Technical Radio Operator - George O'Brian

[MAJ Patterson]

This will be a multi-section certification.

Section One:

Create a small map (seriously… a small map) Complete with terrain features, contour lines, maybe some structures, grid lines, the whole kit and caboodle. Then post that map here. That’s it, for the first section, the more detail you put into the map (contour line and terrain wise) the better off it will be for you as a low quality map will create more sections in this certification.

This may seem like I'm doing nothing to give this test, and in a sense I am using less effort for it in the beginning, but look at it this way. I could create the map and then just have him locate and name things on it, or he could create the map and it go against him for poor effort, as it stands I'll still more than likely have to create a seperate map anyway as I'm fairly confident not everything I want on it will be there.

As always post once you have read this, you have one week to complete section one.

Good Luck

-JT

[George O'Brian]

Well, I've read this. Good job I love making maps, eh? Who am I kidding...

[George O'Brian]

Well, I got in to this part so much, I made not only one, but two maps!

Seriously, I wasn't too sure what a "small map" was by your definition, so I made a 500x500 metre one and a 5000x5000 metre one. They're 90% the same, but you choose the best one, I don't know what's around the corner.

500x500
5000x5000x

[MAJ Patterson]

Alright, well I'll label this Section Two Makes sense.

This is your map, I've circled in red a few terrain features on your own map, name each one and specify which ones you are refering to, I purposfully did not label them.

Also, take your time, there is one major factor on your map that you have misinterpereted, and there is also a few minor ones, if you can spot the major one and tell me why it's incorrect that would help you out, I'll even give you a hint, find a topo map and look at the legend.

img35.imageshack.us/img35/4864/obrianfeatures.png



-JT

****EDIT****

Oh yeah, and you have four (4) days...speedy

[George O'Brian]

I'll name a few errors, all of which seem major in retrospect:

- On the depressions, I didn't indicate inwards on them with little dashes
- The river should have had a second colour on the border, indicating the shoreline
- I should have left the lime-green part white, really.
- The building should be a single solid colour, and I must have been stoned to put the door on.
- The bridge should have had a different symbol. My bad, forgot there was a certain one :/
- The dirt path should have had a symbol for a light-duty road (one line, or even two parallel lines)
- I didn't put a compass on, nor did I put on magnetic deviation.
- I didn't put on an exact scale, eg, 1:25 000 000. But then again, pixels don't exactly translate to real life

And now for your markings. I used 4-figure grid references to show the grid square it was mainly, or even entirely in:

62 02: Spot height (52 m)
The 66 00 one: Valley, indicated by the two hills either side descending towards a single point It is also heavily forested.
65 99: Gentle hill, descending west. The contour lines spaced out indicate it's gentle, and the key also indicates it's a heavily forested area.

[MAJ Patterson]

Covering multiple points that could have been corrected has saved you from missing two of the three terrain features.

The "spot height" isn't a terrain feature at all, that is just a measurement on a map and in no way a terrain feature, it does indeed describe the terrain feature...which is a hill top.

"Gentle hill" Dunno maybe this is a country by country thing that I've never heard of, if this is true please let me know and I will research such a fact, I've always known a jutting portion of a slope leading away from a hilltop to be known as a spur but like I said please let me know if this is uncommon.

We'll call this Section Three

Here is a small list/picture table of some terrain features, name them. You need four of these.

img195.imageshack.us/img195/876/terrainfeatures.png

And I've given you plenty of time to research this stuff and give me what I've asked of you, twice now you have rushed your attempts and it has bitten you in the tail, so I'll try something different. You have six (6) days to reply to this, you are not allowed to post before the third day.

-JT

[George O'Brian]

Well, cutting this close to the 6 days, JT, so here goes nothing:

(Where 1 is top-left, and moving a long numerically like reading a book)
1) Now this was an odd one, but I'm saying it's a cliff at 250 metres. I say this because of the contour lines converging along one, meaning that there is a massive change of height in almost no space. North-West of the cliff, the hill resumes.
2) This is a spur, and if it isn’t I’m entirely confused. A sloping line of high-ground going south. It is gently descending,
3) This is a valley with an intermittent stream going through the centre. Judging by the contour lines, the stream is between 50 and 100 metres high.
4) This is a large hill, with a draw on the South-East corner. This is shown by the "v" shaped cuts on the side of the hill going towards the ridge which makes it look like Pacman These are formed by a stream, not as old or large as a valley-forming one.
5) The main feature is the saddle in the upper-right portion. It is two hills with high ground connecting them typically hour-glass shaped on a topographic map. There is also a third hill south-west of it, and either side the height is decreasing.

[MAJ Patterson]

Alrighty, let's see here...mmhmm...yeah...ok here we go.

1 - Bingo
2 - Bango
3 - Bongo
4 - Another word that would go after those in a sequence
5 - And yeah got this one too.

You even nailed the stream in the valley

Number 5, after looking at it, I didn't really specify but you nailed the saddle which was one of two that I would have accepted, I was more looking for "ridge line" but I didn't specify so that's my fault and not yours, still even had you messed it up you still got the 4 needed.

You did a failry good job with Section one.

In Section two you faultered a bit but you more then noted all of the corrections that should have been made on your map, so that helped you out, seriously, you did a good job spotting all of those.

And you nailed Section three.

Not the highest scoring cert, but no the lowest either, I'm happy to award you with this certification, but make sure if you are supporting your men, or someone elses men for that matter in the future, don't rush it, that could be the difference in saving lives and throwing them away.

Henry Ford Patterson
Captain
3ID, 3rd Armored Division
Commanding



-JT

[MAJ Patterson]

Alrighty, let's see here...mmhmm...yeah...ok here we go.

1 - Bingo
2 - Bango
3 - Bongo
4 - Another word that would go after those in a sequence
5 - And yeah got this one too.

You even nailed the stream in the valley

Number 5, after looking at it, I didn't really specify but you nailed the saddle which was one of two that I would have accepted, I was more looking for "ridge line" but I didn't specify so that's my fault and not yours, still even had you messed it up you still got the 4 needed.

You did a failry good job with Section one.

In Section two you faultered a bit but you more then noted all of the corrections that should have been made on your map, so that helped you out, seriously, you did a good job spotting all of those.

And you nailed Section three.

Not the highest scoring cert, but no the lowest either, I'm happy to award you with this certification, but make sure if you are supporting your men, or someone elses men for that matter in the future, don't rush it, that could be the difference in saving lives and throwing them away.

Henry Ford Patterson
Captain
3ID, 3rd Armored Division
Commanding



-JT