POST GRADUATE ENGINEERINGEXPERIENCE REPORT

PURPOSE :APPLICATION FOR

REGISTRATION AS A
PROFESSIONAL
ENGINEER

PREPAR BAREKENG MOKGATLE

ED BY
Telecommunications
BRANCH OF
ENGINEERING FOR
MEMBERSHIP IS
APPLIED FOR

SUBMITTED TO
ORGANISATION
Total number of
pages
Total word count

The Registrar

Abstract
The objective of this report is to provide /furnish and describe in
details of my involvement in Telecommunications engineering
projects as a token highlighting my professional experience in
the Telecommunication Engineering Industry .The scope of the
report involves personal contribution and responsibilities ,the
engineering and other judgements made, skills and
competencies acquired .The report introduces and expands on
the parts of a Post- graduates Engineering experience report:
Introduction, summary ,details, conclusions, appendices and
references.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER

PAGE

1. Acronyms
and
Abbreviations3
2. Introduction

5
3. Summary
3.1 Professional
experience
gained.6
3.2 On
job
training
and
Certifications.7
3.3 List
of
projects
involved
in.7
4. Details
4.1 Advanced Integrated Recorder re-calibration, testing
and commissioning
4.2 UPS battery replacement for Letlhakane VHF Station

4.3 Francistown Airport Control Tower Standalone transceiver ,

installation testing and commissioning
5 Conclusion
6 Appendices
7 References

1. Acronyms and abbreviations

ACAMS- Airport Control and Monitoring System

Ah Ampere hour
AIR- Advanced Integrated Recorder
ATC- Air Traffic Controller
ATCCMS- Air Traffic Control Command Monitoring System
BIT Built In Test
BPC- Botswana Power Corporation
CCTV Closed Circuit Television
CD Compact Disc
CNS/ATM- Communication Navigation Surveillance/ Air Traffic
Management
DVD- Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc
ERC-2 Emergency Radio Control
ETSI-European Telecommunication Standard Institute
HDD- Hard Disc Drive
HF High Frequency
IDS-Intrusion Detection System

HMI- Human Machine Interface

IP- Internet Protocol
LAN- Local Area Network
LCD-Liquid Crystal Display
MTC- Ministry of Transport and Communication
OS - Operating System
PABX- Private Automatic Branch Exchange
PDH- Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy
PLC Programmable Logic Control
RF- Radio Frequency
SCADA-Supervisory Control And Acquisition
SDH- Synchronous Digital Hierarchy
UPS Uninterruptible Power Supply
VCCS- Voice Control Communication System
Vdc- Voltage direct current
VHF- Very High Frequency
VSAT- Very Small Aperture Terminal
WAN Wide Area Network

2.Introduction
The Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana (CAAB)was established
by the Civil Aviation Authority Act ,2004 (CAA Act ,2004)which
mandates CAAB to promote aviation safety and Security and
ensure regular and efficient use and development of Civil
Aviation in Botswana. The Authority commenced full operations
on 1st April 2009 as a statutory Corporation under the Ministry
of Transport and Communication (MTC)
CAAB is responsible under the act for regulation of Air
Transport, providing navigation services, managing airports and
advising the government on all aspects of civil aviation. Most
of these functions were formerly being handled by the former
Department of Civil Aviation(DCA). CAAB is composed of
different directorates, but I had the honour and privilege to
serve Aviation through the Directorate of Air Navigation Service
(ANS) which plays a central role in ensuring the safety of air
traffic, since it provides the primary means of avoiding aircraft
collisions. Airspace capacity is determined by the combined
capabilities of the communications, ,navigation, surveillance
and air traffic management systems(CNS\ATM)in place. These
include ground and aircraft-based systems and requirements
vary according to the airspace being considered.

