Capture the Moment!

Calling all photographers – amateurs and pros alike! PTCI would like to use one of your photographs on the cover of the next PTCI Regional Telephone Directory. All you have to do to participate is send us your best photograph, and keep your fingers crossed that we pick your photo as the winner!

Details for entering your photograph:

1)      Only digital files are accepted.

2)      Photos must be a minimum of 300 dpi at 8 ½” x 11” (Photos submitted with lower resolution are not judged)  This means if you were to print your photo on a letter-sized (8 ½ x 11 inch) sheet of paper, the photo itself would fill the page, and be crystal clear.

a.       To obtain a higher resolution, change your camera settings to the largest file size for each photo. This will decrease the number of photos your camera will hold; however, each photo will be a larger size and better quality. Just because your photo looks good on your camera’s display or a computer screen doesn’t necessarily mean it will print clearly.

b.      Do not use a cell phone camera as these files are too small for good print quality.

3)      Photos should NOT be manipulated with a photo editing software such as PhotoShop or Paint.

4)      CD’s and DV’s are accepted.

5)      Photos may be emailed to connie.hawkins@ptci.net or submit using the form at www.ptci.net/directorycontest.

Entries may be mailed to:

            PTCI

            ATTN: Directory Contest

            PO Box 1188

            2222 NW Hwy 64

            Guymon, OK 73942

Deadline: June 29, 2012. All images, whether emailed or sent by regular mail on CD or DVD, must be in the PTCI offices by 5:00 pm on Friday, June 29. Please contact Connie Hawkins with your questions.

Be Prepared When Severe Weather Strikes

We know that spring has arrived by the warm sunny days, blossoms on the trees, and colorful flowers sprouting from the earth. Unfortunately, the arrival of spring can also bring thunderstorms and severe weather. At PTCI, we know all too well how critical communication is when severe weather strikes. 

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

• Have at least one simple, corded phone at home. A cordless telephone will not function during a power outage. Wireline home phone service is typically available for hours after commercial power is disrupted, and these phones will continue to operate on auxiliary or battery power.
• Keep your cellular phone and backup batteries charged up if a storm is approaching. 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.
• Avoid using a wireline telephone during a thunderstorm. This includes cordless telephones that transmit to and from a base unit. Lightning strikes can cause significant injury by traveling through the phone lines into your home.

Because electrical outages are common during storms, we have developed plans which include permanent backup generators in many locations, along with portable generators for emergency power generation in smaller sites. In the event equipment gets damaged, we keep materials on hand so our crews can quickly restore service where needed.    

PTCI is committed to the communities we serve, and we are prepared to respond quickly and strategically to any outage to keep our customers in touch with friends and family.

Reflecting recent Community Service in 2011

Above and Beyond- PTCI Donates to Toys for Tots

Perryton’s 7^th Annual “Toys for Tots” Toy Run was held recently to benefit several organizations such as Toys for Tots, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Perryton Crisis Center, and Area Children and Families. The required entry fee was either a toy or game. Then several people biked to local businesses and collected toys and other donations. Deblen Francis has been involved with this organization for several years. He says, “Being part of this toy run is a fun way to give back to the community. You get to ride for a good cause.” Dianne Felix and Silvia Crawley may not ride with Deblen, but they like the fact that their donations help ensure that Christmas will come to those less fortunate through the spirit of giving.

Reflecting recent Community Service

Above and Beyond-PTCI and Employees Donate to Star Tree

 Even though the economy has required everyone to tighten their budgets a notch, the Christmas Spirit is bustling at PTCI. Employee donations are matched by PTCI for a double whammy of Holiday generosity.

With these funds, PTCI “Elves” shop for toys and other necessities to gift wrap for the lucky Star Tree recipients. The City National Bank has sponsored the Star Tree program for many years. PTCI and its employees have joined together with the CNB to help make Christmas happen for Star Tree children in the community.

Remembering Shoe

Donnie Shoemaker was a quiet man. He even laughed quietly. If he thought something was humorous, a slow smile would cross his face. His co-workers’ descriptions of him are similar: “slow and steady wins the race,” “easy going,” “soft spoken,” “laid-back,” and “a worker not a talker.” Getting in a hurry was not his style, and if he didn’t understand how something worked, he kept at it until he figured it out. He was a dedicated and hardworking employee, willing to learn new technologies. If you asked him a question and he did not have an immediate answer, you can bet he had an answer for you by the end of the day. He could southern engineer most anything and make it work. He was a natural at fixing stuff, and sometimes out of the blue, he would treat his co-workers to a tasty afternoon snack of ice cream drumsticks, just because. Donnie was an amazing cook. He could take any type of meat and turn it into a work of art. Donnie put family first. He was proud of his wife Linda and his daughters Jamie and Dana. Jamie is the mother of his three wonderful grandkids, and Dana proudly serves her country in the US Air Force. He even kept Dana’s combat boots from basic training in his cubicle. Donnie Shoemaker passed away on Wednesday, October 5, 2011. He will be missed as a husband, father, grandfather, co-worker, friend, and cook. Rest well, Shoe.

