sundance-communications.com/forum Forums General General Telephone & Systems Information Pet Peeve

Tex:

I agree with you to a certain extent. A cable run should be labeled properly and consistently. In a perfect world, this issue wouldn't even be on this forum today.

I am still interested in how one would label a cable run in a joint-use riser closet. In high-rise buildings, there are frequently many systems in a single closet. Many of these systems' installers end up reusing abandoned 25 pair+ cables.

For example: "ABC Realty" hires my company to run a cable and install a jack for a new DSL circuit in suite 510. "DEF Management Partners" hires their vendor to do the same a week later in suite 550, "GHI Company" does the same down the hall in suite 570 the next day. All installers share the same closet, so who, if anyone, determines the cable numbering scheme?

Surely, competing equipment vendors won't be happy about someone punching a cable down on the next position of their blocks. That's common sense.

Maybe I deal in too much big-city stuff, but this is a daily issue where I am. I am sure many of us here in this forum from New York, Los Angeles, Dallas or Chicago (insert major city here) share the same issue.

Back to the original subject: What number will be assigned to the new cable for a second fax machine in suite 528 (Company JKL)?

Here's my thing: I can start my own set of blocks, numbered "1-48" when I install a new system, then the neighbor's vendor does the same, and so on for all other tenants on that floor. Lots of systems in one room, lots of cables.

Then, a stranger comes in to the closet. Who's cable #6 is really #6 on a service visit when they are called to extend a new fax line? There are lots of #6 cables marked on blocks! A Telco flunkie says #6 doesn't tone back to the block (the only one of many he sees), charges the customer for T&M and leaves.

"There's something wrong with your equipment vendor's wiring. Please sign here and press hard, you are making three copies".

Unless one single vendor (and wiring installer) is on-site handling everything on the property, it has become a bit unrealistic to expect any level of uniform cable numbering. It's a tough bit of reality. Unless a complete high-rise property uses one single vendor for everything ( not likely), a uniform cable installation and labeling system just can't exist.

That's one of the reasons why toners, probes and butt-sets are being sold at home improvement centers.

See your problem Ed, we didn't have that trouble as much in the Bell days, cause it was a Bell guy that did it. Even then though some of them were just as lazy and inept as what you find today. I haven't done any large jobs since going on my own, but here is how I see it. If all cables go to a common room your cable could be number and the floors could be actual floor numbers jack 2 floor 6, 2-6 or what we would do is the floors would be letters 2-f and if the floors, buildings whatever went beyond that just start over 2-ff. In the case of a terminal on every floor than you'd just label your riser cable than label each floor, multiple terminals on each floor give the cable the terminal designation. You can't control others, but you can sure set an example as to how if should look. I do agree it makes it hard when there are many hands in it.

What gets my goat is the guy who doesn't terminate all the pairs,saves on jumper wire I suppose.

Back in 1999 the school district that I work for had a company come in to wire the 4 high schools for network and phone and that was done awesome the labeling sceam is great ive started using it. for example on the jack it says "109A.130.B" then the jacks are diffent colors "blue,green.yellow,red" so what the jack tells me is that the patch down blocks are in rm 109A and that the jack is in room 130 and its jack b. BUT as for the Nortel option 11 phone system now that’s a mess its all 110’s and there are like 200 phones and lots of analog lines as well as the simplex intercom system If you want pics of it let me know because I have a lot of the CER(wiring room)

Sure, post some pics.
Jeff

Harris and Bill have it correct in My Eye

You need to label the wiring thats just prof work as far as I am concerned. The label at the station like Harris says and the Label in the closet like Bill says or suite number and iw number eg 570-3.

That said Ed is correct about the blocks for the systems. If you are not using patch panels there is no need to label the block except for port numbers and even that is a given for a good tech.

My example is an Mics loaded, I dont want to have to trace 25 pair cables from the 0x16 or main cabs to the blocks just to find my port number. It would be faster to have the number on the block, again a good tech knows what ports are what but it does help speed things along if they are tagged.

I do use my toner when needed but preffer a good labeling job just in the respect that it saves me time and money, example: 3 tickets to fill today all at one hour labor I hit the first and its marked correct on the blocks and plates so I finish is 20 and I am off to the next job (I just made a few bucks more than expected) job two goes the same (good for me) in My mind I win some and move on. I get to job three and it takes me 2.5 hours because someone cant be prof enough to tag the gear and I have to hunt for every move, did I make a buck ? sure I did but I could have done a few more jobs in that time and lightned the schedule for the next day.

Just my thoughts.

now another good thing we do here is we just use one of the ports on the network drops insted of having separate phine runs ive seen this used all over tho when i get into the office and post the pic of our set up its not really organized but anyone that knows about this stuff would have no problem with knowing whats what

Harris:

I am not quite sure what you just said here. I think I understood some of the stuff in your previous post, but the most recent one is more difficult to understand. Will you please clarify what you were saying? Thanks.

Please excuse Harris, he was emailing from the Aligator Bar and Grill and one of the gators had a grip on , well, he ah, got distracted lets say.

In a perfect world everything would be labled and each designation would be unique, however since in most cases the space provided by the property owner for the d-mark and the system never has any light, is usually secondary to what the cleaning crew needs for storing the vacum cleaner and a wet mop upside down leaning on the 66 block and miss betty shoves all the chrismas decorations in there 11 months of the year. When the phone system or as ilike to refer to it as the "life line" has issues it is a major crisis. Many of these issues could be avoided if we could be part of original building design. Not asking for a suite, just some space to be proffessional. But since the phone was invented before Custer died at Little Big Horn it is not considered pertinant technology. So we come full circle, I have the toner and all the other tools. I never trust the work of those I don't know anyway. I consider it my job to overcome any obstacles along the way to accomplish the goal. I have an hourly rate and I NEVER quote the time to do a project in a llocation that I am unfamiliar with. I'll quote the rate and the start time, if it takes 3 hours to do a 1 hour job--SO BE IT!!
Maybe the customer spent $135 to activate a fax line somwhere that should have only cost $45. % 5 years later that fax line has outlasted 3 fax machines. Well worth the $90 cost difference if it didn't cast a nickel in labor since it was originally installed.
Have I got off the sbject again?