I couldn't locate the thread, but last fall, I described a 3' by 2' by
2' metal box, with "ALPHA" marked on it, on my utility pole, and even
posted a picture in an effort to try to figure out what it was. I also
mentioned it had a circuit breaker in a box underneath it (and I wanted
to know what the darn thing was for). I now understand these boxes
exist across the nation and I now have the answer in case you may have
one in your locality:

The boxes are 120v to 90v transformers owned my Comcast. Each one can
support approximately 10 customers (that each have an approximately
12"x5"x2" silver metal box attached to the Comcast line). A Comcast
technician explained to me that purpose is that the Comcast technicians
do not need to be licensed to work with 90v as they would if they worked
with 120v equipment. The circuit breaker is for the transformer box, of
course, and the extra meter is so that Comcast can be billed for the
electricity that their transformer uses.

And that's the rest of that story...good day!

Bill

BTW, Comcast's strategy (of going to 90v) appears to me to be an
interesting example of what I call "angle shooting". I don't know
enough to say whether it is in the spirit of the law or not. Isn't 90v
equipment just about as potentially harmful to life and property as 120v
equipment?

BTW2, I asked a Comcast technician (I had 3 out last week) why they just
threw my cable-splitter on the ground under my house when they installed
my service. He said that's just the way they install them. I said, "What
about *craftsmanship*, I said if I installed it I would have mounted it
somwhere...". That word is very powerful. Before I contract people to
work on my home I may talk to them about craftsmanship--that way I may
be able to get things finished to my level of expectation rather than,
in some cases, the minimum level that gets the contractor out the door.
I only mention this to help empower anyone else who may prefer more
control over the way his or her work is performed by a contractor. It
seems that if the contractor agrees to perform at a certain level of
craftsmanship then the customer is empowered compared to if the
contractor merely agrees to get the job "done". I haven't actually
tried this technique yet, but it occurred to me after my conversation
with the technician about the cable-splitter.

Bill

Bill wrote:


BTW2, I asked a Comcast technician (I had 3 out last week) why they
just threw my cable-splitter on the ground under my house when they
installed my service. He said that's just the way they install them.
I said, "What about *craftsmanship*, I said if I installed it I would
have mounted it somwhere...". That word is very powerful. Before I
contract people to work on my home I may talk to them about
craftsmanship--that way I may be able to get things finished to my
level of expectation rather than, in some cases, the minimum level
that gets the contractor out the door. I only mention this to help
empower anyone else who may prefer more control over the way his or
her work is performed by a contractor. It seems that if the
contractor agrees to perform at a certain level of craftsmanship then
the customer is empowered compared to if the contractor merely agrees
to get the job "done". I haven't actually tried this technique yet,
but it occurred to me after my conversation with the technician about
the cable-splitter.
Bill

It's not a bad thought Bill, but good luck, in a sense. It's common to find
contracts that use language like "in a workmanlike manner", but the problem
is... that has no real definition. Real slipshod work can be held to the
scrutiny of a phrase like that, but it's just so vague that it does not
really offer any protection.

--

-Mike-

Good luck with contractors. This is why so mnay of us do it ourselves.

Most of the contractors here will come out, discuss the plan for an hour,
measure up, promise to get back to you in a few days with a quote and never
contact you again.

I discussed this with a local building supply store manager and he told me
this.
Three local electricians at the counter talking.
"I have to run over to the Miller's house to quote wiring it"
"I have already given them a quote from my company"
"I did too!", pipes in the third.
"Oh well, I'm not likely to be the cheapest so I guess I'll skip that one"

The other thing that happens is before a job starts, or in themiddle of the
job, a larger home builder calls and they magically disapear. The larger
builder has lots more jobs coming (hope, hope) and guess who gets dumped in
the heap.

Quality? There is no guarantee except to never pay more than 50% before th
job is complete. Hold it back!!! Anytime I have paid 90% or 100% the
contractor suddenly starts whining about how big the job was or that he has
other things to do and the quality goes down the toilet, 5 min after the
cheque is handed to them...no cashed. This has happened with some large
chain store installations here and I am currently involved in a legal action
with one right now. (yup 90% paid)


On another note:
Hydro One (formerly Ontario Hydro) has a protective metering standard
voltage of 70 volts. It is felt that 70 volts would not likely be as likely
to kill, or even harm badly, a person in a contact type accident. The
metering standard is all 120v equipment but they go to great lengths to
break this standard with many protection and metering pieces of equipment.
Another advantage is that the phase to phase voltage (shifted 30 degress) is
120v and that can be useful in this same field.