Tech Tip-How to Change Your Homepage

PTCI’s new community website go.ptci.net is a tailor-made homepage just for you. Changing your home page is a snap. Just follow the directions below for the four major browsers:

Internet Explorer Windows:
1. Click “Tools” and “Internet Options”
2. In the “Home Page” section of the “ Internet Options” screen, type in the address of the new PTCI web page, go.ptci.net in the “Address” box
3. Click the “Apply” button
4. Click “OK”

Safari:
1. In Safari, click the “Safari” menu, choose “Preferences.”
2. In the dialog box, click “General.”
3. Type in go.ptci.net in the “Home Page” box.
4. Click the red “Close” button in the upper right-hand corner of the window to save your changes

FireFox:
1. In FireFox, click the “Tools” menu, choose options
2. In the Dialog box that appears, click “General”
3. Type in go.ptci.net in the “Home Page” box
4. Click “Ok”

Google Chrome:
1. In Chrome, click the “Tools” menu
2. In the “Options” menu to the left, click “Basics”
3. In the Home page menu, click “open this page” and type go.ptci.net in the box
4. Click the red “Close” button in the upper right-hand corner of the window to save your changes

You can now explore PTCI’s new community website where it houses much of your favorite local information. By making go.ptci.net your homepage, you will be able to check out the classified ads, local weather, local news, and much more! Email, call or come by one of our offices if you have any questions about changing your homepage. We will be glad to help you!

Your LOCAL Calling Area is Bigger than EVER!

Local calling throughout the PTCI service area just got better! You can now call anywhere in the PTCI service area from your landline phone with NO LONG DISTANCE CHARGES! Effective July 1, 2011, you simply dial the last seven digits of any number that is local to the colored areas reflected on the map! That’s it!
“We appreciate our customers, and we are pleased to be able to expand our local calling area in such a way as to benefit so many people,” said Ron Strecker, CEO of PTCI. “We believe the newly expanded calling area will provide opportunities for economic development for our region.”

Send a TEXT in an Emergency

(Editors Note: Due to emergency situations throughout the State of Oklahoma
this article applies to help all cell phone users in any emergency.)

The recent fires in the Oklahoma Panhandle have caused many of us to sit back and evaluate a “plan-of-action” should we need to evacuate in the future. While we all pray it won’t be necessary again, we need to stop and think about communication in times of emergency.
Many area residents who live in the evacuated areas weren’t able to place or receive cellular phone calls during the emergency situation in Guymon this past April. Evacuees were trying to make calls, as were their friends and families trying to contact them. It’s human nature…we want to know if everyone is okay.
But what happened to communication was unavoidable due to the massive number of calls placed on the network. “Busy Circuits” and “Your Call Can’t Go Through” messages were common, frustrating callers beyond measure. Emergency agencies were utilizing the network as they worked to get control of the situation, while residents were desperately trying to reach loved ones.
Next time an incident like this happens and your cell call won’t go through, try sending a text message. Text messages don’t use the same bandwidth that voice calls do; so many times they’ll go through. There’s no guarantee in an emergency situation that your text message will be delivered, but a text message has a much better shot at making it through than a voice call does.

Capture the Moment!

Calling all photographers – amateurs and pros alike! PTCI wants to put one of your photographs on the cover of the next PTCI Regional Telephone Directory. All you have to do to participate is send us your best photograph, and keep your fingers crossed that we pick your photo as the winner!

Details to enter your photograph:

1) Only digital files are accepted

2) Photos must be a minimum of 300 dpi at 8 ½” x 11” (photos submitted with lower resolution are not judged)
a. Change camera settings to the largest file size for each photo
b. Do not use a cell phone camera as these files are too small for print

3) CD’s and DVD’s are accepted

4) Photos may be e-mailed to connie.hawkins@ptci.net

Entries may be mailed to:
PTCI
ATTN: Directory Contest
PO Box 1188
2222 NW Hwy 64
Guymon, OK 73942

Deadline: June 30, 2011. All images, whether e-mailed or sent by regular mail on CD or DVD, must be in the PTCI offices by 5:00 pm on Thursday, June 30. Please contact Connie Hawkins with your questions.

And the 10 PTCI Scholarships go to.........

PTCI has recently awarded $1,000 scholarships to 10 high school graduates from across the PTCI service area. Now in its 21st year, PTCI's scholarship program has provided worthy students over $160,000.