Hi Tweeters,

Technical problems have knocked out *both* the current Vancouver BC Bird
Alert machine and its back-up simultaneously, so the Vancouver Alert will,
I'm sorry to say, be out until at least one is repaired.

As parts become scarcer, it takes longer to repair these machines (Panasonic
KX-T1470's). Since most people are moving to voice mail, very few people
require machines with the qualities which make them good bird alert
machines. It is a vanishingly small, and getting smaller, niche market. When
our organisation looked at voice mail possibilities, it discovered the cost
to be far higher than it could possibly afford, given that the Vancouver BC
Alert's high levels of usage (85-100 calls per day, plus between 4 to 12
messages left per day). The Alert would have used up its voicemail free-time
for the month by the midpoint of the second day. Expensive.

My apologies for the interruption in Bird Alert service. I'll try my best to
re-establish it as soon as possible.

Michael Price
Vancouver BC Canada
michael_price at mindlink.bc.ca