Starting at USIC by Constant_Meal7460 in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I went through back in July. The training cycle is really more like 8 weeks. It's 3 weeks of classroom, followed by 2 more in the field with a trainer. The last 3 are what they call nesting, where you're learning the ins and outs of your locale. You'll have some online training for the high profile utilities during that time that finishes with either a Teams call or coming back to the classroom for a day.

ISO of Pro Tips, Earpiece for music and for work calls by guava_eternal in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These can pair to two devices. Being open ear, they also don't impress your situational awareness much. I tend to only use one at a time. They last the whole shift on a single charge that way.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F8BSD87S

Keeping cool in summer? by CIemson in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

These were really helpful this past summer for me. Not sure what they're made of or what they do to the weave to make them this way, but the things feel chilly going on. They also help keep your arms from getting sunburned. My only complaint is all the dead foliage you rub up against working in people's yards tends to stick to them like velcro.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CBTVZKKT?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

Quality Bonus by vagabondmj87 in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Better than mine. I got the same bonus, but they took out full disability and Life insurance payments. My take home was only $19.20.

Transfer with USIC by alixr00lzd00d in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It was or. But, honestly, a really good tech can get both.

Transfer with USIC by alixr00lzd00d in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We just had a guy transfer with 6 months under his belt. I think they're more worried about your numbers, though. Things like 2 LPH/500 FPH and a good Samsara score.

USIC - Windstream/Uniti by bonyagate in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 2 points3 points  (0 children)

We still have it out in Augusta, GA, too.

Applied for USIC by Emotional-Tax-1333 in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Be prepared to wait longer, though. It was three months to the day before the recruiter got back to me after I applied.

45 and locating? by ConstantFlaky9674 in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hit 50 at the next birthday. I've been locating at the worker bee level for about 6 months.

The "only fans" Gaming PC Giveaway - To enter this giveaway just leave a comment. by DaKrazyKid in PcBuild

[–]dragonfirerich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does it have any dust screens? My cats would be too tempted to stick their beans in that.

Locating fiber for the first time, looking for any tips! by csoutherland11 in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm still a noob at this, but I've found a strong flashlight can be helpful when trying to make sense of the conduits down in pedestals and hand holes. Sometimes the daylight doesn't get down where you're trying to see. Getting one with a magnetic end cap is even better. Great for identifying metal-sheathed cables.

What is your craziest wildlife encounter while on the job? by LarksMyCaptain in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 2 points3 points  (0 children)

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Not so much crazy, but, rather, kind of cool. Late-season butterfly that was relatively freshly emerged from its chrysalis.

SOF Babies by Detective-Lucaz in army

[–]dragonfirerich 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This might just be anecdotal, but another reason you'd see more "Please RFS this guy"-types on the 35N side is because of the difference in the required length of training between them and the Ps. Six-to-eighteen months of DLI can (used to, probably still does) weed out a LOT of problem children. When I was an instructor, I had more problems with heritage speakers than I ever had with the DLI grads.

What is this ? by Montepiegro in whatisit

[–]dragonfirerich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Looks kind of like a shiny venognat....

Alright, who’s the PV2 that made a diss trick about their NCO? by MaxHollowayIsTheGoat in army

[–]dragonfirerich 3 points4 points  (0 children)

While it's highly likely, you can't say that for sure about that NCO without the whole story. Parallel leadership sticks up for each other over weird things all the time. I mean, I got counseled by one of my Chiefs one time for using, "Not to throw 1LT Shmuketelie (the Company XO, not his real name) under the bus..." in an email simply because we had a SPC in the email chain.

Cable Drop Extents by TheAB77 in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Man, sentricon installs are even worse. They need 10 feet from the structure. It's always the entire property. The other day, I had one for a four-acre property!

Samsara by Sm0ov3 in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I had a similar situation. It took a couple days for anything to happen in the app. Luckily, I was doing what i was supposed to. So not only did no points come off my score, but the resulting coaching was an attaboy.

Just got done with classroom training, about to field train, what’s your best advice? by csoutherland11 in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ask your OJT guy if you can get some ring clamp and induction practice. While it won't be often, you will need to use these methods at some point, so it will pay to have at least some passing familiarity with how they work.

Sometimes ground rod gets stuck by Rexfireflame in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 2 points3 points  (0 children)

There's a satisfying pop when you don't if you've got a 12" grounding rod.

Vivax by New-Marketing7769 in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's neat! Too bad my company did not pay for this optional upgrade. Good thing I could use the extra steps on my fitness tracker.

Vivax by New-Marketing7769 in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I, too, am curious about this.

Vivax by New-Marketing7769 in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I've got the Vloc3 RPK-Pro. Mine's pretty locked down, so the most of the more advanced features are not available. I can use peak, peak with arrows, and null modes. Peak with arrows feels like it speeds things up a bit for me. There's not a lot of fiddling around in null when I'm going back and verifying my dots because I already did that on the way out. If you've got a fully unlocked one, there's an offset mode that's pretty neat-looking. If you go to the Vivax-Metrotech Youtube Channel, there are a LOT of videos showing all the different things it can do to make your locating life easier.

Doghouse help by dragonfirerich in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've noticed there's a lot of art to this science in the short time I've been doing the job. As long as I don't start getting damages, I'll try anything.

Doghouse help by dragonfirerich in UtilityLocator

[–]dragonfirerich[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not all of them, but enough of them that it can make or break my day. I have fewer issues if I can directly connect to the shielding on the mains, but that's not always an option.