bureaucratic and some red tape. You can drive on your home country license for some time while you adjust into your new home.

Health Care You will find the health care better than North America and Europe. The Doctors almost always have English. The staff is three times nicer than what you’d expect. The hospitals are cleaner and far cheaper. A hospital suite is about $165 a day in an expensive neighborhood. Pharmacies generally do not require a prescription and drug prices are about one third of the USA price.

Pharmacies deliver, many round the clock. Doctors make house calls for $25 to $30. Dentists are about 25% of the USA price and are very good. Veterinarians also make house calls for same price and are excellent. If the pet needs to go into for x-rays etc they transport for you. Without the oppressive prescription laws you can treat a lot of pet infections yourself by just buying the drugs or the pet store will help you out. We have a lot of homeopathy practitioners. There are chiropractors and naturopaths. There are some health food stores and organic food is becoming more and more available. Plastic surgery is popular and affordable. In a word health care way more affordable and better.

Real Estate We live far better than North Americans or Europeans imagine. Most of our single family detached homes are at least 500 sq. meters. A sq. meter is 10.75 sq. feet. Most housing that is top drawer will run $900 to $1100 a sq. meter. In the countryside real estate prices are lower. The more rural the lower it gets. It is common to see homes of 800 to 1000 sq. meters. Hacienda homes will run up to 1800 sq. meters. For a perspective one can get a 3000 sq. foot (not meter) executive townhouse in a gated community with armed guards new for $200,000 with fenced yard, garage etc. Check out a community called Antigua, Guatemala in google. You can get a great townhouse there for $150,000 a beautiful patio home $250,000 to $350,000.

Beaches We have beaches on the Pacific and Caribbean. Simple but acceptable beach homes can be had for $100,000 to $150,000. The Pacific beaches are about ninety minutes from Guatemala City. Beaches are warm and humid.

Weather Guatemala is at about 5000 foot altitude. It is 55 to 75 degrees year round. Homes have no air conditioners or heaters. Think of savings on utility bills. We do use fans, usually ceiling fans. It never snows except on the very top of the volcanoes. Warning: Do not bring ice skates, they will rust.

Schools There are a number of k-12 private schools. They are generally bi-lingual english and Spanish. The schools have campuses with playgrounds etc. They are far nicer than USA schools and the teacher student ratio is much lower. Costs vary from school to school but will be a fraction of USA price.

Domestic Help A live in maid runs $175 a month plus you feed them and supply uniforms. A gardner handyman can run $400 a month if you need one every day. A driver would run $500 a month live in. A nanny for the kids would run about $225 a month live in. Elderly folks can hire two maids and a driver and avoid going to a rest home. There are always two servants on premises and they can go on car trips, to the doctor, shopping, beauty parlor etc. They do not have to clean, cook or drive. Beats the heck out of the alternative.

Food The food is close to organic or free range meat. Prices are a fraction of USA prices and quality is wonderful. Numerous fruits priced so low almost for free. All kinds of vegetables, breads, juices etc. The food is Central American style not Mexican so it is not very spicy. We have restaurants offering anything you could want including: French, Greek, Italian, Steaks, Chops and Ribs, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese. Middle Eastern, German and much more.

Internet We have 1 meg DSL and cable connections available.

Cell Phones We have great cell phones, 3G etc.

How to start Call, email or Skype us. We will create an immigration case file for you. We will have you send us scans of the documents required for review by one of our lawyers. If the documents are not in order we will have you correct them before coming since it is much cheaper and easier this way. Next after the documents are in order you will need to schedule a trip to Guatemala. The hotels will send a shuttle bus to pick you up at the airport. We will have one of our English speaking drivers collect you from the hotel and take you to our executive offices to begin. A bi-lingual associate from the law firm will accompany you to all the needed visits to government offices for fingerprinting, signatures, photos etc. You never go to government offices yourself. We do require a $1000 deposit in order to open a file and begin the work. This fee is 100% applied to the Pensionado fee. It is not an additional fee. This is paid by wire transfer.

