Pulled my first solo aerial fiber splice this morning and it actually held

I've been watching the senior guys do these for like 8 months and finally got the call to handle one myself on a damaged line over on Elm Street. The before was a mess of loose strands and the cleaned up after was so clean the foreman did a double take. Anybody else remember the first time they felt like they actually knew what they were doing on a tough splice?

3 comments

3 Comments

harper_foster4d ago

Hell yeah. I'll be real with you. I used to think splicing was overhyped by the old timers. Like come on, it's just connecting wires right? But then I had to fix a line that got ripped down by a tree branch in a storm. Took me almost an hour and my hands were shaking. When that light came through clean after I finished? Totally got it then. It's not just connecting stuff. It's skill and patience and knowing when to walk away and try again. Respect to you for pulling it off.

alexk604d ago

That storm story hits close to home. What was going through your head during that hour of working on the line? Were you more scared of messing up the connection or getting yourself hurt? I ask because I had a similar thing with a main breaker panel once. The pressure of getting it right when everything is riding on you makes your hands shake even if you're not cold. And man, when you finally get that light to hold steady, it's like winning a small war. Just curious if the fear is the same for you or if it's more about the technical challenge.

mila_murphy214d ago

Mila here… @alexk60, I once had a squirrel short out a transformer right as my coffee finished brewing.

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