Having accomplished my post-graduation in Bachelors Degree

in Telecommunications Engineering from Essex University in
United Kingdom in 2007 ,my eventful expedition in the
Telecommunications spanning about seven years started in
2008 when I joined the Aviation industry through CAAB . Since
then I developed a range of professional\project skills and have

also handled major responsibilities which includes but not

limited to ;

Managed routine and non-routine tasks and attend such

meetings
as required in order to meet company
objectives.
Extensive knowledge of Telecom Packages which
includes(Transmissions/AccessControl/CCTV/IDS/Tetra/LAN/
WAN/PABX)
In-depth knowledge of SC ADA,PLC and HMI configuration
and equipment specification.
Familiar with the testing and implementation of
automation systems.
Excellent knowledge of the IP Telephony , Public Address
and
General Alarm, Data Networking
Optical
Transmission ,Radio and Wireless Communication System
design
Also has gained experience during installation , calibration
and commissioning of Airport security systems like
CCTV ,Access Control and Intrusion Detection System.

SUMMARY

In this section of the report engineering skills gained in

design ,construction , maintenance ,installation , research
planning and operation through my involvement on projects
carried out , maintenance both planned and emergencies and
partly through on the job training are briefly explained. The
format follows the categories as below;
3.1

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE GAINED

Aeronautical Telecommunication Engineer

2010-PRESENT
Civil Aviation Authority of Botswana
,Botswana

AUGUST
,Francistown Airport

Duties include but not limited to;

Performed testing , maintenance and repair on metering
and recording instruments control apparatus , data
logging and display equipment
Participate in the planning , development and expansion
of Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network and Air
Traffic Control circuits in Botswana air space.

 Reacts to alarms and action measures to execute

corrective maintenance within shortest time possible.
Develop and executes weekly and monthly preventative
routines to pre-empt future ground-to-air network
problems.
Measures the performance of the VHF radio networks , XRay machines , Access control systems ,CCTV ,repeaters
and receiving process of statistics as daily report to the
supervisor.
Monitors the performance of Radio navigation aids ,
Telecommunications equipment
by periodically
inspecting relevant maintenance logs and analyzing the
records to determine whether the performance of that
piece of equipment is within specification.
Facilitates the sending and receiving process of spares
due for repair.

Assistant
Aeronautical
MAY 2008-JULY 2010

Telecommunications

Engineer

DEFUNCT Department of Civil Aviation, Sir Seretse Khama

Airport ,Gaborone, Botswana
Duties include;
Assist in the installation , maintenance and operation of
aeronautical telecommunications equipments, security
systems and Navigational Aids equipments.
Carries out corrective monthly maintenance on X-ray
machines, Access Control systems, CCTV systems ,VHF
Transmitters and Receivers ,VSAT,VHT and HF Antenna
Systems
,Aeronautical
Fixed
Telecommunication
Networks.
Participation in formulating Maintenance plans and
schedules

 Assist in carrying out routine and emergency repairs and

maintenance of equipment including instrumentations,
valves actuators ,PLC/SCADA and electrical panel boards .
Carry out SDH/PDH and Fiber optics Planning and
Implementation.
Assist in Installation & Commissioning of PDH & SDH
Microwave(NEC) systems
Assist in Installation & Commissioning of Fiber Optic
Transmission Syetems.
Complies with company policies in respect to quality
safety and environment.

3.2

3.3

ON JOB TRAINING AND CERTIFICATIONS

VSAT and Lower Airspace Systems
Airport Control and Monitoring Systems(ACAMS)
Advanced Integrated Records (AIR200)
Park Air Systems
,Voice Control Communication
System(Garrex200)

LIST OF PROJECTS INVOLVED IN

Advanced Integrated Recorder re calibration ,testing and

commissioning
UPS battery replacement for Letlhakane VHF Station
Francistown Airport Control Tower standalone transceiver
installation testing and commissioning
Francistown
Airport
Fire
Station
Position
Control(console)re-calibration ,testing and commissioning

4 DETAILS
For the projects listed in chapter 3 above below demonstration
and explanation in details of how the engineering aspects of
competence as provided in
page 5 of the FORM
ERB/REG/F1/1.1, table A1,6; summary of Post Graduation
Engineering Work Experience .For every major activity or
project name, objective, engineering specifications , codes
standards, quality control, management system , my role and
participation and important lessons/experience gained as result
of my involvement are all included in details of the report.

