flyfisher

Sounds like White Cloud got it right then.

Yep, another reason to sit back, do nothing and let a 'competent person' deal with it all. You're right that we can't all know everything, but we could all be a bit more aware of what we do and don't know instead of just assume we're incompetent (or worse, be told we are) unless we have a certificate that says otherwise.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1391625218' post='2359420'] My point is you're pretending you don't understand why it's done and you're deliberately trying to find excuses why it's a bad thing. Now you're likening it to being like a frog in a pressure cooker. Another poster and myself have posted real world examples of dangerous occurrences that have been found or would have been found if checked by a competent person but incompetent people have been using in a dangerous state. Surely you are either now just being obtuse for the sake if it or you really are daft! [/quote] Not at all. Of course I understand why it's done but my point is that people think it's the answer to everything so they don't have to think about such things for themselves and therefore become dumbed-down about such things. Testing the condition of a mains lead will, of course, help a little bit and will no doubt occasionally reveal a faulty or dangerous cable. Fine. Except that a gigging band, full of musicians who are, frankly, not exactly the most technically-savvy of people, are plugging these cable in, pulling them out, treading all over them and scrunching them into bags many times a week without a second thought - and why should they, because the cables are all PAT tested every year right? It's a gradual dumbing-down of responsibility while the nanny state does everything for them and insists that they don't need to think for themselves in favour of using a 'competent person' instead. THAT's what I'm suggesting is the real problem with all this, not the PAT testing itself. But hey, having turned out a generation or two of people who can no longer even wire a plug (not that they need to of course because they're all moulded these days because no one would know what to do!) there's not a hope in hell of turning back the clock and teaching people to be resourceful and capable and responsible. [u]It's a bloody mains cable FFS[/u] We're creating a population of people who don't understand the importance of fitting the correct fuse and checking if it is damaged in anyway before they use it and we need a 'competent' person to do it for them. And a million other examples. Pah!

Even I can't rant on for as long as that, but it was a good one. Actually, it reminds me of an R4 Any Questions programme recently that came from Wales. One of the topics was about the poor performance of Welsh schools (http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/news/10850989.Wales_still_worst_in_UK_in_global_school_tests/) and one of the panel blamed the Inistence on teaching many of the lessons in Welsh, not only for the problems that alone brings but also because of the requirement for teachers to be bi-lingual. One of the panel pointed out how difficult it was to find good science and maths teachers who are also bilingual. Even the parents are moaning: [url="http://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storycode=6303470"]http://www.tes.co.uk...orycode=6303470[/url] Let's be honest - what is the point? What is the point of language if not to communicate? How much better would it be if everybody spoke the same language? But no. A tiny minorityof people decide that an obscure language spoken only by a bit of half a million people (welsh population = 2.4m - [url="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-20677528"]http://www.bbc.co.uk...-wales-20677528[/url]) should be forced upon the majority and, as a result, hamper their educational attainment and their life-chances in a predominantly English-speaking UK. Genius. Still, they are allowed to get away with it so who are the stupid ones? (Edited for formatting corrections)

Yeah, well that's what happens when you get old and cranky and start to see things for what they are instead of just going along with them. Not that I have any choice, of course, except to have the occasional rant. On your own heads be it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyBKz1wdK0M

[quote name='White Cloud' timestamp='1391621334' post='2359366'] Its true...rules limit us. My only rule is that I do not have any rules! [/quote] That's a good principle

For goodness sake Milty. If The Who could pull off something like that for a half-time show then it can clearly be done. There might be a million good reasons why the Chilies agreed to mime their spot, and that's their choice, but it wasn't because they were 'forced' into it was it?

Bonfires are not outlawed at all, never mind generally: https://www.gov.uk/garden-bonfires-rules Chip pan fires are not reliant on naked flames. Most people may no longer be confident around fire, but that's hardly surprising with all the rules and regulations (and misconceptions). It's symptomatic of a bigger problem though.

[quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1391619321' post='2359335'] Whether it's right or not, most venues (and markets which are my main source of income) have decided that a yearly test is what they're looking for. [b]It's simpler and less stressful to go along with it than start arguing the toss.[/b] For markets and events I just have a dossier of forms and photos on the computer which I print out and send as needed. This includes not only the PAT test certificate but copies of my Public Liability and Product Liability Insurance, wind rating certificate for the gazebo, risk assessment, names and ID of partners and photos of stands etc. Quick up date once a year and the job's a good 'un. I don't like spending money anymore than the next person but I've found a decent PAT tester who reminds my every year when the tests are "due" and is very reasonable cost wise. Even with the number of cables and lights I have (and I have 240v inside and outside equipment and 110v ditto) I reckon it's cheaper than buying the kit and doing it myself and if something happens I'm pretty well covered (and I have legal insurance just in case it gets serious). [/quote] Absolutely right, plus you can never win the argument anyway. No CRB checks in your 'dossier' then? Can't be long before that's needed as well. I reckon this is how the human race will eventually end; drowned in regulations and nobody being able to do anything without training or sign-off by a 'competent person' and an associated insurance policy.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1391617756' post='2359300'] The MOT is a test of road worthiness at a particular point in time. As soon as you leave the garage it's the responsibility of the driver to ensure the car remains roadworthy. [/quote] So how does the driver do that then? One day, you take your car to a fully equipped workshop full of calibrated test equipment staffed by experienced, qualified and licenced people and after about an hour of legally specified detailed testing they give you a certificate stating the car is safe enough to be driven on the public roads. For the next 364 days you expect a totally unqualified person to ensure the car stays in the same condition. But at least the MOT test is specified. PAT testing intervals are completely open to interpretation.

