(Joss Joselyn, editor of the time, gave the lowdown on our Bench Test features, which are still just as popular today and feature the same stringent test procedures...)
"The tests involved are all set out with meticulous accuracy, so that the criteria for hot or cold air turbulence, for quartz halogen lamp or fluorescent tube and for 'test insect' are always the same and can be related accurately one against the other.
"Did we hear someone ask "What's a test insect?" Well, it's actually made of paper, about the size of a large fly or a small moth, and it's attached to a long thin piece of wire. In use, approach is from the rear of the detector from a different direction each time to cover the 360deg of detector front surface.
"It simulates alighting and crawling up, across or down depending on angle of approach. Some ten passes should be sufficient to test the whole front surface."
Making sparks fly
(In his commentary on the Power Supplies section of the City & Guilds 185 syllabus, Michael Taplin recounted a couple of howlers he'd come across in students' papers...)
- "Q. Describe the construction of a lead-acid battery.
"A. It is constructed from two metals: aluminium and zinc are common.
"Q. State one visual check and one electrical check to be carried out on a sealed lead-acid battery during a maintenance visit.
"A. Short out the terminals with a screwdriver: if it sparks well, the battery is healthy."
Unwelcome advances
(H K Baker, of Selective Insurance Services, a company arranging insurance for special groups, recalled how his approaches to insurance companies for security discounts were first met...)
"The market place in domestic alarms really started to change in the late 70s/early 80s, when the need for security was perceived by the public as never before. The demand was willingly met by more and more salesmen of security – some quite excellent, others who were not. The position became transformed from one where the vast majority of alarms were installed at the insistence of insurers to a position where the majority of alarms were fitted into homes as a voluntary security measure.
"Against such a background it did not appear to insurers to be 'politically expedient' to consider much in the way of discounts and my own strong representations to them were greeted with the enthusiasm of a leper turning up to the local garden party – and that was on a good day!"
Wise words from an old friend
(Our old friend Tony Keenan, who sadly passed away last August, penned our Skill School 10 years ago. He offered some wise words...)
"It does not take many call-back visits to wipe out all the profit on a job and if the reason for the visit is a false alarm, then the impact on the neighbours and the effect on your relationship with the police must also be considered. The installer who has a higher than average false alarm rate will quickly lose his credibility and also lose any chance of further business from recommendations.
"So, what is the answer? In the first instance, the installation should be undertaken by a suitably trained fitter, working to British Standards and adequately supervised. He will be fitting good quality equipment and, most importantly, the installation will be commissioned correctly. The installing companies that take the time to finish the job off properly, and commission it systematically, find that it quickly pays dividends. They make money and stay in business!"
Source
Security Installer