4.1
ADVANCED INTEGRATED RECORDER RECALIBRATION,TESTING AND COMMISSIONING
The advanced Integrated Recorder delivers;

 Precise and synchronized

re-creation of what
happened for incident investigation, legal verification,
training or instant after-action review
Networked record , control and replay functions ,
allowing access to multiple recorders in geographically
distributed locations
Long term hard disk storage , allowing instant access
to months of information no more daily media
changes
100%
COTS hardware for state -of the- art
performance , minimal rack space easy maintainability
and high availability
Customized or ruggedized versions to suit customers
specific system requirements

The Advanced Integrated Recorder (AIR)is a leading

edged , cost effective voice recorder and much more .It
records the many types of information involved in an
incident , mission or training session and instantly makes
that information available for synchronized replay at local
or remote locations . By using modern IT equipment and
network technology . Air providers wider access to more
information , in smaller space and at lower cost than has
previously ben possible.

4.1.1 Problems Analysis

On July 2013 Francistown AIR started displaying the error

message which reads thus
Windows could not start because of the error in the
software
Please report this problem as:
Load needed DLLs for kernel
Please contact your support person to report this problem

The above error message made it possible for the AIR to

be use on
daily basis. A team of engineers and
technicians were tasked to look into the problem , I being
the team leader during analysis we came up with two
probable cause to the problem which are:

A corrupt operating system (Windows) caused by

either some missing or corrupt kernel files
Or a damaged or corrupt Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

4.1.2

Design and Development

Before we could begin with the re calibration process , a

new Windows Operating System (OS) was installed on the
recorder. Most preferably, the OS should be similar to the
one
the system was running before it crushed or
compatible (closes version possible) . Successful
installation of the temporary OS will provide a platform for
the Ghosting process which requires access to the
computer , something that is only possible with an OS
already running in the system . It is imperative that the

following should be readily available before the recalibration process begins;

1.AIR 02 System Software CD
2.AIR 02 Emergency Boot Floppy
3.AIR 02 XP Embedded OS Image CD
4.AIR Configuration Floppy
5.ESATA/SATAII RAID Controller CD
6.SUPERMICRO Super Server Device Drivers for Windows
Platform Bootable CD
7.Windows XP Embedded or XP Professional
As well as SATA RAID USERS MANUAL and the AIR USER
manual

4.1.3 Evaluation
Since Advanced integrated Recorder technology is
optimised
for
air
traffic
control,C41,air
defense,coastal/border/harbour monitoring and related
applications.Virtually
and
combination
of
voice,workstation screen, synchronous serial(radar)and
video inputs may be recorded using configurable
combinations of AIR components. Replay, control and
production of portable
data extracts may be
accomplished locally to the recorder or remotely via

LAN /WAN . Data may be online archived using internal

or external hard disks ,and / or ffline archived using
DVD , digital tapes or libraries . All recorded information is
secured , time tagged and immediately available for
synchronized replay .It is imperative that the AIR must be
kept serviceable 99.9% of the time.

4.1.4

Responsibility for Decision

To take responsibility
for my decision and for those
whom I was responsible a well- planned , documented
maintenance report was provided to my immediate
Supervisor and Francistown Airport Manager . The report
was detailed on the job done , problems encountered
and the optimal solution provided , a copy was also
availed to my co-worker. Since the manufacture did not
include the re-calibration process procedures , a detailed
re-calibration procedure was written for future reference ,
it was also filled together with the manufacturers
technical manual.

