I was doing a bit of strolling through the Denton website again and found something I hadn't really noticed before. If anyone out there has any information regarding the following I'd love to hear from you. The first section is just DME's spill about what they are doing -- and hey, these guys were finished ahead of schedule!

Denton, Texas (June 14, 1999)With the end of the year fast approaching, may consumers and business owners are worried about Y2K and the possible negative effects it could have on their families, homes, and businesses. DME understands these valid concerns and has taken all possible precautions to eliminate any loss of electricity on January 1, 2000.

Since early 1998, the employees of Denton Municipal Electric have been conducting an internal audit of all aspects of its electric utility including the control systems, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), Spencer Power Plant, radio, telephone, and fleet services. DME originally set a June 30, 1999, testing deadline but completed the system testing in mid-April. These internal audits have been conducted to determine which components may be vulnerable to the change in the millennium.

--------------------------------------------------- [First they finish ahead of schedule (April) and then they upgrade (May)]

DME UPGRADES FOR THE NEXT MILLENNIUM

Denton, Texas (May 12, 1999)-- Denton Municipal Electric will be installing the new Turtle System into apartment complexes beginning May 13 to better serve its members. More than 90 percent of all U.S. Rural Electric Cooperatives (REC) adding automated meter reading (AMR) are choosing the Turtle System. Nearly 400,000 Turtle transmitters have now been shipped to 228 utilities using the system.

Introduced by Hunt Technologies in 1990, the AMR power line carrier became a success in the utilities market. The system is simple. A small Turtle transmitter that fits under the glass cover will be installed in customers' meters. Using its patented ultra narrow bandwidth (UNB) technology, the transmitter, a printed circuit board with optical sensors, will read meters automatically by recording the number of times the disk in a meter rotates, and then send the information back to the utilities department through power lines.

Turtle data provides utility personnel the capability to offer customers a daily usage profile of exactly how much power they are using, the daily peak, the date of highest peak, and other information. This, of course, assures members more accurate bills. If there are questions, utility personnel can easily review the daily usage profile and verify how much power was used and when. With daily in-flow of information, it will be unnecessary for utility personnel to make special trips to read meters, and the opening and closing of meter accounts will be more accurate and timely.

"The Turtle System is going to enable us to do meter reading, or readouts, without us physically being there," said Jack Richardson, supervisor for electric metering operations.
. . . .
.......
Besides better customer service as an advantage, the Turtle System can also identify power outages before they occur and get to the source of the problem faster. Any variations in the power system will cause changes in the received signal; therefore, if a customer loses power, the signal for that meter will disappear. Personnel will use information from the received signal to locate everything from bad grounds and arcs, to failing equipment and tampering. The Turtle Systems are cost-effective; these savings can be passed on to member customers through favorable rates and value-added services.

The UNB power line technology is a new concept that has distinct advantages over other carrier systems. The Turtle transmitter makes transmissions from meters highly resistant to interference and able to cover great distances without repeaters or line conditioning. With Denton growing at a phenomenal rate, this system will be a great benefit.

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[I checked out Hunt Technologies: the key words in the following statements, as usual, are 'most', 'should be', 'no date-dependent functions and, therefore, should operate properly', 'report should be available as of (june/august)'..'Testing should be completed by August 31, 1999.']

As you can see from the comments below Denton has installed a new component (probably to replace something they knew for certain wouldn't work) and the new component may or may not work....wonder if they got any updated info, and if there were problems if they will have time to replace whatever needs replacing or upgrading. Yes, we are flying by the seat of our pants. I also still cannot fathom how DME is suddenly so self-sufficient, when previously - after our plant in Southcentral texas blew a gasket - we were drawing auxiliary power from TXU.

Hunt Technologies, Inc. Year 2000 Readiness Disclosure June 21, 1999

With the upcoming change to the year 2000, Hunt Technologies has tested all Turtle. System products for Y2K compatibility. Most Turtle System components are not date dependent and, therefore, should be Y2K compliant. We are also having an independent testing and certification body test the critical parts of our system for Y2K compatibility.

Turtle Transmitters  All Turtle transmitters, including Standard Turtle transmitter models, Network Turtle transmitter, External Turtle transmitter, and End-Of-Line Voltage Monitor appear to be Y2K compliant. These products have no date-dependent functions and, therefore, should operate properly through the change to year 2000. The test report should be available June 21, 1999.

TurtleWare Software  The development of Hunt TurtleWare Software has included thorough Y2K testing. TurtleWare is also being tested by a combination of Hunt engineers and testers from a highly respected independent Y2K testing and certifying body. Testing should be completed by August 31, 1999.

Opto Wand/Programming Station  The Opto Wand and Programming Station have no date-dependent functions and, therefore, should be Y2K compliant.

Pulse Board  The Pulse Board used to interface with meters has no date-dependent features and, therefore, should be Y2K compliant.

Receiver Assembly  The Turtle Receiver, including all modem and receiver cards, have certain date functions that initial testing indicates should function properly through the change to year 2000. Hunt Turtle Receivers are being tested by a combination of Hunt engineers and an independent Y2K tester. Testing should be completed by August 31, 1999.

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-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), September 11, 1999

Answers

Look I don't blame anyone, I just want the truth. Why do everyone seem to only care for themselves, we need to know what is going on NOW not later. I will not lay blame, to much has gone before. I just want someone to speak up, PLEASE!

-- ET (bneville@zebra.net), September 11, 1999.

So they haven't updated their website with testing results and you are feeling hurt? Give them a break for heaven's sake, they are even doing the IV&V you guys are demanding and you are mad because they don't put the raw IV&V data on their website for you to pick at.

Websites are the LAST to get updated, CUSTOMERS come FIRST.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), September 12, 1999.

Paul, did I not saying I was feeling compassion for the utility companies? This confusional maze of information/lack of information is part of the problem; for which no one can be blamed. It just is. I personally think they all are really working hard to correct the problems...as they find them...I'm equally certain they will not find them all.

-- Shelia (Shelia@active-stream.com), September 13, 1999.