ACE Insider

September 27, 2007

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ACE to Solicit Feedback on Passenger Survey
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We are grateful for your continued support of the Altamont Commuter
Express! As we strive to make your commute experience a positive
alternative to driving, please take this opportunity to share with us
your interests for the future of the ACE service. The time and effort
you spend offering your comments now will be critical for our work in
enhancing the service within the years to come.

Survey administrators will be onboard distributing and collecting the
surveys on the following dates and trains:

Tuesday, September 25: Surveys onboard ACE 02 & 06

Wednesday, September 26: Surveys onboard ACE 01, 05, 04, & 08

Thursday, September 27: Surveys onboard ACE 03 & 07


Thank you for your time spent on these surveys, we grately appreaciate
your thoughtful and sincere input!



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http://cts.vresp.com/c/?AltamontCommuterExpr/e78c956560/760c7ef1b0/4de2d30ca5/ca\
t=34

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Bike Locker Information
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If you keep your bike locked up at the Lathrop/Manteca and Tracy
stations, this message is for you!

Locks on the bike lockers at the Lathrop/Manteca and Tracy stations
will be changed October 1st.

Please contact Julie at ACE headquarters to let her know if you are
still using your bike locker. Julie can be reached at (209) 944-6232
or by email at julie@.... Thank you -




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Searching for a Signal
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About 18 months ago, the Altamont Commuter Express began investing in
a new and cutting edge technology designed to put high speed internet
on each of the ACE trains. Over these last 18 months CTS and Raysat –
the equipment and service providers – have learned a lot about what
does not work and, more importantly, what will work. After the most
recent round of testing, it has become increasingly clear that the
largest “hurdle” is the amount of bandwidth needed to make this work.


Fixing this problem is not as easy as it sounds.

There has been very limited bandwidth available on satellites with a
“look angle” appropriate for Northern California. Further, there has
been a huge increase in price for this already limited commodity. On
the trains, our consultants had to learn about the best way to channel
the WiFi signal throughout each car and keep the signal strong enough
for passenger usage.

There have been additional factors they have had to overcome, such as
the very high temperatures in the ceiling of each train. Those high
temperatures can affect and even damage the equipment the consultants
are using for this project.

WiFi A Challenge Across the Rails

The idea of having Internet access onboard many other California
trains have stalled.

Caltrain has announced that they have rejected several bids to build
out their WiFi service. The agency could not afford one of the
bidder’s costs, which resulted in a necessary subsidy, and did not
want to deal with the other bidder’s complexity.

The Capitol Corridor has experienced similar disappointments in their
WiFi testing, stating that the initial bidders either pulled out or
offered impractical options.

As you can see, there are many factors and variables that make this
endeavor a challenging project, but one that we have worked hard to
make successful.

Not Giving Up

With all of this in mind here is what ACE and its vendors are planning
to do:

 Swap out the current antennas for the latest version. This
includes changing the internal modems but not the internal WiFi CPE.
 Change service providers. ACE’s new provider will be providing
service on a new satellite with an even better “look angle” and the
amount of bandwidth will be 6X downlink and 4X uplink speeds as the
previous provider. This additional bandwidth is significantly more
than what is actually required.
 Test this out on one train and then move to the three other
trains once this proves successful.

In addition to what we have planned for the next step, there may be
options that we have not considered yet. It is entirely possible that
solutions to the WiFi woes are more achievable than anyone has
realized thus far. We admit that we are not technology geniuses, but
we know that we have technology geniuses onboard the ACE trains who
may know how to rectify the challenges that we have faced with this
service.

Do you want to be part of the solution? I, personally, welcome your
suggestions and ideas. If you believe that you may have a solution in
mind for the pioneering of this unique, one-of-a-kind feature for the
train, please contact me – if your plan works, I may just hire you to
finish the project!

Stacey

wifi@...




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