[ARC5] Environment - unexplained effects.
Glen Zook via ARC5
arc5 at mailman.qth.net
Sun Aug 24 21:59:48 EDT 2014
Then there was the situation in the Manhattan main substation of the electric company, Consolidate Edison ("Con Ed"). One day, the electricity from the substation ceased to go out. Electricity was coming in but none going out. The technicians and engineers immediately started trying to find out what was causing the problem and finally gave up. Then, someone remembered that an old engineer, who had retired decades before, was still living nearby. So, he was called down to the substation to find the problem.
The engineer found a certain place in the building and then started "stepping off" distances. When he reached a certain wall, he drew an "X" on the wall and asked for a sledge hammer. Everyone thought he was crazy but they still brought the hammer. The olde tymer then took the sledge hammer and hit the wall. Immediately, the electricity started flowing again.
What had happened was that, over the years, the inside of the substation had been remodeled several times. In that process, a large bank of contactors had been completely walled off. None of the present employees even knew that they were in place. The contactors had, some how, become jammed and no electricity was passing. By hitting the wall, the contactors were knocked loose. It seems that these contactors had sometimes failed when the olde tymer was working at the substation.
The wall enclosing the contactors was immediately torn down and, eventually, the contactors replaced.
The olde tymer sent a bill for something like $10,050.00. When he was asked to explain the bill he said that the $50.00 was for hitting the wall and the $10,000 was for knowing where to hit! The company paid his bill without any more questions. Of course, the revenue that was being lost every hour the electricity was not flowing was considerably more than what the olde tymer billed.
Glen, K9STH
Website: http://k9sth.net
On Sunday, August 24, 2014 7:22 PM, Bruce Long via ARC5 <arc5 at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
Chris Your memory of the column is better than mine. I agree with your recollection but I am unable to add to it.
I suppose the following story is off topic. Apologies offered in advance. But it does seem to fit the general theme of unexplained events---- that sometimes have entirely ordinary explanations:
True story. Happened in Mercer, PA.
A guy takes his Ford F-250 pickup to the service
department at the dealer where he bought it.
He tells them that the temp gauge is running
against the peg and the performance is bizarre.
They tell him it isn't blowing any trouble codes
on the computer. The truck is fine. It's probably
the temp gauge.
Unconvinced, he takes it to another Ford dealer
in Grove City. Same answer. Take two aspirin.
Get some sleep. The problem will go away.
Takes it to some old guy with white hair. The old
guy starts it up. Revs it a few times. Walks in front
of the truck. Pops the hood. Sticks his head under
the hood and listens. Never plugged in a computer.
Turns to the owner and says "You let your wife drive
this didn't you?"
"Yeah, last night", the guy replies. "But how can you tell
that from listening to the engine?"
"Because you have a tank full of mostly gasoline" the
old guy says. "Lucky for you there was still a good
amount of diesel in the tank when she gassed up.
Otherwise, you wouldn't even be able to get it to start."
Nobody thought to put a code in the computer for bad
fuel. And, if the computer says everything is fine, then
everything is fine.
True story.
________________________________
From: Chris Bowne <aj1g at sbcglobal.net>
To: Bruce Long <coolbrucelong at yahoo.com>
Cc: Leslie Smith <vk2bcu at operamail.com>; ARC-5 List <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, August 24, 2014 1:22 AM
Subject: Re: [ARC5] Environment - unexplained effects.
What was the name of that monthly feature? I remember it was about a guy maybe named Gus who had to diagnose weird car problems like you described...the name of the feature might have included the name of the garage. I used to read it all the time, some if my first lessons in troubleshooting. I'm also remembering a similar monthly feature one of the electronics mags, maybe Popular Electronics that was about a radio and TV repair shop where they had to deal with oddball electronics troubleshooting challenges.
Sent from my iPhone
> On Aug 23, 2014, at 12:14, Bruce Long via ARC5 <arc5 at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
>
> Unexplained effects
> Leslie's comment reminded me of this story. When I was a kid mechanics Illustrated magazine had an auto repair advice column. There was a man who had a problem with his car refusing to start but only when he stopped on the way home from work to buy ice cream and only when he bough butter brickle ice cream. He never had a problem when he bought vanilla or chocolate.
>
> Turns out vanilla and chocolate ice cream was available in a box in the freezer, he only had to pick out what he needed while butter brickle had to be hand packed into a box which took additional time. In that extra time the thermostatic choke reset and stuck so the car refused to start.
>
> Great story I hope it was true.
>
> I have no idea what affected the hay mower.
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Leslie Smith <vk2bcu at operamail.com>
> To: ARC-5 List <arc5 at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Friday, August 22, 2014 6:53 PM
> Subject: [ARC5] Environment - unexplained effects.
>
>
> Hmmm. Well, about 40 years ago (the topic is now environment, not
> ARC-5) I was a farmer.
> Local wisdom precluded doing certain things when an east wind was
> blowing.
> Part way thru studying maths and physics, I regarded this advice with,
> (how shall I say this) - some caution, perhaps even quiet amusement.
>
> One summer I was mowing (hay) and the shuttle mower was just cranky.
> The overload kept tripping, and I had to 'back-up' constantly to
> re-engage the mechanism.
> I didn't get much hay mowed.
>
> That was before lunch. After lunch, exactly one hour later, using the
> same mower, in the same paddock etc, the mower ran sweetly.
> I noticed the wind had swung 180 degrees - from east to west.
> Sometimes environment DOES affect "things".
> That's all I can say ... except I certainly don't understand how the
> wind could affect the mower.
>
> 73 de Les Smith
> vk2bcu at operamail.com
>
>
>> On Sat, Aug 23, 2014, at 06:51, David Stinson wrote:
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Jack Antonio" <scr287 at att.net>
>> Subject: Re: [ARC5] [Bulk] Re: SCR-274N Antenna Matching
>>
>>
>>> I wonder if success or failure
>>> with different matching
>>> techniques is dependent on environment.
>>
>> Don't laugh! I keep running into things like this as well.
>> Don't begin to understand it, either.
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> ARC5 mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/arc5
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:ARC5 at mailman.qth.net
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> --
> http://www.fastmail.fm - Or how I learned to stop worrying and
> love email again
>
>
>
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> ARC5 mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/arc5
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:ARC5 at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> ______________________________________________________________
> ARC5 mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/arc5
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:ARC5 at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
______________________________________________________________
ARC5 mailing list
Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/arc5
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
Post: mailto:ARC5 at mailman.qth.net
This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
More information about the ARC5
mailing list