Pipedragger's weekly navy story
You asked for it, you got it. This week, anyway. And since I'm hooking you up, which is so unlike me, I may as well tell one you were in. You will be one of those who are referred to as "my Techs".
There is the huge possibility that if you never worked on naval electronics on a ship at sea, somehow operating and repairing complex equipment DESPITE the guidance you get from the officers appointed over you, that you are going to find this exceedingly boring. My suggestion is that if you're not a squid...or used to be a squid.....just skip this post today. OK, you've been tode.
A modulator deck on a Final Power Amplifier died. It was no big deal, we had 31 more backing it up, plus amps in other cabinets and other radar rooms, and in the Fault Impact Table, loss of up to four modulator decks was listed as NO IMPACT. Look up routine fault in the dictionary and this would be the example. So I told my techs to fix it and they assured me they were already on it.
I mention it to the Combat Systems Officer (CSO) and tell him the guys are on it. "What's the tactical impact?", he asks. "None". "It can't be none, Senior Chief." Tactically, sir, there's no impact. It's even listed that way in the book. There's a negligible loss of power, but it will be completely transparent to all watch standers." "But, it can't be none. I need it quantified. The CO won't accept that there's no impact." "Well, sir, there IS an impact, but since we are talking about one of over 70 total high power amplifiers, the amount of loss is so negligible that they didn't bother to quantify. Even the manual is saying, it's broke but you'll never notice it."
Although that neither satisfied him nor was the end of it, I told him I had to go check the progress. When it comes to hardware and naval officers, 8 out of 10 times you'll get hung up debating semantics because, while they are well educated, they are not trained as technicians. That's why "it's broke but there's no impact" just melts 'em down.
So my boys call me a very short time later. They know the problem. It's a fried resistor. Those are easy to find because normally as you're getting ready to start troubleshooting you actually see the burned up resistor, charred in half. It's pretty obvious. And the resistors I'm talking about are ceramic and about the size of two rolls of quarters laid end to end. Very easy to spot, even if you're not looking too closely, because they are located right on top out in the open. Kinda the first thing you see.
And they have already checked before they called me. Yes, there's one onboard in supply and they have the storekeeper's breaking it out as we speak. Very routine stuff. Two screws takes the broke one out, same two screws will put the new one in. Assuming that's not masking another casualty that is causing the resistor to fry, and we'll know that soon enough, we'll have it back up in 15 minutes. Hardly worth the conversation I had to endure with the CSO.
I go to find the goober, er, I mean CSO, to tell him we'll be back up shortly. I find him in the maintenance office, going from watch stander to watch stander trying to find someone who could quantify something that I have already told him is not quantified. So I gave my best "You're a friggin' idiot" sigh, grabbed a calculator and punched in 07734. Then I hit minus, typed in 07734 again. Hit equal and found a big, fat zero displayed. I used that number because a) when you turn the calculator upside down it'll say "hello", and b) because it was all for show anyway. Then I announced to the CSO, "it's roughly 1dB power loss....or do you need the decimal points, too?". No, he don't need decimal points. He's just happy he has a number to give the CO, regardless of whether it's made up or not.
Then I tell him, "but that's moot (notice I did not use the more common, yet incorrect term "mute" here) because the guys found the problem and I figure it'll be back up in 15 minutes, maybe less." Boys and girls, it was not gonna be that easy.
"So what was the problem, Senior?"
"It was a fried resistor, sir"
"Which resistor"
"What?"
"Which resistor was it?"
"What does that matter to you? Do you know the components in the amplifier enough for that to be useful to you? It's better you keep it simple."
"Because I want to know."
"OK, sir. It was the R3 resistor."
"Thank you"
"Sir? Now that you know it was R3, do you really have a better understanding than before?"
"Stay in your paygrade, chief"
"With pleasure, sir. You just don't know."
Travelin' Ed
There is the huge possibility that if you never worked on naval electronics on a ship at sea, somehow operating and repairing complex equipment DESPITE the guidance you get from the officers appointed over you, that you are going to find this exceedingly boring. My suggestion is that if you're not a squid...or used to be a squid.....just skip this post today. OK, you've been tode.
A modulator deck on a Final Power Amplifier died. It was no big deal, we had 31 more backing it up, plus amps in other cabinets and other radar rooms, and in the Fault Impact Table, loss of up to four modulator decks was listed as NO IMPACT. Look up routine fault in the dictionary and this would be the example. So I told my techs to fix it and they assured me they were already on it.
I mention it to the Combat Systems Officer (CSO) and tell him the guys are on it. "What's the tactical impact?", he asks. "None". "It can't be none, Senior Chief." Tactically, sir, there's no impact. It's even listed that way in the book. There's a negligible loss of power, but it will be completely transparent to all watch standers." "But, it can't be none. I need it quantified. The CO won't accept that there's no impact." "Well, sir, there IS an impact, but since we are talking about one of over 70 total high power amplifiers, the amount of loss is so negligible that they didn't bother to quantify. Even the manual is saying, it's broke but you'll never notice it."
Although that neither satisfied him nor was the end of it, I told him I had to go check the progress. When it comes to hardware and naval officers, 8 out of 10 times you'll get hung up debating semantics because, while they are well educated, they are not trained as technicians. That's why "it's broke but there's no impact" just melts 'em down.
So my boys call me a very short time later. They know the problem. It's a fried resistor. Those are easy to find because normally as you're getting ready to start troubleshooting you actually see the burned up resistor, charred in half. It's pretty obvious. And the resistors I'm talking about are ceramic and about the size of two rolls of quarters laid end to end. Very easy to spot, even if you're not looking too closely, because they are located right on top out in the open. Kinda the first thing you see.