Of course for flash faults the transformers to do this voltage level shift
have such low capacity that faults would be limited to a few hundred amperes
and a safe level (won't melt you wrench in your face) This would be the case
of your Comcast scenario also.



"Bill" wrote in message
...
I couldn't locate the thread, but last fall, I described a 3' by 2' by
2' metal box, with "ALPHA" marked on it, on my utility pole, and even
posted a picture in an effort to try to figure out what it was. I also
mentioned it had a circuit breaker in a box underneath it (and I wanted
to know what the darn thing was for). I now understand these boxes
exist across the nation and I now have the answer in case you may have
one in your locality:

The boxes are 120v to 90v transformers owned my Comcast. Each one can
support approximately 10 customers (that each have an approximately
12"x5"x2" silver metal box attached to the Comcast line). A Comcast
technician explained to me that purpose is that the Comcast technicians
do not need to be licensed to work with 90v as they would if they worked
with 120v equipment. The circuit breaker is for the transformer box, of
course, and the extra meter is so that Comcast can be billed for the
electricity that their transformer uses.

And that's the rest of that story...good day!

Bill

BTW, Comcast's strategy (of going to 90v) appears to me to be an
interesting example of what I call "angle shooting". I don't know
enough to say whether it is in the spirit of the law or not. Isn't 90v
equipment just about as potentially harmful to life and property as 120v
equipment?

BTW2, I asked a Comcast technician (I had 3 out last week) why they just
threw my cable-splitter on the ground under my house when they installed
my service. He said that's just the way they install them. I said, "What
about *craftsmanship*, I said if I installed it I would have mounted it
somwhere...". That word is very powerful. Before I contract people to
work on my home I may talk to them about craftsmanship--that way I may
be able to get things finished to my level of expectation rather than,
in some cases, the minimum level that gets the contractor out the door.
I only mention this to help empower anyone else who may prefer more
control over the way his or her work is performed by a contractor. It
seems that if the contractor agrees to perform at a certain level of
craftsmanship then the customer is empowered compared to if the
contractor merely agrees to get the job "done". I haven't actually
tried this technique yet, but it occurred to me after my conversation
with the technician about the cable-splitter.

Bill

On Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:55:01 -0400, Bill wrote:

[snip]

BTW, Comcast's strategy (of going to 90v) appears to me to be an
interesting example of what I call "angle shooting". I don't know
enough to say whether it is in the spirit of the law or not. Isn't 90v
equipment just about as potentially harmful to life and property as 120v
equipment?

BTW2, I asked a Comcast technician (I had 3 out last week) why they just
threw my cable-splitter on the ground under my house when they installed
my service. He said that's just the way they install them. I said, "What
about *craftsmanship*, I said if I installed it I would have mounted it
somwhere...". That word is very powerful. Before I contract people to
work on my home I may talk to them about craftsmanship--that way I may
be able to get things finished to my level of expectation rather than,
in some cases, the minimum level that gets the contractor out the door.
I only mention this to help empower anyone else who may prefer more
control over the way his or her work is performed by a contractor. It
seems that if the contractor agrees to perform at a certain level of
craftsmanship then the customer is empowered compared to if the
contractor merely agrees to get the job "done". I haven't actually
tried this technique yet, but it occurred to me after my conversation
with the technician about the cable-splitter.

Bill



I take anything a Comcast technician says with a large block of salt.

The overhead cable from the distribution box to our previous house was
20+ years old and did not provide adequate signal. The Cable tech put
in an amplifier instead of replacing the cable. That works for a
while, but eventually the cable will be too lossy to work, even with
amplifiers. The problem was solved shortly after we moved from that
house - a limb fell on the cable line and took it down - the tech
couldn't be bothered to get a tree trimming crew out either.

Remember the ads with "Comcastic" in them? It almost sounded like the
real description: "Comcraptic".

