This is a quote from an email I received late yesterday from the contracting super on a transmission line project (13/2 and 13/3 are structure (poles) locations):
"There are fiber (optic cable) flags that run ahead and back line where 13/2 and 13/3 are staked. Can we move them East or West? If so which way and how far?"
Of course being the twisted and wry fellow that I am, my reply was:
"The fiber flags can be moved east or west any distance you need to clear your work area. My suggestion would be to move the structures instead of just the flags. Please check with Garrett concerning the span length criteria."
This guy's all business. I bet he punches me in the nose Monday morning...:pinch:
> This guy's all business. I bet he punches me in the nose Monday morning...:pinch:
Hilarious. Please post video by Tuesday.
Teaching one of your male "kinfolkes's" how to clean wheels? Avataraily speaking 😉
PS: front wheel looks good, give him more beer so he can do the other side!+o(
I Believe Fiber Optic Repair Starts At $100,000.00
That might get his attention.
Personal note, about 25 years ago, an excavator tore out one of the first fiber optic cables in the US. It was marked out and AT&T engineers were present for the unhappy event to see that the cable was not where it was marked. I got to redesign the storm sewer to clear everything that was found in the way. Placing an elliptical concrete pipe on vertical axis allowed design flow. That is what the town engineer wanted. Elliptical concrete pipe is about three times the cost of round, the contractor judiciously decided not to try to charge AT&T with the extra. AT&T ate the cable repair. That might have had some effect on future markouts and rules.
Paul in PA
Fiber Optic Cable in Oklahoma
In Oklahoma there are a lot of low pressure gas and small diameter crude collector lines that have been replaced and abandoned. About ten years ago the comm companies started buying these up and pulling their fiber cables through them. I know of very few "direct bury" FO cable runs. I would assume it's probably common elsewhere.
This probably doesn't keep a 600 hp 36" auger or a Cleveland trencher with a 10' boom from wreaking havoc on them. But it gives them a little bit of protection from the "everyday" bonehead that is determined to tear up something!
Fiber Optic Cable in Pipelines
Was helping another surveyor about 20 years ago survey an old tract line in Jersey. We cam across a William Tel marker in the woods. That had used a WWII era pipeline and pulled optic cable through it. We soon had the attention of a cable minder who regularly traversed the route keeping aware of any activity. We had a nice long chat and saw him on and off. We had parked on an access road to a rest area and he was regular their. I do not know if it is Will Tel anymore, no Google hits, but that would not surprise me.
I also have located some optic cable markers alongside regular pipelines in their easements.
Paul in PA
Fiber Optic Cable in Oklahoma
I can think of one of those running though a pipeline from about 1930 owned by Williams Brothers. Diversicom was the company doing all the work. That line runs from the KC area, I think, to somewhere like OKC. There are five or six more pipelines paralleling the one with the fiber in it.
The reason I remember it is because they wanted to buy a small plot to put one of their "generator" stations or whatever they are called. They sent me all the specs on what and where. I roll up to the site and immediately start to question their sanity. I call my contact. He says keep on doing what I'm doing because they are in a hurry but he'll check to see if it would be better to move the plot somewhere else along the line. We finished our job. About two weeks later we got the call that they were abandoning the spot we had surveyed and they needed us to move about one mile to the southwest and repeat the process. Great for us!
The little problem I noted on day one was that ground level was about nine feet below flood level. I was picturing them building a huge platform on pillars for all of their electronic gear. From memory, I would guess that spot gets flooded about once every three years or so. No such problem where they relocated. I've always hoped some dumb bass who selected the first spot got a proper butt chewin'.
Fiber Optic Cable in Pipelines
There's at least one company that pulls fiber through existing sewer lines to get service not only to the streets but right to the home. Interesting concept, though I don't know how they deal with post-installation cleaning operations.
Fiber Optic Cable in Pipelines
> There's at least one company that pulls fiber through existing sewer lines to get service not only to the streets but right to the home. Interesting concept, though I don't know how they deal with post-installation cleaning operations.
Sounds nice on paper. Get one single tree root to invade one of those lines with a follow up clean out with the roto-rooter and say goodbye to that nice idea. God help if there's a willow tree nearby. Them things LOVE water lines of any sort - they ain't picky.
Fiber Optic Cable in Pipelines
Will Tel ? Wasn't that one of the long distance carriers competing with the old MCI World-Com carrier? Does either exist anymore?
I recall in the early days of the internet becoming publicly available that MCI was a big player in the backbone infrastructure.
Amazing how technology changes the world in just 20 years.
Fiber Optic Cable in Pipelines
> follow up clean out with the roto-rooter and say goodbye to that nice idea
A little nosing around indicates that there are at least 2 approaches to this. One of them does install the conduit inside the pipe, and I don't see how they can deal with cleaning operations. The other replaces the pipe (via pipe bursting) with new HDPE pipe that has conduits on the pipe exterior, which would eliminate the cleaning interference problem.
Communication equipment in flood areas
Back in the day when I did telephone work there were plenty of repeater shacks, load coil closures and splices in shacks that flooded regularly. They were all installed in "flood apparatus". A fancy name for turning a tea tumbler upside down in a sink full of water.
Lots of different size cans from the size of a coffee can to a 55 gal. drum. The water can get to the top of the shack, but all the 'hot' guts were nice and dry inside their upside down equipment 'flood apparatus'.
Low dollar, low tech fix. The kind that usually work well.
Communication equipment in flood areas
These are special design buildings that cover a solid area of about 24 x 60. That's why I was having a hard time imagining them being built up on pillars of some sort.
Fiber Optic Cable in Pipelines
WorldCom acquired MCI, went bankrupt and then rebranded as MCI.
MCI was then Acquired by Verizon and now does business as Verizon Business.
Fiber Optic Cable in Oklahoma
Back in 99 I did 3 spots for Booster Stations for Fiber optic up in Kansas.
One NW of McPherson(38°23'55.13"N, 97°41'7.89"W), one at the NW Corner of Marion(didn't get built) and a 3rd Near Strong City(38°24'16.47"N, 96°29'42.64"W).