And they have already checked before they called me. Yes, there's one onboard in supply and they have the storekeeper's breaking it out as we speak. Very routine stuff. Two screws takes the broke one out, same two screws will put the new one in. Assuming that's not masking another casualty that is causing the resistor to fry, and we'll know that soon enough, we'll have it back up in 15 minutes. Hardly worth the conversation I had to endure with the CSO.
I go to find the goober, er, I mean CSO, to tell him we'll be back up shortly. I find him in the maintenance office, going from watch stander to watch stander trying to find someone who could quantify something that I have already told him is not quantified. So I gave my best "You're a friggin' idiot" sigh, grabbed a calculator and punched in 07734. Then I hit minus, typed in 07734 again. Hit equal and found a big, fat zero displayed. I used that number because a) when you turn the calculator upside down it'll say "hello", and b) because it was all for show anyway. Then I announced to the CSO, "it's roughly 1dB power loss....or do you need the decimal points, too?". No, he don't need decimal points. He's just happy he has a number to give the CO, regardless of whether it's made up or not.
Then I tell him, "but that's moot (notice I did not use the more common, yet incorrect term "mute" here) because the guys found the problem and I figure it'll be back up in 15 minutes, maybe less." Boys and girls, it was not gonna be that easy.
"So what was the problem, Senior?"
"It was a fried resistor, sir"
"Which resistor"
"What?"
"Which resistor was it?"
"What does that matter to you? Do you know the components in the amplifier enough for that to be useful to you? It's better you keep it simple."
"Because I want to know."
"OK, sir. It was the R3 resistor."
"Thank you"
"Sir? Now that you know it was R3, do you really have a better understanding than before?"
"Stay in your paygrade, chief"
"With pleasure, sir. You just don't know."
Travelin' Ed
That's what I'm about. Ramblin' Ed at 3:11 PM
10 comments:
Well?..................
And? ..................
Are you gonna tell us or not?!
Okay, I'll just come right out and ask you - Did the newly installed R3 resistor "fry" again (indicating some other problem) or did that fix the problem?
No, everything worked fine and lasted a long time.
I did not put that into the story because, according to the disclaimer I wrote, I figured you'd skip it. And since pipedragger knew how the story ended.......well, you know. I just cut that corner.
You're a trip, big guy.
Ed
Well, even though a flyboy, I was almost a swab (60s term for squid).
True story: Feb 1965, tired of pumping gas for $1 and didn't want to wait until May for a rookie deckhand job that was opening up on one of the Ashland Oil tows on the Ohio River that was mine, if I'd just cool my heels for a few months.
Decided to join the Navy. Went to recruiters office in Ventura Hotel, Ashland KY, probably around 11 or so. Recruiting sailor guy behind the desk was by himself. He shook my hand and said "Sit down young man, here's a couple pamphlets, enjoy 'em while I run across the street and grab me a sandwich. Won't take a minute, I'll be right back."
Twenty minutes later, still no sailor recruiting guy, so I put down the pamphlets, walked out the door, turned left and the next entrance was Air Force recruiting office and, as they like to say, the rest was history!
True story, no Bravo Sierra, true, true story.
I meant that swab and squid thing with all due respect, of course. Interservice rivalry and all that, but when down to the brass tacks, I prefer associating with military folk or those with mil experience vice strictly civilian types, anyday.
That's not a prejudice thing, but a core of common shared experiences, regardless of uniform, that civvy types don't grasp or understand, for the most part.
In fact, one of the nephews is Navy Reserve. He did the first Desert Storm as active duty, then went back again for this last one as a reservist. Not to Kuwait, maybe Oman or one of them little ones you don't hear much about.
Don't know his career field, but saw some pics of him in action and he was wearing a hard hat and unloading heavy equipment off of large (very large) ships. Don't think he's an operator, more some kind of ship loader/unloader. Does that make sense?
Here ya go!
I was not going to be a soldier or marine. I knew that. I don't like carrying heavy stuff, and sure as heck didn't want to tote it off somewhere so people could shoot at me.
It came down to AF or USN. Both had good opportunities and offered great training.
So I looked at their bases.
AF: North Dakota, Nebraska, West by God Texas
USN: Hawaii, California, Key West, The Philippines.
The rest, as you say, is history.
My one rule about slang and bitchin': If you ever wore the uniform...go for it to your hearts content. If you were "too smart" to enlist, nobody here wants to hear it. So gunner, AI, and all you guys...no offense meant and none ever taken.
Dang boy, you left me a lot to answer...Yes, there's a rating on the gator freighters that are responsible for onloading and offloading jarheads and their machinery from the big amphib ships. I believe that is the rate your nephew chose. I don't know what it's called. And you know me, "I don't know, but I refuse to find out".
Ed
OK gunner, just saw the link. His rate, IT is communications, Local Area Networks, message traffic, etc. Not sure how/why he wound up as a cargo handler, but that's what it says. Ya learn something every day.
Ed
Just read your Navy story. Its Monday morning and I'm catching up after a long fun weekend. I remember the CSO wanting to know the actual power loss, but forgot he wanted to know the name of the resistor... :)
Pipedragger
You just don't know. Every day was a battle with that guy. I have never worked in a more dysfunctional command in my life. That ship was a taker. I'm glad she's decommed. I went to Harbor Master pier to watch her sail away...just to make sure she was really gone.
Ed
Post a Comment
<< Home