Since having some tress taken down (now the sky is visible in the
right place), I'm seriously looking at satellite TV (dish/directv) as
an alternative.

The cable service here is underground, but even with an amplifier the
signal has deteriorated to at best semi-decent. There are lots of
audio/video glitches - the server farm providing digital cable service
just doesn't have the capacity to handle the number of subscribers
they are trying to serve.

John

On 7/2/2010 12:55 AM, Bill wrote:
I couldn't locate the thread, but last fall, I described a 3' by 2' by
2' metal box, with "ALPHA" marked on it, on my utility pole, and even
posted a picture in an effort to try to figure out what it was. I also
mentioned it had a circuit breaker in a box underneath it (and I wanted
to know what the darn thing was for). I now understand these boxes exist
across the nation and I now have the answer in case you may have one in
your locality:

What I said:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.w...f1bcd9b50b88a2



--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On 7/2/2010 10:12 AM, wrote:

I take anything a Comcast technician says with a large block of salt.

In this case he was correct ... ALPHA provided those boxes across the
country for years.

--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On Jul 2, 10:12*am, wrote:
On Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:55:01 -0400, Bill wrote:

[snip]





BTW, Comcast's strategy (of going to 90v) appears to me to be an
interesting example of what I call "angle shooting". *I don't know
enough to say whether it is in the spirit of the law or not. *Isn't 90v
equipment just about as potentially harmful to life and property as 120v
equipment?

BTW2, I asked a Comcast technician (I had 3 out last week) why they just
threw my cable-splitter on the ground under my house when they installed
my service. He said that's just the way they install them. I said, "What
about *craftsmanship*, I said if I installed it I would have mounted it
somwhere...". * That word is very powerful. *Before I contract people to
work on my home I may talk to them about craftsmanship--that way I may
be able to get things finished to my level of expectation rather than,
in some cases, the minimum level that gets the contractor out the door.
*I only mention this to help empower anyone else who may prefer more
control over the way his or her work is performed by a contractor. *It
seems that if the contractor agrees to perform at a certain level of
craftsmanship then the customer is empowered compared to if the
contractor merely agrees to get the job "done". *I haven't actually
tried this technique yet, but it occurred to me after my conversation
with the technician about the cable-splitter.

Bill

I take anything a Comcast technician says with a large block of salt.

The overhead cable from the distribution box to our previous house was
20+ years old and did not provide adequate signal. *The Cable tech put
in an amplifier instead of replacing the cable. *That works for a
while, but eventually the cable will be too lossy to work, even with
amplifiers. *The problem was solved shortly after we moved from that
house - a limb fell on the cable line and took it down - the tech
couldn't be bothered to get a tree trimming crew out either.

Few utilities do any PM on trees, either.

Remember the ads with "Comcastic" in them? *It almost sounded like the
real description: "Comcraptic".

Yeah, Comcast is crap, at least until you experience any others. I
had Adlephia, which after their run in with the feds was bought by
Comcast. They were alright, at least in my experience. Great TV and
Internet connections and decent service, at least as long as I had
them. I then moved and went to TW, which other than being a PITA who
didn't think much of service, was alright too.

Since having some tress taken down (now the sky is visible in the
right place), I'm seriously looking at satellite TV (dish/directv) as
an alternative. *

Don't! We moved again and now have no cable service so use Dish.
What crap! The thing is constantly freezing, skipping, and out-of-
sync and occasionally it's out totally for the local thunderboomer.
The set-top-box sucks too. It'll hang, requiring a five-minute power
cycle (think: crappy PC and WinBlows).

The cable service here is underground, but even with an amplifier the
signal has deteriorated to at best semi-decent. *There are lots of
audio/video glitches - the server farm providing digital cable service
just doesn't have the capacity to handle the number of subscribers
they are trying to serve.

Server farm? ...and you're thinking of going to satellite? I hope
you don't like local TV, either. We did get CBS, NBC, and Fox (no
ABC), but each is another $3/mo and none are "local". Two are from
NYC and the other SF, all a lot further than 1000 miles from being
"local".

