Hi, Cliff.
I saw your request for suggestions on low-cost PC o'scopes for classroom instruction. I'd suggest you check out the following link. It's not for a PC o'scope per se, but for a complete lab set for teaching electronics and RF for a small class that includes demo circuit boards, multimeters, and yes, even a PC o'scope. The whole kit is available from the American Radio Relay League as part of their Education and Technology Program. I'm not positive, but I believe the kits are free to qualifying schools. The kit was designed to supplement a curriculum available free to anyone.
http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/02/12/3/?nc= 1
As is typical with most/. replies, 99% are pure BS.
I took the same path as you, except I saw the handwritting on the wall a bit sooner and punched out of med school early in the second year about 15 years ago. I went back into Biomedical/Clinical Engineering. I'm now responsible for making sure all the wonderful wireless stuff doesn't jam or otherwise screw up medical equipment and kill someone, is as resistant to hackers as possible, and a lot of other neat stuff. It helps that I absolutely LOVE my job, am GREATLY appreciated, and get paid a nice wage (enough that I can raise two teenagers without my wife having to work, and still be able to put a tidy sum in the bank after all the bills... AND I don't have to worry about "tail" insurance.) Your clinical knowledge is WORTH something, use it to your advantage.
Fear not, what you want to do is possible. When I got my Biomedical Engineering degree, the three main areas of interest were Medical Informatics, Rehabilitation Engineering, and Clinical Engineering. Though all three are interesting, I chose the Clinical path as I still get to work with patients in a clinical setting. I work with a LOT of folks who either have their MD or should.
Pick one of those paths, start moving toward it, and have a blast!
Disclaimer: I'm a licensed amateur radio operator, WD8KEL.
Non-Disclaimer: I'm also responsible for the use of ALL wireless communications systems at several hospitals in the Boston, MA area. This includes cell phone, 802.11FH,.11a,.11b,.11g, some old 900 mHz FH gear, and the 610 MHz medical telemetry, to name a few.
BPL, in my PROFESSIONAL opinion, is NOT a good thing for the patients in the hospitals where I work. We have NUMEROUS life-critical systems that stand to be disrupted by the broadband nature of the emissions from these systems. These include diagnostic systems, theraputing systems, monitoring systems, and our wireless IT infrastructure.
For the non-hams out there, there is also the prospect that BPL won't work due to interference TO BPL from outside sources. There is an interesting phenomenon called reciprocity in which anything that radiates a signal will also receive it as well. There are already enough signal sources to cause me to doubt the ability of BPL to provide me with a usable connection. Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it!
But, for me, the bottom line is not that BPL will interfere with my amateur radio activities (though it does cause me concern) but that it may cost the life of one of our patients. Hospitals across the country are having real problems because of this stuff. So far though, no one has lost their life over it, thank goodnes.
For the time being, I'm content to have a life other than in front of computer and I'm happy to keep my cable/DSL/dial-up lines and the signals INSIDE THEM.
Rick Hampton, WD8KEL
Wireless Communications Manager
Parnters Healthcare Systems
Boston, MA
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Hi, Cliff. I saw your request for suggestions on low-cost PC o'scopes for classroom instruction. I'd suggest you check out the following link. It's not for a PC o'scope per se, but for a complete lab set for teaching electronics and RF for a small class that includes demo circuit boards, multimeters, and yes, even a PC o'scope. The whole kit is available from the American Radio Relay League as part of their Education and Technology Program. I'm not positive, but I believe the kits are free to qualifying schools. The kit was designed to supplement a curriculum available free to anyone. http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/02/12/3/?nc= 1
As is typical with most /. replies, 99% are pure BS.
I took the same path as you, except I saw the handwritting on the wall a bit sooner and punched out of med school early in the second year about 15 years ago. I went back into Biomedical/Clinical Engineering. I'm now responsible for making sure all the wonderful wireless stuff doesn't jam or otherwise screw up medical equipment and kill someone, is as resistant to hackers as possible, and a lot of other neat stuff. It helps that I absolutely LOVE my job, am GREATLY appreciated, and get paid a nice wage (enough that I can raise two teenagers without my wife having to work, and still be able to put a tidy sum in the bank after all the bills... AND I don't have to worry about "tail" insurance.) Your clinical knowledge is WORTH something, use it to your advantage.
Fear not, what you want to do is possible. When I got my Biomedical Engineering degree, the three main areas of interest were Medical Informatics, Rehabilitation Engineering, and Clinical Engineering. Though all three are interesting, I chose the Clinical path as I still get to work with patients in a clinical setting. I work with a LOT of folks who either have their MD or should.
Pick one of those paths, start moving toward it, and have a blast!
Disclaimer: I'm a licensed amateur radio operator, WD8KEL. Non-Disclaimer: I'm also responsible for the use of ALL wireless communications systems at several hospitals in the Boston, MA area. This includes cell phone, 802.11FH, .11a, .11b, .11g, some old 900 mHz FH gear, and the 610 MHz medical telemetry, to name a few.
BPL, in my PROFESSIONAL opinion, is NOT a good thing for the patients in the hospitals where I work. We have NUMEROUS life-critical systems that stand to be disrupted by the broadband nature of the emissions from these systems. These include diagnostic systems, theraputing systems, monitoring systems, and our wireless IT infrastructure.
For the non-hams out there, there is also the prospect that BPL won't work due to interference TO BPL from outside sources. There is an interesting phenomenon called reciprocity in which anything that radiates a signal will also receive it as well. There are already enough signal sources to cause me to doubt the ability of BPL to provide me with a usable connection. Be careful what you wish for... you just might get it!
But, for me, the bottom line is not that BPL will interfere with my amateur radio activities (though it does cause me concern) but that it may cost the life of one of our patients. Hospitals across the country are having real problems because of this stuff. So far though, no one has lost their life over it, thank goodnes.
For the time being, I'm content to have a life other than in front of computer and I'm happy to keep my cable/DSL/dial-up lines and the signals INSIDE THEM.
Rick Hampton, WD8KEL
Wireless Communications Manager
Parnters Healthcare Systems
Boston, MA