Power Line Repair Richmond

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richrowl

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Chesterfield Co Virginia
Around 10a.m. this morning Sumpter Utilities (Sumpter SC) staged at the old Cloverleaf Mall (Rt 60 and Chippenham Pky, Chesterfield County) and began prepping to assist Dominion Power repair electric lines. There are approx 35-40 vehicles including line trucks and pick-ups. Sumpter is on 152.870 ctcss 114.8

Anyone know of any other utility contractors assisting Dominion.
 

W4UVV

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Prince George, Virginia--Central Va.
Pike Electric

Pike Electric from North Carolina has a continuing installation/maintenance/ "911" type of response contract with Appalachian Power and Dominion Power and were the ones who got everyone in my area operational after the last hurricane. They were really good at installing poles and not wasting any time.

They are licensed nationwide for 49.46, 49.48, 49.50, 49.52, 49.54 and 49.58 mhz., pl 67.0.
I believe I heard them mostly on 49.52 mhz. They set up a temporary base from a trailer with a "common" simplex operation and each crew tends to use one of the other frequencies simplex. I didn't see HTs being used. It was truck to truck comms. They gather in the morning 7-8 am first for a briefing and then disperse to whereever they will work that day. Comms. were occasional during day.
 

n4jri

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Richmond, VA
My girlfriend saw a contractor in eastern Powhatan with Wisconsin license plates. Doesn't know the name--and now she has her power back.

73/Allen (N4JRI)
 

gcgrotz

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Savannah, GA
I love those Pike guys, they were a big help up here after Isabel. Talked personally with many of them, trust 'em with your life.

Listening to DomPower on 48.28 here is very interesting, their procedures are very meticulous but whats with the "signal 7", why not just say yes or OK. Sometimes thay just say seven. I'd bet they say it to their wives and kids...
 

richrowl

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Power Line Repair

Signal "7" is affirmative or as we know 10-4.
With circuits, lines and pole numbers there can be no misunderstanding of numbers so
everything preceeded by "signal" avoids errors in energizing a circuit or whatever.

VIRGINIA POWER / VIRGINIA NATURAL GAS

Radio Signal Codes


The word "SIGNAL" will precede each number when used on the air

1 Reporting On Duty 23 Connect Service
2 Reporting Off Duty 24 Disconnect Service
3 Away From Radio 25 Check Voltage
4 Reception Poor 26 Street Light Out
5 Reception Good 27 Job For Tomorrow
6 Speak More Clearly 27-A I Need Job Tomorow
7 Affirmative 28 Keep Radio On
8 Repeat 29 Check Meter Reading At___
10 Phone 30 No Hot Water
11 Relay Message To___ 31 Light Appliance
12 Weather 32 Check For Gas Leak
13 Any Message 33 Bad Gas Leak
14 Negative 34 No Gas
15 Location 35 Poor Pressure
15-A My Location Is___ 36 No Heat
16 Proceed To___ 37-39 Reserved For Future Use
16-A I Am Proceeding To___ 40 Reception Quality
17 When Will You Arrive 41-48 Reserved For Future Use
17-A Will Arrive___ 49 Cancel Call
18 I Have Emergency 50 Disconnect Service-No Contact
18-A Emergency Cleared 51 Disconnect Service-Delinquent
19 Partial Lights 52 Reconnect Service
20 No Service 54 Call System Operator
21 Wire Or Pole Down 70-79 Reserved For Future Use
22 Trouble Cleared
 

W4UVV

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Don't rock the boat

gcgrotz said:
I love those Pike guys, they were a big help up here after Isabel. Talked personally with many of them, trust 'em with your life.

Listening to DomPower on 48.28 here is very interesting, their procedures are very meticulous but whats with the "signal 7", why not just say yes or OK. Sometimes thay just say seven. I'd bet they say it to their wives and kids...


When I first heard Va. Power, VEPCO, Dominion Power and now Dominion Resources radio comms, 44 years ago, I had the same question. Nobody wants to change it or is afraid to try and change it. It's always been that way as one of the radio signals that probably are like police codes. It's probably documented in a lineman's manual radio procedures written when Edison invented the electric iight, "set in concrete" never to be changed. It is the same mindset that some hams have about always saying the annoying "we" in radio comms when referring only to themselves. I've been licensed for 46 years. The "we" was being used then and I still hear it today. "73s", "88s", etc. are understandable as carryovers from cw days but "we" isn't. It's not only older licensed hams who use it but some younger ones also use it. They hear others using it so they figure they should use it too.
 

W4UVV

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There is a reason

W4UVV said:
When I first heard Va. Power, VEPCO, Dominion Power and now Dominion Resources radio comms, 44 years ago, I had the same question. Nobody wants to change it or is afraid to try and change it. It's always been that way as one of the radio signals that probably are like police codes. It's probably documented in a lineman's manual radio procedures written when Edison invented the electric iight, "set in concrete" never to be changed. It is the same mindset that some hams have about always saying the annoying "we" in radio comms when referring only to themselves. I've been licensed for 46 years. The "we" was being used then and I still hear it today. "73s", "88s", etc. are understandable as carryovers from cw days but "we" isn't. It's not only older licensed hams who use it but some younger ones also use it. They hear others using it so they figure they should use it too.

Richard Rowland's post has the reasons for signal codes that make sense viewed from a safety of life perspective. I occasionally hear Mecklenburg Electric Coop., Southside Electric Coop. and Prince George Electric Coop. and they use plain language and possibly a few "10" codes but I've never heard any signal codes. Pike Electric also uses plain language in their comms.
 

gcgrotz

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W4UVV said:
When I first heard Va. Power, VEPCO, Dominion Power and now Dominion Resources radio comms, 44 years ago, I had the same question. Nobody wants to change it or is afraid to try and change it. It's always been that way as one of the radio signals that probably are like police codes. It's probably documented in a lineman's manual radio procedures written when Edison invented the electric iight, "set in concrete" never to be changed.

My late father worked for VEPCO (I still call it that) for 37 years, most of it in Richmond at the old 12th St plant. They used to talk via carrier current on the transmission lines. I'll bet he used the "signal" codes.

W4UVV said:
It is the same mindset that some hams have about always saying the annoying "we" in radio comms when referring only to themselves. I've been licensed for 46 years. The "we" was being used then and I still hear it today. "73s", "88s", etc. are understandable as carryovers from cw days but "we" isn't. It's not only older licensed hams who use it but some younger ones also use it. They hear others using it so they figure they should use it too.

Not only hams, but quarterbacks, basketball players and performers to name a few. I remember when people would say "What's this we stuff, ya got somebody in your pocket?"

And note to Richrowl: Thanks for the codes list. I will refer to it after the next major outage but offhand I can't remember hearing anything but "seven".
 
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