The Telecom Exchange Tour

adslgeek · 19-11-2009, 08:26 PM

Hey guys,

Just letting you know that we all just got back from a big Telecom Exchange tour with (among others), none other than PressF1's Moderator ChillingSilence!

There are a bunch of pictures that have been taken which we can upload, as well as some video as well, showing the whole trip.

The following was the original invite that was sent out to some of the top posters and bloggers across NZ.

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Hey guys,

I am in the middle of organising a Geek Exchange Tour with Telecom Wholesale - an exchange, cabinet, cablepit etc and this is happening on the 19th from about 1pm onward.

We are not fussed if you are pro-Telecom or not, and our goal was that we can keep it frank and honest about exactly what and why Telecom are doing things, you will be welcome to bring camera's and or video and they are welcome to post honest feedback of what you thought of the trip.

At the conclusion of the trip, we have organised some Beer (including some Kingfisher of course) Pizza and an informal catchup with the Broadband Product managers from Wholesale, where you can ask them the hard questions.

Also this would be an Auckland trip, so you would need to be in the city on the day.

We had a very limited invite list, so was only able to spare one slot for PressF1, but based on how it goes, we may consider doing it again later, covering different elements, or introducing to different teams (but no promises).

In order to work out who I could invite I had to pick, based on a combination of people with a reputation for "community spirit" in the forums, a high number of posts per day, and/or my own random biases and friendships. :-)

Cheers,
ADSLGeek

adslgeek · 19-11-2009, 08:28 PM

Here are some pics from Nate;
http://twitpic.com/photos/nate_dunn

And some more pics from another forum:
http://www.gpforums.co.nz/showthread...5&pagenumber=5

I believe ChillingSilence will have some pics to upload soonish, and I will upload my pics here as soon as I get a chance..

bob_doe_nz · 19-11-2009, 09:35 PM

There goes Chill in the back!

nate · 19-11-2009, 09:45 PM

I think ChillingSilence's pics will be much better than mine, though not bad for a Nokia E71!

adslgeek · 19-11-2009, 10:32 PM

I just added my first clip of the whisper cabinet here:
http://www.adslgeek.com/dslforum/index.php?topic=207.0

Chilling_Silence · 20-11-2009, 06:24 AM

Haha, I decide to have an early night and look what I miss out on

Will have to get the pix from my wifes camera when she wakes up, don't wanna rummage around the room, wake her, and be in the dog box

Big thanks to adslgeek, Telecom wholesale & Chorus for the big tour, as well as the Q&A afterwards. Definitely something I hope they do again for others, soooo worthwhile!

I think that it's incentive enough to get going with a blog which I've been putting off setting up for a while...

pctek · 20-11-2009, 08:11 AM

Have to say I bet that was especially chosen. Having been in loads and loads of different exchanges - before privatisation and after I can tell you 99% don't look anything like that.

What they look like is a bomb site with spaghetti wiring and no labelling.
The building aren't maintained either - hence piles of rubble and stuff everywhere.

lakewoodlady · 20-11-2009, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pctek

Have to say I bet that was especially chosen. Having been in loads and loads of different exchanges - before privatisation and after I can tell you 99% don't look anything like that.

What they look like is a bomb site with spaghetti wiring and no labelling.
The building aren't maintained either - hence piles of rubble and stuff everywhere.

Ahem, I beg to differ. I was a trainee tech in the 1970s and the pabxs and exchanges I worked in were impeccably tidy. (Courtney Place mainly) They had to be, in order to find which wire went where. All wiring was labelled on the frame numerically and all cabling was tied in sequence. Those were the days of mechanical step equipment later went on to do some wiring in Cross bar framing.

Maybe they are not so particular now with the digital exchanges.

LL

pctek · 20-11-2009, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lakewoodlady

I was a trainee tech in the 1970s and the pabxs and exchanges I worked in were impeccably tidy. All wiring was labelled on the frame numerically and all cabling was tied in sequence. Those were the days

Yes. Exactly.

Husband installed and maintained exchanges from 1966 to 1991. They were lovely then. I was in heaps then too.

Now, however, they are complete tips. I went in quite a number in um, 2003. I got a shortlived job with Downer doing ADSL hookups. I ran away screaming in horror.

somebody · 20-11-2009, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pctek

Yes. Exactly.

Husband installed and maintained exchanges from 1966 to 1991. They were lovely then. I was in heaps then too.

Now, however, they are complete tips. I went in quite a number in um, 2003. I got a shortlived job with Downer doing ADSL hookups. I ran away screaming in horror.

I was given an unofficial tour of part of an exchange in the Wellington region late last year (won't say exactly where), and it seemed to be well looked after. There was one part which was quite run down, but admittedly all the equipment had been ripped out so that room wasn't actually being used for anything at that stage.