1. First you fill out an online order form. Click Here
2. Next you send us scan of passports of all parties applying (husband, wife kids, etc). These are sent in an email as a file attachment to .
3. Then we will forward wire instructions to you. We do need to have the $1000 fee paid before we can schedule an appointment. You can pay the remaining fee when here in cash or by wire transfer. You could also elect to pay the whole fee before coming as many immigration clients do for convenience.
4. Then you come to Guatemala.When you come for your appointment you remain here and process for the Pensionado. Figure about three weeks. You will not be busy every day so there will be time for sightseeing. We have beaches, Mayan Ruins, Volcanoes to hike up and there is always Antigua. One could always drive over to a nice white sand beach, all inclusive hotel in El Salvador like the Decameron with a three and a half hour drive time. In about four hours you can be in Mexico where there is a lot of cheap shopping. In any event many of our clients just enjoy a nice rest hanging around the swimming pool at one of our many five star resorts. Warning Our food, beverages and wines are so good here do not even think about dieting.

Build Your Dream Home with Bordeau Builders – A Trusted Name In Construction

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Instead of purchasing a home, many consumers are opting for new home construction. Unlike buying someone else’s home, these homes are especially created for the homeowner. This guarantees that the individual will love their home. In addition, having a new home constructed may benefit the individual in numerous ways. The style, quality, and designs of these homes are impeccable.

Construction is not as costly as many would be homeowners may believe. As a matter of fact, it may be possible to have a home constructed for the same price in which you were to buy one! This is especially true for those that may own land. Home prices have soared and for some it may be more economical to have a home construction company build their dream home.

There are a variety of Construction companies to choose from. Many have show rooms and may allow you to make changes to floor plans. However, not all home construction contractors operate in this way. Your local home designers can either modify a pre-designed home or create completely new plans, depending on your budget and specific requests. Be sure to utilize only experienced professionals for your house design plan. Errors, inaccuracies, and omissions can cost you big when you have to make changes once the home is already under construction. When you work with professional house designers, you can be confident that not only will your house be the home you’ve always wished for, but that the blueprints will be meticulously compiled and correct. Experience and a proven track record are the two most important factors when evaluating difference new home builders, so keep these factors in mind when you’re assessing contractors in your area.

Bordeau Builders, Inc. has become a trusted name in construction. With our experienced and efficient staff who strive for excellence, paying attention to all details of your home. The use of the most energy efficient and innovative high quality products has given us the reputation of being one of the best homebuilders in the Capital Region. Family owned and operated, Bordeau Builders, Inc. is known for their dependability, responsibility and customer service when it comes to Home Builder NY. We strive in making the largest investment of life, a dream come true. Let Bordeau Builders, Inc. ‘Open The Door to Your Future’.

Los Angeles Contractor Service with Schelske Construction Company

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Los Angeles General Contractor
is an individual that contracts with another individual or owner for the construction, renovations, remodeling and demolition of building or other structure. A general contractor is defined as such if it is the signatory as the builder of the prime construction contract for the projects. Los Angeles Contractor is an individual that contracts with Beverly Hills General Contractor, Bel Air General Contractor, Malibu General Contractor, Brentwood General Contractor, Santa Monica General Contractor, Pacific Palisades General Contractor, Marina Del Rey General Contractor and Los Angeles region based contractors. Los Angeles General Contractor is responsible for the means and methods to be used in the construction execution, remodeling, renovations of the project.
Most contractors are required to be licensed in each state and may be required to take an oral and written exam. Los Angeles Contractor, Beverly Hills General Contractor and Bel Air General Contractor are Licensed and Insured construction company who contract, bid, negotiate a price or offers to construct, supervise, oversee, schedule, direct, alter, repair, install, improve, move, demolish, furnish labor, etc. In addition, there are various types: building (residential and commercial), electrical, plumbing, mechanical, highway. We work directly with the subcontractors and take care of the administration and organization of the various subcontractors. Under these conditions the owner takes on all liability for proper sequencing of the work, and dealing with the realities of construction.
Los Angeles Remodeling Contractor will care more and know better his own project than any other contractors who often manages many projects on a tight schedule. Subcontractor loyalty and discounted prices to Los Angeles Contractor and Bel Air Contractor are not a rule at all. Owner Builder can pick the best talent at the price that is only limited to his (her) negotiating skills.
Your construction contracting business is your livelihood, so Los Angeles General Contractor, Bel Air Contractor and Beverly Hills Contractor help you work smarter, not harder! You need specialized construction knowledge, specialized contractor tools and a whole lot of smart elbow grease to build your construction business right and keep it growing strong. You want to stay on the cutting edge, and ahead of your competition. Get the hard-to-find construction forms, contractor contracts, reference manuals, construction books, licensing guides and cost estimating software you’ve been looking for, fast and easy!
Beverly Hills General Contractor usually is responsible for the supplying of all material, labor, equipment and services necessary for the construction of the project. Beverly Hills Contractor, Bel Air Contractor, Malibu Contractor, Brentwood Contractor, Santa Monica Contractor, Pacific Palisades Contractor and Marina Del Rey Contractor are subcontract part of the Los Angeles Contractor that specializes in these types of work.

