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Be Smarter Than a Smartphone Workshops

BlackBerry® PTCI Workshop Q&A Sheet



March 22, 2011, 4 PM and 6 PM - PTCI, 2222 NW HWY 64, Guymon, OK (on the way to Wal-Mart)
BlackBerry® smartphone workshop. 4 PM Beginning and 4 PM Advanced sessions. If this is your first BlackBerry® smartphone or if you have upgraded; these workshops are for you. Send us any questions you might have about your smartphone. mailto:comments@ptsi.net    
BlackBerry® smartphone workshop. 6 PM Beginning and 6 PM Advanced sessions. If this is your first BlackBerry® smartphone or if you have upgraded; these workshops are for you. Send us any questions you might have about your smartphone. mailto:comments@ptsi.net
Android™Q&A Sheet
March 24, 2011, 4 PM and 6 PM -  PTCI, 2222 NW HWY 64, Guymon, OK (on the way to Wal-Mart)
Android (HTC, LG, Motorola & Samsung) smartphone workshop. 4 PM Beginning and 4 PM Advanced sessions. If this is your first Android smartphone or if you have upgraded; these workshops are for you. Send us any questions you might have about your smartphone. mailto:comments@ptsi.net
Android (HTC, LG, Motorola & Samsung) smartphone workshop. 6 PM Beginning and 6 PM Advanced sessions. If this is your first Android smartphone or if you have upgraded; these workshops are for you. Send us any questions you might have about your smartphone. mailto:comments@ptsi.net

Don't Be a Thumbskull - Don't Text & Drive

Kevin Ottinger and his BlackBerry®Tour™ Adventure

"My PTCI cell phone works great everywhere." ~ Kevin Ottinger

Kevin Ottinger drives a truck for a living. Like most of us, he listens to the radio while driving. Unlike most of us, he also does impersonations, while driving. One typical-truck driving, radio-listening day, he heard about an impersonation contest that was being offered on “The Howard Stern Show”. Thinking he might try his luck and enter, Kevin recorded his impersonation on BlackBerry® Voice Notes and sent it to Howard Stern on his PTCI BlackBerry® Tour™ cell phone. Howard liked what he heard and invited Kevin to New York to be one of five finalists on the show. Kevin’s travel arrangements to New York were also made with his BlackBerry Tour. He said, “My BlackBerry Tour worked great in New York.” In fact, he stated, “My PTCI cell phone works great everywhere.” Kevin has been interested in doing impersonations for several years, but never suspected his hobby would turn into such an unexpected adventure. He didn’t win, but had a great time. He stated, “None of this would have ever happened without my BlackBerry Tour cell phone from PTCI.”

EQUINOX SUN OUTAGES:

EQUINOX SUN OUTAGES: Many readers reported an intermittent loss of satellite TV reception over the weekend. Was the sun to blame? Yes and no. Senior forecaster Bill Murtagh of NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center explains: "It is likely that the sun caused the problem, but not because of solar flares. Now is the time of year for the 'equinox conjunction,' when the sun lines up with the satellite and the receiving satellite dish. When this happens, radio interference from the sun competes with signals from the satellite and can create noise levels several decibels higher than normal. The problem, which typically persists for 5 to 15 minutes, is referred to as a 'sun outage' and is often confused with sunspot or solar flare activity."

Channeling Networks

From time to time we receive TV network requests from our customers. When that happens, if it’s feasible, we attempt to add them to our lineup. We always want to keep our customers happy and satisfied with their Digital TV service. Over the last year PTCI has added these channels because of customer requests:

• Sportsman Channel
• Speed HD
• FX HD
• Fox Sports Southwest HD and Fox Sports Plus
• The CW
• CNBC and CNBC HD
• SyFy HD
• Oxygen HD
• Oklahoma City networks in HD

Television content providers control access to their networks. Many of them package a group of networks together and require television providers to purchase all of them or none, increasing the cost. (An example of this would be the ESPN Networks which include ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN Classic.) Sometimes these networks are not popular and have limited viewership.

PTCI still wants to hear your requests! Whenever you have a special network you would like to have on your PTCI Digital TV, call your local customer service representative or e-mail comments@ptsi.net. We will investigate the possibility of providing them.

Win an All-Expense Paid Trip to Washington, D.C.

You could win an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. June 4 – 8 in a contest sponsored by PTCI. If you are a high school junior in the PTCI service area, all you have to do is write a short winning essay. The topic is:


“Looking toward the future, tell us how technology will influence your career and personal life choices. What kinds of technology will you count on to function in your adult life?”


This is a program developed by the Foundation for Rural Service and sponsored by telephone cooperatives. All arrangements for travel, room, and meals will be taken care of and paid for by PTCI, as well as pocket money for incidental expenses. For more information about essay subject and deadlines contact Carol Grider at 580-338-2556 or e-mail: Carol.Grider@ptci.net

Above and Beyond…Travis Clark and PTCI Helping the Youth Shelter

Travis Clark, PTCI Project Manager/Call Center Supervisor, donates his expertise in wiring for the telephone, Internet, and television services for the new Youth Shelter. Travis enjoys helping, especially when it has anything to do with kids. Believing that we all need help sometime, Travis said, “I guess my idea is to just keep the belief that people still care.”

The Youth Shelter provides emergency short-term placement for children birth to 18 years. The next fund raiser for the shelter will be a murder mystery dinner theatre at Pickle Creek February 11, 12, 13. Donations should be made to Guymon Community Enrichment Foundation and earmarked for Panhandle Services for Children in Crisis.

Stay Connected During Winter Storms

Because electrical outages are common during blizzards and ice storms, PTCI installed permanent backup generators in critical locations, along with portable generators for emergency power at secondary sites. In the event equipment is damaged, we keep materials on hand so our crews can quickly restore service where needed.


Here are some tips to help keep you connected during a winter storm.


• Have at least one simple, corded phone at home. Landline phone service is typically available during a power outage. Remember that a cordless telephone will not function without electricity.


• If a storm is approaching, keep your cellular phone and backup batteries charged. Be aware that cell phone towers typically run on commercial and battery power. When that power is interrupted or exhausted, cellular phone service can be disrupted.


• Have a car charger adapter for your cellular phone so you can recharge the phone’s battery from your car.


PTCI is committed to the communities we serve, and we are prepared to respond quickly and strategically to any outage so that our customers can stay connected with friends and family.

Your Programming Requests are Fulfilled!

PTCI has added new channels to their line-up! Because of the numerous requests we have received, our Digital TV now includes CNBC on channel 92 and Syfy HD on channel 546. CNBC HD on channel 592 is now available in some communities. Tell us what channels you want…we’re listening.