On Fri, 02 Jul 2010 01:55:01 -0400, Bill wrote:

BTW2, I asked a Comcast technician (I had 3 out last week) why they just
threw my cable-splitter on the ground under my house when they installed
my service. He said that's just the way they install them.

OTOH, I had a Comcast tech out to the house a while back to install an
Internet connection and he replaced our wall mounted box for the TV
service. Said the one we had was getting old and it'd probably give
trouble in next few years. He didn't have any copies of the installation
manual I was supposed to get for the Internet connection, so he described
the process for me and removed the cost of the "installation kit" from
our bill.

I don't know if he was a special case or if that's normal service in our
area, but at least I can state that not all Comcast service is bad.

--
Intelligence is an experiment that failed - G. B. Shaw

On 7/2/2010 11:11 AM, Larry Blanchard wrote:

OTOH, I had a Comcast tech out to the house a while back to install an
Internet connection and he replaced our wall mounted box for the TV
service. Said the one we had was getting old and it'd probably give
trouble in next few years. He didn't have any copies of the installation
manual I was supposed to get for the Internet connection, so he described
the process for me and removed the cost of the "installation kit" from
our bill.

I don't know if he was a special case or if that's normal service in our
area, but at least I can state that not all Comcast service is bad.

I switched over from Comcast to ATT uVerse a few years back and at first
it was a startling upgrade in on-site customer service ... the past year
or so it appears that ATT may have been hiring ex Comcast field guys, or
reading from Comcast's "how to screw the customer" playbook.


--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 4/15/2010
KarlC@ (the obvious)

On Fri, 02 Jul 2010 11:25:22 -0500, Swingman wrote:
I switched over from Comcast to ATT uVerse a few years back and at first
it was a startling upgrade in on-site customer service ... the past year
or so it appears that ATT may have been hiring ex Comcast field guys, or
reading from Comcast's "how to screw the customer" playbook.

It's funny how customer service importance has grown over the years.
Fifteen years ago, all that was available in high speed Internet was
Rogers. Didn't worry about customer service much (even though it was
sub par) because they were the only game in town.

Then competition came by in the way of DSL Internet over the phone by
my current ISP Teksavvy. Tried them and the customer service was
great. I'm ashamed to admit, three years ago, I got lured away by
another competitor for about two days due to a much lower price. Two
days of hell and I went back to Teksavvy with my head hung low
apologizing all over the place.

Now at 56 years of age, it's not quantity or price that's important to
me near as much, it's quality and customer service that I pay for and
would pay even more for if necessary. Guess criteria changes over
time.

"Swingman" wrote

I switched over from Comcast to ATT uVerse a few years back and at first
it was a startling upgrade in on-site customer service ... the past year
or so it appears that ATT may have been hiring ex Comcast field guys, or
reading from Comcast's "how to screw the customer" playbook.

Easy there Swingman. You are giving them way too much credit. If in fact
there is a "how to screw the customer" playbook, they would screw that up
from time to time and actually give good service occasionally.

But if you hire total ****ups, give them litle supervision and have a
company that just doesn't care, then the customer screwing is assured and
consistent This is the Comcast philosophy.

"Lee Michaels" wrote in message
...


But if you hire total ****ups, give them litle supervision and have a
company that just doesn't care, then the customer screwing is assured and
consistent This is the Comcast philosophy.




Heck I thought you were about to say that this is the US government
philosophy.

Swingman wrote:
On 7/2/2010 12:55 AM, Bill wrote:
I couldn't locate the thread, but last fall, I described a 3' by 2' by
2' metal box, with "ALPHA" marked on it, on my utility pole, and even
posted a picture in an effort to try to figure out what it was. I also
mentioned it had a circuit breaker in a box underneath it (and I wanted
to know what the darn thing was for). I now understand these boxes exist
across the nation and I now have the answer in case you may have one in
your locality:

What I said:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.w...f1bcd9b50b88a2



Swingman: Yes, you made a good call--and I remembered that (but I
couldn't find it). I was able to add a few more details or I would not
have bothered posting.

As far as Comcast workers, they are not all equal. Some seem really on
the ball, and some try to baffle you with BS. The people that work the
phones evidently work from a script. Someone wrote, "Comcast is great
until you have problems." I think that's a pretty fair statement.

