[BC] Worst 'engineering' ever seen

[Sid Schweiger]

>>I never left ANYONES transmitter in that shape...<<

I will never forget my first visit to the FM transmitter site at my
first full-time engineering job, almost 30 years ago.  I was the
assistant CE, and the CE was new as well.  Neither of us were prepared
for what we saw.

The transmitter was an old RCA 5-kW (which never gave me a lick of
trouble for the two years I was there...with a TE-3 exciter retrofitted,
it just sat there and worked).  However, the rack of equipment next to
it was a disaster.  There were no AC plug strips or Plugmold, so all the
AC cords were left dangling and were plugged into multiple
cube-taps...the kind made out of lightweight Bakelite for home use. 
Extension cords (of the lightweight home variety, with no ground wire)
were run across the floor to whatever outlets were available, and they
were all warm to the touch.  The extension cord connected to the TE-3
exciter was warm to the touch, as were a few of the others. 
Breaker/fuse boxes, conduit and wiring had been done only for the
transmitter, and we found out later that that installation didn't meet
code.  The audio and RF cabling in the rack was done properly, but had
not been dressed out neatly as it should have been, so it didn't look
too good either.

The new CE and I took pictures and had a meeting with the GM, who
quickly authorized us to spend whatever we needed to clean up that fire
trap.  Afterwards, we plugged all the cube-taps and extension cords
together and presented them to her as a trophy.



Sid Schweiger
IT Manager, Entercom New England
WAAF - WEEI AM/FM - WKAF - WMKK - WRKO - WVEI AM/FM
20 Guest St / 3d Floor
Boston MA  02135-2040
Phone: 617-779-5369
Fax: 617-779-5379
E-Mail: sid at wrko.com