That Old Black Telephone

That Old Black Telephone This link goes to a telecom industry web site blog. The author, Bob Stoffels, tells a story about a talk he gave to group of people regarding how rotary dial phones worked. He had to describe how these ancient phones looked as a young man in the audience had never seen one before. He goes on to talk about pay phones and the tricks he played in his college days. Pay phones! I can remember when I last saw one of those. I found the post a bit of entertaining telecom nostalgia.

Deliberate Dumbing Down of the World

The basic purpose of my blog is to educate anyone who cares to know about the telecommunication network. My ebook (see the Telecom Network Ebook tab) explains basic network structure. My specialty is what is known in the industry as Outside Plant.

I have heard several times from various sources, including managers at AT&T, that employers prefer to hire persons with college degrees not because that degree would give the new employee the data they need to do the job but that the employer can feel confident that his new employee is trainable. That alone is a sad testimonial for our educational system. The completion of high school should accomplish that.

In looking into the educational process, I encountered a Utube video that exposes some shocking truths about the general educational system forwarded by the United States government. I invite you to watch this video and see if it explains the reason for the downfall of our education in general.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDyDtYy2I0M

Please watch this video.

Outside Plant Show & Tell

As you drive around your community you will find telecommunications equipment on the side of the road and over your head on telephone poles. You may have equipment in your back or front yard that you are curious about.

Although fiber optic circuits are the latest and greatest, most of our calls are still transmitted on copper wires from your home or office back towards the Central Office for some distance. The Central Office is a building where all cables in a geographic area connect to a switch. These cables and equipment are known as Outside Plant.

I’ll do a little Show and Tell in this and future posts. If you would like to get more information on something you have seen, use my contact page to ask me.

This is a picture of a terminal attached to a telephone pole. A terminal can be defined as: a point at which a telephone line ends, or is connected to other circuits of a network. In this case, this terminal is used to connect wires from an office or home to the network.

If you look closely you can see a small cable coming up from the ground in the middle of the pole to the terminal. This terminal is "fed" from buried cable. To the left of that cable are two smaller black cables. These come from the terminal and go to buildings on the other side of the fence. These are known as Buried Service Wires.

The next picture shows what is inside. It is a simple device with screw lugs to attach the buried service wires. It's capacity is 25 circuits; two wires a piece.

The reason this terminal is exposed is that it is located in Florida where the ground water table is fairly close to the surface. Buried terminals are used but it would be a water tight version. This method of placement is effective and very accessible to technicians.

After the storm, hurricanes and Telecom

When a hurricane threatens, Engineering and Installation/Repair departments go on full alert. Power and telephone companies in south Florida have worked out coordination plans for such emergencies. This post is about my experience as an Outside Plant Engineer after hurricane Andrew hit south Florida, August 24, 1992. http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/history.shtml#andrew

Andrew was predicted to arrive on Sunday or Monday so the Friday before we were instructed to come to work only if it was safe and to report to the closest office possible. We would be on emergency duty hours consisting of 12 hour days for weeks at a time with a day off now and then.

The eye of the storm tore through the south Miami area Monday, August 24 around 5:00 am. At 4:00 am I was awakened by awful noises and decided it would be best to go to the first floor of my townhouse and ride out the storm in the powder room under the stairs. As I passed the front door I heard it rattle against the door locks. Only then did it occur to me that a deadbolt latch and door frame stood between me and the storm.

While trying to rest on the floor of the tiny powder room, I got a phone call from my sister who lives in the Caribbean to see if I was all right. This is a testament to the durability of the network. At daybreak the storm had past and residents of my community were out assessing the damage. We were lucky; only a few downed tree limbs, a leaky roof in one building and one broken window in the whole 250 unit complex. Officials on the radio were advising people to stay home while they assessed the damage on a broader scale. I called in to my manager, who confirmed that I should stay home for the day. But the next day I should report to the office or the closest office as safely possible.

When I arrived to work, plans were being made to assign us to Florida Power & Light sub-stations in our district to observe and report the status of power restoration. It is typical that power companies turn the power off as a precaution so that any damage to the grid does not cause unsafe conditions to the public. Power crews were visually inspecting, testing for abnormal electrical draws, downed power lines or other irregular conditions. The speed and efficiency with which they repaired broken poles and downed lines is to be admired. Power was being restored and sections released to Southern Bell as "clear". There was a misunderstanding at first that "clear" meant "safe" or as safe as usual, but that was soon clarified. It only meant that there was no unusual draw of power in that section. It was still dangerous out there.

When a section was cleared, I was assigned to ride with a Southern Bell technician to assess the damage to the telephone network. "Safety first" has always been the Bell System motto. In keeping with that, we were instructed to stay in the vehicle. As we drove through the neighborhoods we witnessed property damage and people outside picking up the pieces. The weather was hot and muggy—which is usual for August in Miami—and people were anxious to get the power restored. Frequently someone would run up to the truck and ask when the power would be restored. We had to remind them that we were with the phone company.

Within a few days, technicians from South Carolina and other states in the Southern Bell territory were arriving in caravans to construction yards. There trucks bore banners reading, "Andrew Busters" which can be likened to the "Ghost Busters" movie logo. They were greeted with cheers and hugs. There was much work ahead of us and some local employees were handling their own personal emergencies. As news trickled in from the South District of Miami we realized how lucky we had been in the north. Some employees lost their homes and were living in company buildings; sleeping on cots and cooking on portable stoves. Not only were the Southern Bell management team doing their usual jobs, they were also helping employees with essential food and shelter. I could say a lot more about the damage I saw, but this post would be very lengthy.

Soon, we in engineering, were designing restoration plans for construction. While in the field, we were required to wear three sets of gloves; cotton, rubber and work gloves on top to assure against electrocution should we touch a "energized" pole or chain link fence. The inability to move my fingers to hold a pencil to take field notes was a bit comical.

The team work and camaraderie of the group was something to experience. Like one big family helping each other, the community and getting the job done. It is an experience I will never forget.

For more information about this storm read this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Andrew