Beverly Hills Contractor is Licensed and Insured construction company who contract, bid, negotiate a price or offers to construct, supervise, oversee, schedule, direct, alter, repair, install, improve, move, demolish, furnish labor, etc. In addition, there are various types: building (residential and commercial), electrical, plumbing, mechanical, highway. We work directly with the subcontractors and take care of the administration and organization of the various subcontractors. Under these conditions the owner takes on all liability for proper sequencing of the work, and dealing with the realities of construction.
Beverly Hills Remodeling Contractor and Bel Air General Contractor are Licensed and Insured construction company who contract, bid, negotiate a price or offers to construct, supervise, oversee, schedule, direct, alter, repair, install, improve, move, demolish, furnish labor, etc. In addition, there are various types: building (residential and commercial), electrical, plumbing, mechanical, highway.

Construction usually is done or coordinated by contractors, who specialize in one type of construction such as residential or commercial building. Los Angeles Contractor takes full responsibility for the complete job, except for specified portions of the work that may be omitted from the general contract.

Los Angeles Contractor

Suneel Nettoo
Schelske Construction Los Angeles Contractors Services

How Automotive Windshields Are Repaired

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Broken automotive windshields are no laughing matter. The term broken can be used lightly in some situations, and not so lightly in others. A broken windshield is considered to be a windshield that has a chip, crack, or spider web appearing crack within it. Damaged automotive glass can be a serious issue. If you do not get the problem rectified immediately, it can make it impossible for you to be able to operate your vehicle.

Even tiny dings that appear on this area of your vehicle can turn into larger problems down the road. When these small dings start to grow, they can block out your vision, which makes operating your vehicle a hazard in itself. Windshield replacement can help you fix a broken car windshield. Replacements are not the only solution to your problem though.

Smaller flaws that have not grown to be bigger messes can be rectified with simple repairs. These repairs can help you restore the strength of your vehicles glass, and help you avoid having to have this entire portion of your vehicle replaced down the line. Understanding the way that these repair services are carried out, will give you a general idea of what you can expect, if your vehicles windshield ever becomes damaged.

One of the first things that a repair service will do before fixing the problem is perform an evaluation of the damage. The repair personnel will examine the simple chip or crack. They will determine the size of the crack, and also look at the depth of it as well. Location is also a major factor that has to be considered when fixing this portion of your vehicle.

A lot of smaller flaws that are made to automotive windshields can be fixed by applying a resin to the surface of the chip or crack, and allowing it to dry. Be aware, that the only time that a repair service will use a resin to fix a chip or a crack that appears along your vehicles windshield is if the bottom layer of your glass has not been damaged.

Most of the modern day windshields that are placed on cars are made up of two glass layers. In between these two layers, there is a laminated rubber membrane. Resin repair services will only be able to fix damages that do not surpass the rubber membrane layer of your windshield. In the event that both layers of the part are damaged, you will need to look into having this entire portion of your vehicle replaced, as opposed to just having to patched up a little bit.

Some cracks that appear along the outer perimeter of your vehicles windshield can also be difficult to correct with a simple resin layer repair. Therefore, before hiring a repair service to fix your issue, it is important that you evaluate the state of the damage first. Be aware, that most companies that offer repairs will offer full replacements of the product as well. However, there are some companies that offer repairs that do not offer replacement services. Therefore, it is up to you to determine what type of service you believe you may require.

After you have personally determined that the only thing that needs to be done to your windshield is a simple repair, the repair process is fairly easy. A typical repair job will take about thirty minutes to complete. Using a special type of sunlight cured resin; the repair person will inject the epoxy onto the area that is cracked.

They will use special tools during the application process, in order to ensure that the repair is going to suffice. The tools that are used are designed to fix cracks and chips that do not pass the first layer of glass on the part. After the resin is applied to the area, you will need to wait a few minutes for the substance to dry, before using your vehicle.