4.1.5

Communication

A comprehensive and logical approach with of course the

help of the manufacturer s manual was taken . For

example ,the rational approach described below was

taken .
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Define the problem

Examine all potential causes for the problem
Identify all alternatives to resolve the problem
Carefully select an alternative .
Develop an orderly implementation plan to implement
that the best alternative .
6. Carefully monitor implementation of the plan
7. Verify if the problem has been resolved or not

A major advantage of this approach is that it gives a

strong sense of order in an otherwise chaotic situation
and provides a common frame of reference from which
people can communication in the situation .At the end a
procedure for re-calibration process was designed and
posted on the notice board on Francistown Airport
Telecoms Engineering workshop so that every staffed
member can refer if the problem re-occurs

4.2

UPS battery replacement for Letlhakane VHF station

Letlhakane VHF station is a remote station providing Air

Traffic Area West coverage maintained through
Francistown Airport
base
station . Although the
equipment status is monitored from Gaborone (SSKIA), all
reports pertaining to the serviceability of the station are
carried out by the Francistown engineering personnel.
With reference made to be Wikipedia an uninterruptible
power supply, also uninterruptible power source
,UPS or battery/flywheel backup is an electrical
apparatus that provides emergency power to a load when
the input power source typically mains power fails .A UPS
differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system or
standby generator in that will provide in near
instantaneous
protection
from
input
power
interruptions ,by supplying energy stored in batteries
,super capacitors or flywheels. The on-battery run time of
most uninterruptible power sources in relatively short
(only a few minutes)but sufficient to start a standby
source or properly shutdown the protected equipment.

4.2.1 Problem Analysis

The Western side of Botswana airspace which Letlhakane

VHF station covered experienced black outs during the
persistent controlled power outage by Botswana Power
Corporation (BPC). Since this station is of high importance
for Pilots- Air Traffic Controllers (ATCs) communications it
was necessary to at least have a backup power to enable
those pilots ACTs communication during the BPC power
outage. It was noted that during this power outage the
batteries sustained the station for a maximum of 30
minutes which fell short of the targeted 4 hours , hence
the need to replace the UPS backup batteries . UPS
batteries also act as a protection from power surges ,
high-voltage spikes
and brownouts and these are
problems associated with power outages , so not only did
we make it possible for the pilots-ATCs communication
also the whole VHF system was being protected for
effective and efficient usage.

4.2.2

Design and Development

We planned and implemented an efficient and effective

UPS battery power backups systems . With the help of
Contractor
s
requirements
and
manufacturers
specifications two strings of 64 blocks ,12Vdc and 12Ah
batteries requested and purchased from Sharps Electrical
.After installation the set up was tested for a maximum of
5 hours , first with BPC main s power and second a BPC
power failure was simulated and during the testing the
system operated as expected.

4.2.3

Responsibility for Decision

Having been chosen as the team lead by my immediate

supervisor I prepared statistics in the form of
maintenance report which was availed to my supervisors
and technical team concerned .A well -structured and
documented report is very important tool for
troubleshooting. The report acknowledged every member
of the installation team and me as the author of the
report.

4.2.4

Communication

A team of three consisting of 1 technician and 2 engineers

was set up for the work . We brainstormed before we left
for Letlhakane
VHF station so that we could spend
minimum time possible reducing over expenditure on our
Organization ,CAAB. We agreed a maximum of 2 days
should be enough for both installation and testing
of
the batteries . Together with my team we shared the
common goal hence we respected every idea that was
brought up during installation so as to reduce prolonged
and unnecessary delays through arguments.

4.3 Francistown Airport Control Tower standalone

transceiver installation testing and commissioning

According to Wikipedia a TRANSCEIVER

is a device
comprising both a transmitter and a receiver which are
combined
and share common circuitry or a single
housing. When no circuitry is common between transmit
and receive functions the device is a transmitter-receiver.
The term originated in the early 1920s. Technically ,
transceivers must combine a significant amount of the
transmitter and receiver handling circuitry . Similar device
includes transponders , transverters and repeaters .

