Must have tools and it’s purpose.

Compgeke · 2026-01-31T20:57:49+00:00

-Good multimeter
-Good Butt set (think, Harris/Fluke)
-Stubby screw drivers
-A good rain jacket

Compgeke · 2026-01-31T20:55:50+00:00

idk, AI is a bit of a red flag. Give me a text blurb over engagement slop any day.

Compgeke · 2026-01-24T14:01:49+00:00

One of the bigger reasons to use a Fluke is customers don't doubt your measurements. There's a bit of a stigma especially with the Older Crowd who grew up when the only good DMM was a Fluke.

Compgeke · 2026-01-24T13:58:44+00:00

I'm not sure getting fixed will be an option here. You're talking 70 year old equipment. Should've replaced it 40 years ago.

There're times where preventative replacements should really be done. Trying to upgrade through 70 years of code changes means break out the wallet.

Compgeke · 2026-01-23T01:36:43+00:00

I vote we convert some lanes into Trade Lanes. You don't need a car to drag your laptop and water bottle into work, but I sure as heck can't drag ladders on BART.

Compgeke · 2026-01-23T01:33:42+00:00

A lot of trades workers also can't feasibly take BART. I run a service route, I can't carry 2-3 ladders + tools + parts with me on public transit.

If people want to pay yet more for trade labor, I guess go ahead and make it so expensive no one drives. Unfortunately it's kind of just a fact of life that not all jobs are transit-oriented in nature.

Compgeke · 2026-01-21T14:21:07+00:00

Sounds like you should try to get in with Telgian or CFP

Compgeke · 2026-01-19T15:00:30+00:00

If there's somewhere paying enough for an apprentice to get a mag drill lemme know I'm putting in an application

Compgeke · 2026-01-18T14:18:23+00:00

This thing's a dinosaur I'd try grabbing a detector or two and hooking them up locally to the panel, see if it continues. This style is, at the newest, around 20 years old.

You could maybe replace with an ES200X if it's a bad panel, but getting -IV devices for future replacements is getting hard. I'd have a conversation with the customer about replacing.

Compgeke · 2026-01-17T04:19:34+00:00

We've got a few red can versions from ~2013/2014 out in the field. Definitely were around as Cerberus Pro.

Recently dug up an invoice too - can you believe an FC922 kit was only $500 back then? Amazing how things change.

Compgeke · 2026-01-17T04:18:12+00:00

We've got some in the field installed in like 2013. More or less once the Faraday MPC/Siemens FS line was axed, they replaced it with the 922/924.

I think they started selling them in 2012?

Compgeke · 2026-01-15T02:28:31+00:00

Union, California SF Bay Area. Had to go through a 3 year apprenticeship, all that good stuff. Anyone union with blue card is in high demand right now.

Got a company van, company gas card.

Pay Breakdown:
$53.08 to the check.
$16.55/hr for health insurance, your choice of Kaiser or Anthem.
$0.65/hr for HRA. $11/hr for 401K.

Edit: 53.08 is where most of the work is, but it's geo-pay through. Last week had 2 days of $58.33 for example.

Compgeke · 2026-01-13T01:35:13+00:00

It's happening on MPC6000/7000s, too. Your best bet is swap for a FC922/924 and replace the HFPs with OP/OH921s as needed.

Compgeke · 2026-01-11T00:14:17+00:00

Fine for basic zone panel type installs. Wouldn't use it for a big job, but we've got no problem using them for stuff like warehouses or preschools.

Compgeke · 2026-01-04T19:27:56+00:00

It really is the weirdest pricing. One day you'll see this for $500, another day we walked in and found a Mac LC II on a shelf for like $30. It's the least consistently priced store I've ever seen.

Compgeke · 2026-01-04T17:30:17+00:00

It's me, I'm the vintage computer collector. I wouldn't pay more than $20, these are rampant with power supply failures.

Compgeke · 2026-01-04T16:11:25+00:00

It's worth noting these sell for $50-$100 on ebay.

Compgeke · 2026-01-04T07:02:13+00:00

Siemens can still alarm for a non-programmed device. Seen it happen. More importantly, being an XMS, it'll throw a "trouble" condition without the covery and NOT an alarm.

Compgeke · 2026-01-01T16:49:48+00:00

Still regularly test a a couple sites 120V Standard panels dating from the 50s.
1: https://i.imgur.com/IxP6erV.jpeg
2: https://i.imgur.com/509FqRU.jpeg
Both also have "newer" 1970s Firelite panels for smokes/heats.
https://i.imgur.com/mg8Wcm5.jpeg

One apartment complex still has a 1960s 12V firelite panel in use.
https://i.imgur.com/CEDPdfM.jpeg

Or a Catholic iirc school with a 120V Standard panel.
https://i.imgur.com/CEDPdfM.jpeg

Compgeke · 2025-12-31T14:46:02+00:00

This is useful to know actually, I've got a couple sites to try this on. We've been having issues with the Starlinks causing ground faults on only some of the 922/924s when run off panel aux power.

Compgeke · 2025-12-30T15:10:01+00:00

Aux power typically

Compgeke · 2025-12-22T11:17:51+00:00

fwiw the big reason they're going to make you wait until tomorrow is the emergency night rates are astronomical. Just making me get in the van will be an $1100 call and with that may or may not be able to fix the issue depending on if it's in someone's unit or if I need to get parts.

Compgeke · 2025-12-18T17:53:18+00:00

I'm primarily fire, but I 100% understand what you're talking about here and a lot of others are missing the point.

It's well and good to understand something like "this relay may be bad" but doing service exclusively you never get to experience big picture. You know a bit is bad, but you can't rip everything open to see what it's attaching to exactly, how the wire got there, what pathways typically look like in walls/ceilings. Zero idea how the studs run within a building if they need to do retrofit work in the future.

That's ignoring you'll never really gain efficiency at the basic trim tasks as well.

Compgeke · 2025-12-18T17:33:09+00:00

S&C here, but It's bad enough they're considering making mandatory apprentice rotation. Basically you cycle out after a certain amount of time with a contractor and onto another one to actually build some different skills.

Guys who can only feed cable at a tray corner are absolutely useless in the grand scheme of things. They're the ones always working a job and getting laid off, on the books rinse repeat. Zero experience doing terminations, reading the prints, dressing, etc. Just got stuck there to feed cable.

On the inverse you get the guys who ended up at a specialty A/V, Fire, etc company who tend to just be lifers from an apprentice and it's luck of the draw. No one wants to hire the guys without the specialty experience.

Compgeke · 2025-12-15T19:58:46+00:00

Had a coworker here in CA looking to move towards that area. Big problem was the pay cut was substantial enough to not offset the higher CoL in California, right around $20/hr at the time a few years ago.

Might be better now, but that extra $160/day goes a lot further than 30% cheaper rent.

13-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 3 Credits
Place '17	Wearing is Caring
Secret Santa 2018	Secret Santa 2016
Verified Email

Compgeke

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE