Let's Talk Cabling!

Send us Fan Mail Today we give you 5 tips for conducting site surveys. A common thing Technicians often complain about is Estimators not visiting jobs to estimate them. While that does happen most will try to visit their sites. Here are 5 tips to help you conduct and document a site survey! Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or support...

Send us Fan Mail Today we discuss 3 things you should know as contractors, technicians, and installers to Maximize your network cable you install.  By the end of this presentation you will have a better understanding of critical items that will make you more successful….more efficient…. More knowledgeable as an ICT professional. There are three ways in which you can maximize the network cable you...

Send us Fan Mail I get asked about test results all the time.  Sometimes they are simple and other times not so simple. An audience member submitted some test results and I brought in Mike Pennacchi from Network Protocol Specialists. He teaches Flukes Certified Cabling Test Technician (CCTT) class. We analyze the results and talk about testing in general.    Support the show Knowledge is power!  M...

Send us Fan Mail This episode we explore the most common test questions with Steve Cowles RCDD, NTS from AEM .  Do you have any testing questions you want answered?  Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or support the show at https://linktr.ee/letstalkcabling .  Also if you would like to be a guest on the show or have a topic for discussi...

Send us Fan Mail This is the audio from our After Hours Live Stream from YouTube, Linkedin, Facebook, and TikTok. We do our Acronym Challenge "What is mA", and answer questions like "Do you bond both sides of shielded cable", "Will Cat 7 work with Cat 5e", "Is Testing flawed because there is no network traffic", "What is a structured cabling system&quot...

Send us Fan Mail Its that time of the year again, we check in with our resident standards expert Jonahan Jew, Secretary TIA 42.  He brings us up to date on the latest ANSI revisions and how to be a part on how to develop standards.  Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or support the show at https://linktr.ee/letstalkcabling .  Also if yo...

Send us Fan Mail There seems to still be some confusion about trunk slammers. Many people think that if its a small company or don't have an office they are a trunk slammer.  There is much more to this picture. We discuss the definition, the traits and how to avoid them if you are a customer or contractor looking to sub out work.  Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the...

Send us Fan Mail There are many great people in the industry. There are also others who are dangerous because they think they know more than they actually do, especially when it comes to the standards. We discuss what are the benefits of the standards and the four families of standards generic, premise, component, and TSB.  Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to...

Send us Fan Mail As you can imagine I get asked a lot of questions about category rated cabling. This episode we will answer is category 5e cable compatible with Cat 6, Is category 6a cable shielded, can i use cat 5e in my house, is Cat 5e better than Cat 5, How can I tell the difference between Cat 5e and other category rated cabling, how many category rated cables can I get into a 3/4 inch condu...

Send us Fan Mail In January BICSI released its revised 8th edition ITSIMM. As you can imagine this also affected the INSTC, INSTF, and TECH courses. We interview Christopher Hobbs RCDD about what has changed, how to participate in the manual revision process, whats new in the classes and the impact to virtual classes.  Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy m...

Send us Fan Mail We continue our two part category cable testing series.   Tonight we will cover propagation delay, delay skew, alien cross talk testing, MPTL and return loss.  We also give shout out to some installers who have taken cable dressing to an art form.  Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or support the show at https://linktr...

Send us Fan Mail Testing cable has become more complex. This is because the cable has become more complex. The simple continuity testers will not just suffice. We must test for NEXT, FEXT, PSNEXT, PSFEXT, ACR-F, PSACR-F, Insertion Loss, and wire map.  This means we installers have to adapt. Listen in as we discuss what each of those are and how to fix them. We will also cover some tester basics. ...

Send us Fan Mail Fiber is one of the skills that can launch your career into the stratosphere.  Yet where do you find the training. We bring Sean Kelly RCDD, Technical Director at Light Brigade and talk about fiber training and the challenges of getting into fiber.  Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or support the show at https://linkt...

Send us Fan Mail There is and probably always will be a adversarial relationship between field staff and project managers. Some of it is brought on by how we, the industry, seek, promote, and hire project managers. I will cover those challenges and also give you four tips to become a better project manager! Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of c...

Send us Fan Mail Last week we discussed what it takes to be a good estimator. This week we discuss the mechanics of estimating.  We cover ITB, RFQ, RFP, RFI. We also cover the types of bids, direct costs, indirect costs, averaging cable runs and more! Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or support the show at https://linktr.ee/letstalkca...

Send us Fan Mail A common question I get is how to estimate projects. Well first you have to be a good estimator. What are the benefits and drawbacks to being an estimator? What skills are required? Listen in to part one as we cover this information. Part 2 we will cover the mechanics of estimating. Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or...

Send us Fan Mail All of the manufacturers have warranty programs. They also have steps to get into the programs and costs associated with the program.  We discuss the good and bad in our unique point vs counterpoint discussion. I will present in favor of manufactures and  Don Mangiarelli, owner of  Evergreen State Retail Technology Solutions, an ICT contractor for over a decade will present in fav...

Send us Fan Mail We posted a comment in social media last week which asked 'What is your biggest gripe about our industry.  One common response was the poor quality of new people in this industry.  In celebration to "Women in Construction" I interview Shelly Olmstead at IES.  Shelly helps to build a culture of quality and development that creates continuous improvement for all IES e...

Send us Fan Mail One common question I often receive is which computer certification should I get as a cable technician. Well, I don't know....I don't have any computer certifications. You know that that means? I bring on a subject matter expert to help talk about this topic. I interview Andreae Pohlman, an IT professional with many certifications and fellow Instagram and TikTok content...

Send us Fan Mail How can a drawing make your life easier as a Installer, Customer, or Engineer. Listen in as we discover what is Revit, what does it show, how it can help you find potential conflicts with other trades, and help estimators.   Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or support the show at https://linktr.ee/letstalkcabling .  A...

Send us Fan Mail This week we talk about a controversial TikTok post from my account. We discuss who is responsible for poor quality work. We will look at it from a Technicians, Employers, and Customers point of view.  You will want to hear this! Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or support the show at https://linktr.ee/letstalkcabling...

Send us Fan Mail Shawn Repp produces some quality work that very few could challenge.  He is also an avid TikToker who exhibits his work on social media with nearly 100k followers. We chat with him about his history, how he dresses a closet, what advice he would give an apprentice.  I apologize for the audio it is grainy and I could not fix it.  Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to s...

Send us Fan Mail Many low voltage installers and companies shy away from AV work. They fear it is too complicated or needs a programmer. This week we bring in Kevin Davidson RCDD,  talks about what is AV, why many fear getting into AV, and how to do a design. We finish the episode with questions submitted via TikTok live stream.  Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpa...

Send us Fan Mail This week I prepare to attend the Winter 2022 BICSI conference. Listen in as I cover ways you can invest in yourself to make more money or get that job you wanted! Support the show Knowledge is power!  Make sure to stop by the webpage to buy me a cup of coffee or support the show at https://linktr.ee/letstalkcabling .  Also if you would like to be a guest on the show or have a top...

Send us Fan Mail An Industry Icon is someone in the industry who through their career has mastered their trade and now is sharing and mentoring to benefit the Industry.  Theresa Johnson has both field and PM experience and now is a trainer for the IBEW's Joint Apprenticeship Training Center for her local. Listen in as we discuss her career, what advice she has for technicians, Project Manager...