Bill

Bill wrote:

As far as Comcast workers, they are not all equal. Some seem really on
the ball, and some try to baffle you with BS. The people that work the
phones evidently work from a script. Someone wrote, "Comcast is great
until you have problems." I think that's a pretty fair statement.

Bill



FWIW, My Comcast service is back down. I was told it would probably be
back up in 4 to 8 hours and it wasn't. Was I surprised it wasn't, ha!
I drove the 10 miles to get to this connection so no one would think I
was being unsociable!

Bill

Lobby Dosser wrote:

FWIW, My Comcast service is back down. I was told it would probably be
back up in 4 to 8 hours and it wasn't. Was I surprised it wasn't, ha!
I drove the 10 miles to get to this connection so no one would think I
was being unsociable!

Bill


I doubt anyone will think less of you, even if you decide to take a
weekend off now and then. Just don't make a habit of it. ;-)

Thanks. I always feel negligent when I'm not able to be around to read
and reply to answers after I post questions.

There is medication for that one! LOL


"Bill" wrote in message
...
Thanks. I always feel negligent when I'm not able to be around to read
and reply to answers after I post questions.

--
Have your accounts been removed by other's complaints?
Do you like to force your opinions on others?
Do you need to use multiple names due to shame and fear?
Better rates for those requiring anonymity to survive!
******** easynews.com, trolling made easy **********

replying to Bill, Terroreign wrote:
Bill wrote:

I couldn't locate the thread, but last fall, I described a 3' by 2' by
2' metal box, with "ALPHA" marked on it, on my utility pole, and even
posted a picture in an effort to try to figure out what it was. I also
mentioned it had a circuit breaker in a box underneath it (and I wanted
to know what the darn thing was for). I now understand these boxes
exist across the nation and I now have the answer in case you may have
one in your locality:
The boxes are 120v to 90v transformers owned my Comcast. Each one can
support approximately 10 customers (that each have an approximately
12"x5"x2" silver metal box attached to the Comcast line). A Comcast
technician explained to me that purpose is that the Comcast technicians
do not need to be licensed to work with 90v as they would if they worked
with 120v equipment. The circuit breaker is for the transformer box, of
course, and the extra meter is so that Comcast can be billed for the
electricity that their transformer uses.
And that's the rest of that story...good day!
Bill
BTW, Comcast's strategy (of going to 90v) appears to me to be an
interesting example of what I call "angle shooting". I don't know
enough to say whether it is in the spirit of the law or not. Isn't 90v
equipment just about as potentially harmful to life and property as 120v
equipment?
BTW2, I asked a Comcast technician (I had 3 out last week) why they just
threw my cable-splitter on the ground under my house when they installed
my service. He said that's just the way they install them. I said, "What
about *craftsmanship*, I said if I installed it I would have mounted it
somwhere...". That word is very powerful. Before I contract people to
work on my home I may talk to them about craftsmanship--that way I may
be able to get things finished to my level of expectation rather than,
in some cases, the minimum level that gets the contractor out the door.
I only mention this to help empower anyone else who may prefer more
control over the way his or her work is performed by a contractor. It
seems that if the contractor agrees to perform at a certain level of
craftsmanship then the customer is empowered compared to if the
contractor merely agrees to get the job "done". I haven't actually
tried this technique yet, but it occurred to me after my conversation
with the technician about the cable-splitter.
Bill


Bill, thanks for your follow up in finding out what this was. I work for a
utility company and recently had stray AC current issues on our system.
One of the first things I noticed was this "Alpha Box" on a utility pole
near our system. Now that I have an idea what it is and the voltages
associated with it, I will be able to troubleshoot my problem more
efficiently.
Also thanks for the heads up on the craftsmanship.


--

Terroreign wrote in
roups.com:

Bill wrote:

The boxes are 120v to 90v transformers owned my Comcast.

BTW, Comcast's strategy (of going to 90v) appears to me to be an
interesting example of what I call "angle shooting". I don't know
enough to say whether it is in the spirit of the law or not. Isn't
90v equipment just about as potentially harmful to life and property
as 120v equipment?

