Keyboards

[TushingPin]

Anyone know the likelihood of the FAA or just some terminal facilities switching from PDIP to QWERTY? I know people constantly bitch about the PDIP and it seems that the QWERTY would be more well accepted now.... thoughts? I personally have worked with both QWERTY military and PDIP and I still prefer the QWERTY... but I'm also 26 so I can see where people like the PDIP more.... anywho wasnt sure if there were terminal FAA facilities that use the QWERTY or not, and if theres any chance of moving to that.

 

[GulfCharlie]

Last word on the street (about a year-ish ago) was that the issue of installation, aka putting them in the console/desk like the old ones are now. Honestly I would kill to have one because it would making things a lot easier with touch typing versus having to go back to the scope, look down, look at the scope, the inevitable backspace... The time saved would greatly enhance safety and efficiency in the NAS. With our generation moving to the front of Air Traffic Control this is needed now rather than later...

I should also add at the time we looked through the catalog and it was 5k for the mouse and 3k for the keyboard (if I remember correctly...)

 

[GulfBravoPapa]

I don't see it happening. Where are you going to put the keyboard? Like GulfCharlie mentioned it doesn't fit in the place where the keyboard is now. So either you'd have a hole in the console with the keyboard and mouse now sitting on top or you'd have to get entirely new consoles. I'm used to the ABCD keyboard... Although I still wish they would disable that stupid 'center' key... hate accidentally pressing that one.

 

[eltors0]

Google tenkeyless keyboards. They are much more compact/smaller than a traditional keyboard and nearly the same size as the ACBD keyboard, and could be converted to have the same function as what we have now, or more.

A lot of the FDIO keyboards have converted to the tenkeyless keyboard for example.

 

[TushingPin]

Google tenkeyless keyboards. They are much more compact/smaller than a traditional keyboard and nearly the same size as the ACBD keyboard, and could be converted to have the same function as what we have now, or more.

A lot of the FDIO keyboards have converted to the tenkeyless keyboard for example.

We have this at our facility and I think I would rather the PDIP in lieu of this. I really enjoy the QWERTY keyboard they have made up for stars already. Sure implementing it may be a pain but it would be awesome if they could.

 

[DankVectorz]

God I miss the QWERTY keyboard from the AF. I’m pretty used to the ABC one now but for the first year or two it would take me 5 minutes to type in a VFR fp

 

[Spoony90]

I used to want a QWERTY keyboard but my facility has so many F16 functions that I’m used to the ABC keyboard now. If we got rid of our F16 functions then I’d want a QWERTY

 

[TushingPin]

I used to want a QWERTY keyboard but my facility has so many F16 functions that I’m used to the ABC keyboard now. If we got rid of our F16 functions then I’d want a QWERTY

Wouldn't you still have f16 functions on a QWERTY?

 

[UNABLE STBY]

Maybe the N90 guy can confirm or deny -

There was a trial done at N90 with a QWERTY board a few years ago. They didn’t like it, didn’t want to change from what had been the standard for most of their careers. The negative feedback from that run killed the project. Had nothing to do with expense, it was labeled as a NextGen idea and had funds allocated for a nationwide change.

 

[TushingPin]

Maybe the N90 guy can confirm or deny -

There was a trial done at N90 with a QWERTY board a few years ago. They didn’t like it, didn’t want to change from what had been the standard for most of their careers. The negative feedback from that run killed the project. Had nothing to do with expense, it was labeled as a NextGen idea and had funds allocated for a nationwide change.

Ugh! Doesnt N90 have predominantly old timers there?

 

[Dontbotherme]

Keep the one we have now as there is nothing wrong with it

 

[Spoony90]

Wouldn't you still have f16 functions on a QWERTY?

Yea but it’s a system. I don’t know the letters I just know where they are at. Like the ILS approaches are all in a diamond. It makes sense when you do it. It’s hard to explain lol

 

[TushingPin]

Yea but it’s a system. I don’t know the letters I just know where they are at. Like the ILS approaches are all in a diamond. It makes sense when you do it. It’s hard to explain lol

That makes no sense to me. Ours are I for ILS fixes. N for RNAV fixes. Blah blah blah. Some make sense. Some dont.