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Hello to you wherever you are in the world, as the Editor of Call Sign
Magazine, I'm delighted to welcome you to the on-line CS library.
Call Sign - in various guises - has been around since 1964 and I am its
fourth editor, following on from Joe Toff, Phil Emden and Gerald Craig.
What my three predecessors would think about the magazine they cared for
so passionately, whizzing around the world from keyboard to keyboard, heaven
knows! However, each in their own way progressed the magazine a bit further and
this is my bit - Call Sign International. We have been on-line since 1998 and
they are the issues you can research on.
Call Sign is not independent, neither does it claim to be. It is the
house magazine of Europe's most advanced radio taxi company, Dial-a-Cab. If you
are not a DaC driver - for whom this site is aimed as a library facility - but
you have been to London, you could not fail to notice the logo that adorns
every one of our 2,200 taxis. As a reminder, you can see it whizzing by at the
top of the page.
Dial-a-Cab's fleet have the latest in in-screen terminals. Each terminal
can instantaneously bring up detailed full colour maps of London, including the
facility to close in on any part and scroll it along. It contains a list of
various important parts of London in addition to stations, hospitals etc which
when highlighted, will bring up that point on the map.
The system can also bring up a keyboard on which messages can be typed
and sent to a central dispatcher. Of course its main function is to provide the
driver with trips and these are shown in two colours, which the drivers can
choose from around 1000...!
Dial-a-Cab also look after their clients and offer regular management
reports which our clients tell us are a great help in managing their transport
outgoings. We have also developed our own on-line Management Reports (DaCport)
which many clients have heard of and are now starting to apply for. Those who
have it say they couldn't now live without it!
We also believe that we were the first taxi organisation in the world to
develop a true on-line real-time booking system as against one where you just
send an email and hope for the best. With this system, clients use their own
log-in code and are immediately transported into our system where they can
order, cancel or even check on the progress of their taxi without ever needing
to speak to one of our Call Takers.
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As for Call Sign itself, we are
the only radio taxi organisation
in London to have a regular
magazine for drivers and staff
giving updates of the company,
together with general taxi news
and individual articles by the
drivers and even their families.
Before leaving you to browse, can I thank Call Sign's regular computer
columnist Vince Chin, who built this site for Call Sign. His knowledge of web
development is second to none and Call Sign are proud to have him.
If you would like to have a look at our latest issue, click on the
PDF sign under the icon
below. The same applies to any
issue of Call Sign in the
library, click on the year and
then the PDF sign below the
month. If you want to look for a particular
page, then click on the icon
instead of the PDF sign and 19
of the most popular pages from
that issue will be shown. With
that version, you can also use
the search option (at the bottom
of the front page where the
years are displayed). Just type
in a clue word (such as your
surname if you want to find an
older letter you have written)
and hopefully Call Sign's engine
will find it for you. Either
way, I hope you enjoy it...
Alan Fisher,
Editor
May 2013
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