Bill, thanks for your follow up in finding out what this was. I work
for a utility company and recently had stray AC current issues on our
system. One of the first things I noticed was this "Alpha Box" on a
utility pole near our system. Now that I have an idea what it is and
the voltages associated with it, I will be able to troubleshoot my
problem more efficiently.

It's actually a UPS, not just a transformer. There'll be
batteries inside the box, and an inverter.

It outputs either 63V or 87V. For reasons I don't know,
those are the standard voltages for cable distribution amps.

John

On Saturday, March 28, 2015 at 8:48:28 AM UTC-4, John McCoy wrote:
Terroreign wrote in
roups.com:

Bill wrote:

The boxes are 120v to 90v transformers owned my Comcast.

BTW, Comcast's strategy (of going to 90v) appears to me to be an
interesting example of what I call "angle shooting". I don't know
enough to say whether it is in the spirit of the law or not. Isn't
90v equipment just about as potentially harmful to life and property
as 120v equipment?

Bill, thanks for your follow up in finding out what this was. I work
for a utility company and recently had stray AC current issues on our
system. One of the first things I noticed was this "Alpha Box" on a
utility pole near our system. Now that I have an idea what it is and
the voltages associated with it, I will be able to troubleshoot my
problem more efficiently.

It's actually a UPS, not just a transformer. There'll be
batteries inside the box, and an inverter.

It's actually a 5 year old thread.



It outputs either 63V or 87V. For reasons I don't know,
those are the standard voltages for cable distribution amps.

John

replying to John McCoy , Terroreign wrote:
igopogo wrote:

Terroreign wrote in
roups.com:
It's actually a UPS, not just a transformer. There'll be
batteries inside the box, and an inverter.
It outputs either 63V or 87V. For reasons I don't know,
those are the standard voltages for cable distribution amps.
John


Good to know John. Thanks for the input.

--

DerbyDad03 wrote in news:a3745215-49e1-4788-8a73-
:

It's actually a 5 year old thread.

True, but terroreign's post is current, and it seemed
information he might find helpful, given his line of work.

John

replying to Bill, Belinda Moore wrote:
For the past three months, end of August to December 2016 comcast's
transformer box is making a loud squell sound that is unbearable at night. It
seems that the system trips and short circuits all night as you try to sleep.
I have asked the power company to remove the box. I don't even have comcast
anymore, so I feel I'm being intruded upon. If I have to get a lawyer to have
this noise stopped outside my home I will. I am sleep deprived and comcast is
only concerned with their boxes. No wonder they are losing customers.

--
for full context, visit http://www.homeownershub.com/woodwor...le-507331-.htm

On Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at 7:44:03 AM UTC-5, Belinda Moore wrote:
replying to Bill, Belinda Moore wrote:
For the past three months, end of August to December 2016 comcast's
transformer box is making a loud squell sound that is unbearable at night. It
seems that the system trips and short circuits all night as you try to sleep.
I have asked the power company to remove the box. I don't even have comcast
anymore, so I feel I'm being intruded upon. If I have to get a lawyer to have
this noise stopped outside my home I will. I am sleep deprived and comcast is
only concerned with their boxes. No wonder they are losing customers.


I doubt the power company will touch the box. If it's Comcast's box, call
Comcast.

When they replaced the utility poles in my neighborhood, each entity
moved their own equipment & wires from the old poles to the new ones,
starting at the top. Power first, then phone, then cable.

replying to Josepi, drgary911 wrote:
Contractors are why I came up with the saying "If I want something 'screwed
up', I'll do it myself for free." Screwed up being everything from completely
f'd up to done wrong to just done the easy way (eg. No Craftsmanship).

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodwo...le-507331-.htm

On Friday, October 6, 2017 at 1:44:06 PM UTC-4, drgary911 wrote:
replying to Josepi, drgary911 wrote:
Contractors are why I came up with the saying "If I want something 'screwed
up', I'll do it myself for free." Screwed up being everything from completely
f'd up to done wrong to just done the easy way (eg. No Craftsmanship).


It's a good thing that the internet has a lot of bandwidth lying around doing nothing.

replying to Bill, Dantheman wrote:
groups
Great story

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodwo...le-507331-.htm

replying to Swingman, Dantheman wrote:
groups
Great story

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/woodwo...le-507331-.htm