The good thing about the resin is it dries clear. This will make it appear like there was never anything wrong with the product. The clear drying resin will match the remaining portion of your vehicles windshield. The sunlight is what is used to dry the resin, after it has been applied. Therefore, you will not have to do anything additional after having a repair service performed on this area of your vehicle. There are not a lot of people that realize how significant automotive windshields are, until they are forced to repair this portion of their vehicles. A broken windshield will make you a hazard on the road, aside from that it will ruin the beauty of your vehicle.

Buying Skoda Rapid Take A Look At The Hits And Misses

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Skoda has launched several models in the market with a fair share of wins and losses. Skoda Rapid is the latest addition from the auto company, and it does work in its class sans a few hiccups. It would be unfair to describe Rapid without mentioning the fact that it is similar to Volkswagen Vento in many ways. Skoda has designed the car impressively with a good number of induced features. Also, the car has been launched in three diesel and five petrol variants and priced according to features loaded. While the three models are almost same in both petrol and diesel, there are two automated variants, Elegance Automatic and Skoda Ambition Automatic, which are only available in the petrol version.

The hits in new Rapid:
The first-rate design: Rapid works in C segment sedans because of its designing. Although the comparison with Vento is inevitable, the higher end models feature high class inclusions like Anti Lock Braking system, dual SRS airbags and front and rear fog lamps. It”s a well built and strong European car for the Indian roads.

The first-rate price: Comparing strictly with Vento, Rapid offers a much better driving and comfort experience. The price by Skoda is truly commendable as the company has taken ample care to ensure maximum luxury in its class.
The First rate Automatic Transmission: If there”s one thing in Rapid that is awe-inspiring, it”s the automated transmission. There are different modes for different styles of driving with ample attention to the comfort-on-drive factor.
The first-rate Diesel Engine: You get the automated transmission on petrol version, but you cannot overlook the superb performance of the diesel variants. The car moves smoothly in traffic with loaded diesel engine and creates a torque of 250Nm.

The Misses in New Rapid:
Unimpressive Petrol engine: If the diesel engine offers you power and dependable drivability, the petrol engine will surely not satisfy you at that level. One expected Skoda to empower the petrol variants to a little larger extent.
Absence of certain features: If you take a look at the C segment of sedans on the Indian market, you will find many misses in Rapid. There are no parking sensors and no steering mounted controls, something which you will surely find in other sedans.

Unimpressive After sales service: This is probably not the concern with Rapid, but with all Skoda cars. The after sales service of Skoda is not at par with Maruti or Hyundai, which scares the class of consumers who look for quality services. People living in smaller cities will feel the main difference.

Shortcomings of diesel variants: You won”t get a diesel model with automated transmission, which is another disadvantage.

Skoda has managed to hold the market with this car after being praised for the mighty Superb. For those who loved Vento, they will surely love Rapid because it”s almost same as Vento with praiseworthy dynamics, brakes and chassis. On the whole, Skoda rapid is certainly a decent sedan with a few flips. It should continue to have an upright share on road.

Aiding Your Dealership With Automotive Fixed Ops Magazine

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If you have a dealership and you find you aren’t earning as much money as you had initially hoped, you could discover a couple of really sweet methods to change this! One of the coolest things you can do is use automotive consulting from fixed ops magazine. Fixed Ops magazine has a consulting service called Fixed Ops Consulting that can assist you create a customized business plan for your business requires.

More importantly, the Foxed Ops Consulting service could help teach the employees you have now so as to assist get and keep clients. Automotive training for your personnel is an incredible benefit. Not only will it aid them in your business and aid your company earn a lot more cash, but it’ll also help them understand the business also – enriching their lives for more education in the automotive industry.

The automotive consulting would assist your employees learn about how to get new customers and the way to keep the ones you have – the repeat sales, which are amongst the most vital sales you can get! How does something like this work? Do you need to pay Fixed Ops Consulting? How long does it take? This procedure is actually a really easy one.

They would come to your business and observe for many days at a time. This observation period will assist them see where you and your business requires help and where you are flourishing. Once the automotive consulting team takes in all this data, they will then come up with a business plan in order to fix any problems they see. This would perhaps include automotive training for your employees.

The auto industry is forever changing and if you have an employee that got their degree 20 years ago, odds are the rules have changed in the past 5 years. So it’s important to keep everyone on the up and up and keep them fresh! Upon changing what needs to be fixed and giving automotive training to your employees, they also keep what was working.

Don’t worry, they won’t change everything, just the things that need a changin’! Once they put the plan into play and everybody gets into the groove of things, the Automotive Consulting team from Fixed Ops magazine would return to your place of business and see how well the new business plan worked, they would even see if you are having an increase in earnings as well as new customers added to the pack.

