[BC] Christmas Trees, Patch panels and Blocks

[Dave Hultsman]

Christmas Trees were actually a very good connector and is based on probably the largest connector of communications and audio leads in the world,  Bell Labs.  They chose a splicing block that was made reasonable accessable even with their tall racks in frame rooms.  They always had what they needed to work on them (Not like most radio stations)  a good four legged ladder with a platform and rails and plenty of light and the godd old American Beauty solidering iron.
 
Most radio stations followed suite as did many console manufacturers.  The telephoen company evolved into the punch down type blocks and followed broadcast. 
 
I personnaly like the Krone punch blocks better than the the 66 type blocks because they offer a tool to open the line and turn the pluig over and you can listen to either the in or out.
 
Used the all over Korea with the world cup.  More popular in Europe and SE Asia but I am seeing them in Radio Stations. 
 
Many broadcast console manufacturers dropped the ADC "tree type blocks"  in favor of the Cinch-Jones type terminal blocks with screw terminals. The larger companies  Ward-Beck and McCurdy continued to use the "trees"
 
Pacific Recorders kinda decided they would use the molex on modules and if you wanted system wide wiring they would provide prewired cable harnesses from the console molexes to the trees or punch blocks or rows and rows of Cinch Jones terminal blocks on panels.
 
Most of my complaints was the standard telephone an broadcast racks installed them in the very bottom of the racks,  the dirtiest, darkest and impossible area to access, while about mid way up the rack they could have been mounted behind the patch panels.  Several telco/microwave installations started doing them so you could see the connections, didn't have to stand on your head or stick you hands in the no mans land in the bottom of the rack.
 
I built several facilities with the Christmas Trees but mounted them immediately behind the pack panels and on tilting brackets.  The other thing we did was as someone mentioned,  was we purchased  trees that had  a few more rows and installed the normal jumpers on the trees and the bottom was a ground buss.
 
We used single hole TRS jacks  with Belden 8723 dual wire, red & black T & R &  Green T normal and White R normal.  Was very easy to make changes.
 
Have also used the different panelsand blocks  from Gentner, ADC, Trimm and others.  I guess I like the Krone best.
 
Dave