Predator Under The Surface ConclusionMore examples of how ‘piranhas’ can devour your business.By Robin ParkerEditor’s Note: In July, the authorintroduced his “piranhas” theory. Lastmonth, he detailed some examples. Weconclude his discussion here. We’resure other readers can add to thislist. If you would like to contributeyour version of the piranhas that can“attack” your business, send them todsilverman@testa.com.• The wireless remote antennaeare to be mounted where? No, inthe rack isn’t really a good idea.Will special hardware adapters ormounting plates be required? Whattype of cable and connectors will berequired? If you don’t think thereare a lot of different connectors outthere, just pick up a Comprehensiveor BTX catalog some time. Hours offascinating reading.• The contact said we would takecare of getting power to the rack.You do know we’re not electricians,don’t you? There are laws about thissort of thing.• Are blank rack panels being provided?They do help cover up unusedspaces. You do know what “blanks”are, don’t you?• Have all system components beenreviewed by engineering for the correctconnectors and proper interconnections?Do you think that everytruck in our fleet has every connectorand patch cable ever made? Ihave a crisp $<strong>20</strong> bill that says “nope.”I’d love to tell you about theexperienced installer whoattempted to install a micon a stainless steel counterusing a power drill…runningbackward!• Is there a location to dispose oftrash? Has this time been considered?• Is there a spare tire in the truck?Gas? Do all technicians have a keyto the truck? Are all installers legalto drive? Do they have your homephone number? (That comes inhandy so, late at night, they can callyou from jail.)• Yes, the screens will require themounting bracket. No, I don’t knowwhy they aren’t on the job order. I’mthe installer…I’m not the salesman, theconsultant, the engineer, the purchasingagent, the shipping or receivingclerk, or the delivery driver. Starting atthe top of this list, I think you shouldstart asking them. If you had asked me,I would have told you, “Yes, I’ll needthem”—but you didn’t ask me.• Specific input and output connectors,such as an “output jack for radiofeed,” must be identified as to thespecific type of connector and its location.From what piece of equipment,and what signal level is desired?Mic, line, balanced, unbalanced,XLR, ¼-inch, mini 3.5mm, RCA,mono, stereo? Will any type of buffer(transformer) isolator be provided?Can Bubba even spell XLR? Did yousomehow forget to mention that this“feed” has to be in the other buildingnext to the sanctuary, 100 feet away,over that paved parking lot?• Has the knowledge, understanding,training and experience ofthe installers been considered andevaluated prior to sending them outto a job? We once had an installerattach a wall-mounted speaker to asheetrock wall in a restaurant witha single #8x1 pan head wood screw,directly into the sheet-rock…no anchorof any type, whatsoever. Beforehe left the building, the speaker fell.He called the office and said, “Thewalls were made out of some kind ofpowder.” He had absolutely no ideawhat “sheetrock” was.• Does Bubba even own a solderingiron and, if so, would he know whichend to hold?• Speaking of Bubba, does he, orhis helper, know how to use powertools? I’d love to tell you about theexperienced installer who attemptedto install a microphone on a stainlesssteel counter using a power drill…running backward! In fact, I will!If I had given him another coupleof hours, he may very well havefinished. In about 90 minutes, he hadsuccessfully gouged (or burned out)three out of the four ¼-inch holesnecessary. You should try to dothis sometime, just to see how trulydifficult it is to drill a stainless steelcounter backward.You literally have to heat the counterand drill bit to well beyond whitehot (using only the friction of the bit,and I strongly suggest that you don’tRobin Parker, owner of Suffolk Audio Services, has more than 30 years of experience in theprofessional audio/video industry. He has been involved with the design and installation ofhundreds of systems in the Mid-Atlantic region and worldwide.36 <strong>Sound</strong> & <strong>Communications</strong>www.soundandcommunications.com
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