Theyll also be available to make new suggestions and answer any questions or concerns you may be having about the business, business plan, or automotive training. Fixed ops Consulting looks at all aspects of your business – not just sales. They also look at customer service and the sales department also since this is the “core” aspect of your business.

If your sales people are extremely slack and do not really know how to “sell”, that’s okay. Your employees will not just get training but they will provide service advisor training or service manager training.

Digital Asset Management is Worth the Investment

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Digital assets consist of any media formatted in a digital manner. They can contain textual content, images or multimedia. Digital Asset Management (DAM) is therefore the centralization, cataloging and control of the digital assets. DAM can then be divided into four broad categories: brand asset management, library asset management, production asset management and digital supply chain services.

Now that we have the definition of DAM clear in our heads, think about what components of DAM take place in your business. Likely there is an IT department responsible for managing digital storage systems, and expanding them when the need arises. Graphic design and advertising may be carried out in a creative or marketing department. What are the annual technology and marketing budgets combined, including labor? What capital investments relating to technological upgrades are up for review this year? Now compare that number to the estimated annual cost of a DAM provider.

Traditional media is going the way of the Dodo Bird. Slowly but surely, businesses are realizing traditional media methods of communication with consumers is not as efficient as it once was. Print media is still used for marketing, but now being mirrored in digital forms available on the web. Television advertisements are still useful, but with the growing number of North Americans downloading their entertainment, cable television subscriber numbers are dropping.

Thankfully we still read, on the other hand digital books and magazines are emerging as eco-friendly ways to get our book fix. Paper flyers are outdated and unpopular. Radio ads can still be useful, but usually on with a dynamic website to consumers to follow up with. In reality any business that has not realized the changing world of marketing is likely not viable at the moment.

Those businesses who have pulled through and attempted their own digital marketing products will know the process of achieving the ideal brand is long, tedious and expensive. The expense is not just in equipment and software, it’s also in time. It takes time for staff to search for the right content, gain permission for access from coworkers, create the finished product, usually through a process of trial and error.

The dreaded bottleneck of output occurs and company-wide frustration ensues. Valuable hours are spent and overtime is paid just to get the product finished and out. The rush to finish by a deadline can sometimes result in a sub-par end product. Consider having a DAM system in place. A DAM system is a central place where all digital assets are kept for everyone to access when needed. Completed projects are also centralized for global use. No searching, no permissions, no time wasted.

One of the most important aspects of branding is consistency. Consumers recognize your brand by its colors and esthetics, relating it to the quality of your product or service. If your brand is inconsistent your product will be viewed as inconsistent, or worse unrecognizable. Having a DAM in place means total brand consistency. One central repository containing all digital forms of your brand in all variety of sizes and formats, negates the need for individual employees to keep possibly outdated copies of branded materials such as letterheads and logos.

How To Go About With A Diy Battery Desulfator Project

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If you’ve had your car for a relatively long time then you’re probably aware that car batteries last only for a period of about two to four years. But, did you also know that you don’t have to throw your car battery away as soon as it goes dead? What if we tell you that there’s a way for you to bring your battery back to life and get it working as if it was brand new? Wouldn’t it be nice if you could extend your battery’s life and not have to buy a new one for at least a few more years?

The good thing is that this is actually possible. Most car batteries can actually be reconditioned and made to work like new with a device called a battery desulfator.

What causes a battery to go dead in the first place?
It is important to learn the answer to this question before you can even begin to understand how a battery desulfator works. A battery’s lead plates normally come into contact with the sulphuric acid content of its electrolytes whenever the battery goes into a discharge. The resulting compound is known as lead sulphate. When the battery is recharged, the lead sulphate is once again broken down into separate lead and sulphur components. However, some of the lead sulphate crystallizes on the battery’s lead plates and does not get broken down. Over time, the crystallized sulphate accumulates until it covers a majority of the lead plates, leaving no room for it to react with the electrolytes and create an electrical charge. This is when we say that a battery is -dead.-

A battery desulfator brings your battery back to life and gets it back to working like new by breaking down the crystallized lead sulphate and clearing up the battery’s lead plates. This way, the lead on the plates can react with the electrolytes properly and your battery can once again hold an electrical charge. Battery desulfation and reconditioning can be done at an automotive shop for a fee, but you can save on the cost by reconditioning the battery yourself. Of course, you’ll have to have your own desulfator for this purpose.