4 .3 .1 Problem Analysis
Voice Control Communication System (VCCS) came with a
provision for Emergency Radio(ERC-2) with the only let
down being that this ERC-2 radio is connected through
VCCS so a failure VCCS will impact heavily of the Tower
and Air bound aircrafts. Hypothetically the ERC-2 radio
was supposed to be standalone radio and now that it is
not an installation of a Standalone Transceiver was
imminent to cater for any unforeseen circumstances.

4. 3 .2 Design and Development

The RF cable , Park Air T6TR 50W VHF transceiver and
7050 antenna were procured. Before the procurement of
the transceiver radio , system s requirements
and
specifications were looked into .For the transceiver radio a
radio with comprehensive continuous and interruptive
built in test(BIT) which provide confidence of the radios
serviceability with results viewed on the front panel LCD
and summaries by alarm indicators was necessary , with
front panel microphone / headset connection and integral
loudspeaker cater for local control applications .Power
supplies may be either standard ac mains or low voltage
28Vdc nominal supply with the rest of features as below;
Multi-mode software defined radio compliant with
ETSI specification
50w 112-115.975 MHz coverage with 25kHz and 8.33
kHz channel capability
Comprehensive analogue and digital interfaces
Flexible power supply
Designed for long maintenance
An Omni-directional antenna was needed as well as a 50m
RF cable to connect the transceiver radio to the outside
7050 antenna.

4.3.3

Judgment

This project is an alternative to the existing ERC-2 radio

which was installed together with the VCCS. They was
need for a standalone radio during VCCS or VHF radios

maintenance since during maintenance

VCCS/VHF system is usually switched off.

4.3.4

the

whole

Responsibility for Decision

Like any work done the team leader had to show course
by providing a well documented report on the work done
. Since this was a modification to the existing VCCS there
was a need to provide Park Air T6TR 50W VHF
transceivers manual together with documentation of all
common faults to the standalone transceiver system.

4.3.5 Communication
Communication is a cog wheel in any problem solving set
up . So in our team comprising with Senior Engineer and
Technician . each was tasked with one of the three
important parts of the standalone system . For my part I
had to look into details the types of transceiver and chose
the best one for the implementation at Francistown
Airport tower. The project took a duration of three weeks
from inception stage to installation and commissioning
and during those three weeks the team met once a week
to discuss progress of the work done. In the end a larger
brief
attended
by
all
Francistown
Airport
Telecommunications Engineering staff was held , during
this meeting all kinds of tests and simulations were done
and operators given the go ahead to use the system.
5

Conclusions

In conclusion I am a team player versed with excellent

technical skills and strong analytical skills with ability to
perform systematic troubleshooting independently and
work within a fast paced , multi tasking team environment
. I also thrive on new challenges and my innovation
approach along with my desire to learn , will prove to be
an asset to many organizations

AIRCRAFT TECHNICIAN MANTAINANCE ENGINEER

Assist in maintaining Navigation AIDS and ILS equipment
including very
High Frequency Omni Range(VOR)Localizer (LOC).Glide
Slope (GS).Middle Marker(MM)Outer Marker(0M). Enroute
Non Director Beacon(NDB),Radio Link(UHF) and Remote
Control and monitoring systems(RCMS).
Assists in maintaining the Communication System
equipment including VHF Transmitters and Receivers,HF
Transmitters and Recievers, Voice communication control
System,Legal Voice Recorders,VHF And Hf Antenna
systems,AFTN Messages Switching and its Workstation,AIS
System and Billing Systems.
Assist in maintaining Surveillance Radar Systems Including
Primary Surveillance Radar,(PSR)Secondary surveillance
(SSR)and Radar Data Processing and Displays Systems.
Assist in maintaining Information Technology Componebts
of the above mentioned systems under 1,2,3,4 above.
Undertakes any other duties as directed by the supervisor.
COURSES DONE TO DATE
Air Craft Technician Course:01-08-1988 to 26-061990(Notwane Air Base)
412 Field Maintenance Familiarization Training
course:10-01-1993 to
10.