Where to get a battery desulfator
Desulfators can be bought from any automotive store, but why spend that much money when you can actually make the device for much less? The materials needed in making your own battery desulfator can be easily found in your junk box or somewhere around your house. And even if you don’t have them handy, these materials can be bought at very low prices from your local hardware or electronics shop. As for the process itself, you can get some good schematic diagrams and instructions online.

Aside from DIY battery desulfator guides and diagrams, the internet is also rife with reconditioning guides, so the process of both making your own desulfator and reconditioning your own battery is definitely easy enough for you to undertake. As soon as you have completed your desulfator project, you can practice reconditioning an old battery and then perform the process on your existing battery in order to prolong its lifespan.

The Bhutan Middle Management Hotel Program (BMMHP) is pleased to announce the engagement of Dr. Daniel G. Fuchs (PhD)

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The Bhutan Middle Management Hotel Program (BMMHP), is pleased to announce the arrival of Professor Daniel G. Fuchs, International Hospitality Expert, Consultant, as guest lecturer and visiting professor between 13th and 17th February, 2012.

The Bhutan Middle Management Hotel Program is a small program for existing personnel of the Bhutanese hotel industry, in and around the country. This program is sponsored by Jacobs and Elysium Foundation from Switzerland and in partnership with the HWZ University of Applied Science Zurich, also based in Switzerland and is under the patronage of the Tourism Council of Bhutan. It offers the course to 30 in-service personnel of the Bhutanese hotel industry, free of cost to the candidates. This program, albeit, is offered at the Royal Institute for Tourism and Hospitality (RITH).

There are 30 participants from different hotels from Bhutan. Some are from 5 star hotels and some are from 4-2 star hotels. The participants are selected, but still have differences in their capacity to learn in the class. The backgrounds of these Middle-Management participants are primarily from Housekeeping, Front Office, F&B and Accounting.

Dr. Fuchs will give lecture in Food and Beverage Management for a week, starting from 13th -17th February 2012.

Professor Daniel G. Fuchs is very excited about his involvement with this very unique program and he is saying: “To be selected for such a prestigious and innovative program is an honor. I sincerely believe that this is right way to empower local managers to grow and develop which in turn facilitates the development of the country. This will ultimately benefit the people of Bhutan. Tourism handled and managed the right way is such an excellent engine for growth, especially when managed in a sustainable way. To visit Bhutan has been a dream of mine for a very long time and I am sure my time in the Kingdom of the Thunder Dragon will be exciting and hopefully rewarding for the participants of the program.”

Dr. Urs Drsteler, Pro-Rector HWZ University of Applied Sciences for Business Administration Zrich, Switzerland is being quoted, that this is an innovative Approach to train Bhutanese Hotel Managers.

Dr. Urs Drsteler says:” Tourism is and will remain a very important foreign currency provider for Bhutans economy. The number of tourists visiting Bhutan is relatively small, but has been increasing over the last few years. In spite of the different annual growth path in the sector, the hotels and tourism provide interesting long term career opportunities for young Bhutanese, such as heads of food and beverage, front desk, accommodation, operational management, finance, recreational activities, etc. To cope with the present and future needs in the four and five star hotels, as well as to upgrade the management of family operated hotels, Bhutan needs a new generation of highly skilled local hotel managers.”

As a Swiss national himself, Professor Daniel G. Fuchs is proud and honored to have been invited to join this great program and he is very thankful to the following persons, who do play a major role in this unique program and helping the Hotel and Tourism Industry of Bhutan, by educating Middle Management Staff of various Bhutanese Hotels and moving this industry forward.

Ms. Marianne Frei, President of the Society Switzerland-Bhutan (SSB) / Lecturer, Counselor and Officer for Admissions, University of Teacher Education, Zurich, Switzerland.

Prof. Dr. Urs Drsteler, Head of Faculty for Business Administration of HWZ University of Applied Sciences, Zurich, Switzerland.

Mr. Dhurba Chhetri, Program Administrator for the Bhutan Middle Management Hotel Program at the Royal Institute for Tourism & Hospitality in Motithang, Thimphu.

As an incentive and recognition for the outstanding graduates, the Program will be sending the three best participants to Switzerland or in one of the regional countries on an exposure trip in their professional areas.

Let us hope, that future visitors of Bhutan might have an enjoyable encounter with one or the other graduate of the Bhutan Middle Management Hotel Program.