[quote name='MiltyG565' timestamp='1391618713' post='2359319'] Every rule has it's exception though, doesn't it? [/quote] Only if you have no principles.

I'd be surprised if mismatched drivers would result in a 'rattle'. Poor sound perhaps, but not a rattle. If the drivers have been removed/replaced/tampered with then I'd suspect something is loose. I appreciate you've checked everything but there's a lot of energy vibrating around a well-driven cab. Were the screws (into wood) easy to remove? Could be a bad sign. Might be worth replacing them with the next size up (diameter, not length) for a tighter fit. Nuts and bolts? Try some threadlock. Try it with the front grille removed altogether. Just a process of elimination really.

You're right. But it doesn't say to do anything to tackle the fire, except to turn off the heat if possible. Once upon a time they would give advice about how to actually tackle a fire, now they just say get out. Of course, that's good advice in absolute terms, which is why I've said before that these things can't be argued against. My point is not about the advice they do give, it's about the advice they don't give because people are increasingly treated as not being able to do anything for themselves without the appropriate training. Well, guess what, the vast majority of people are not 'trained' to use a fire extinguisher, so why even bother to provide them? Just follow 'professional' advice and simply get away from any fire, call the fire brigade and watch the building burn down before they get there.

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1391611092' post='2359183'] The only way to progress in life is to know when to stand up for your principles and when to let them take a back seat. [/quote] Funny sort of principles then. Seems more like a preference to me.

Good examples of the tough life that a gigging band can inflict on gear. So just doing something may not be enough to absolve someone from negligence if they've used a PAT tester who knows nothing about such things and normally just tests PCs in offices. Once a month might not be considered overkill if the band is gigging a few times each week and I'd bet you could find an expert witness somewhere who would stand in the dock and say so. What then? That'ss the problem with all this woolly 'something is better than nothing', 'you interpret what you need' type stuff. And it's nothing like an MOT because that's a clearly defined legal requirement and you have to go to a certified test station for a fully specified series of tests by a formally licenced expert. It could easily be argued that an annual MOT is total overkill for someone doing 1500 miles a year on the school run but not enough for a company car doing 50,000 miles a year. But from a liability perspective none of that matters because the law only requires the car to have a valid MOT certificate after which there's no room for debate. In comparison, the PAT requirements are a can of worms.

Being under warranty should be good news. Will be interesting to find out the actual problem. Good luck with it!

Fair points, but it suggests that the PAT testers have to have knowledge of the circumstances and how can they cover every eventuality? In an office environment I can see that there will likely be a person responsible for the company H&S policies and everything will have been determined beforehand, so the PAT tester is called in at the appropriate intervals and told to label everything for next testing as required. Fine. But how does a typical gigging band deal with all this? Who is likely to be competent enough to draw up a band 'H&S policy' and decide how often their stuff should be tested. OK, so they phone up the nearest PAT tester, but how do they know if they are competent to judge the risks of a gigging band? Are there PAT testers who specialise in different fields?

[quote name='Michael J' timestamp='1391607704' post='2359104'] 5V [b]is[/b] flat as a pancake for a 9V battery. [/quote] Yep, especially if you're just measuring it with a multimeter and no actual load. Interesting that it's only one battery that is so flat. Might be a clue there, but not sure what. I don't know the pre-amp circuit details, so I don't know what voltage it needs to operate correctly, but 5v is almost certainly much too low. In general, batteries do a pretty good job of maintaining their voltage throughout their operating life, then it quickly drops off. Different types have slightly different characteristics but that's the general principle and one that circuit designers will usually rely on. Again, I wouldn't be worrying about the distorted sound - I think you've found the reason for that. It's what's causing the battery to discharge so quickly in the first place that's the issue.

I've got a fender active Jazz and I've been worrying that the batteries seem to be lasting too long - almost a year now! OK, the amount of actual playing will affect the battery life, but unless you're at it 24/7 then one month sounds like a very short time to me. I wouldn't worry about the distortion. That's just a symptom of the dying batteries underpowering the pre-amp and causing it to distort. If new batteries sound fine, then I wouldn't give that a second thought. My understanding is that the battery is only connected when the lead is plugged in. So make sure you remove it when you're not playing. But I'm guessing you already do that. It's possible that the jack socket contacts are not working correctly such that the battery is remaining connected even when the jack plug is removed. Should be easy to check but you'll need to take things apart. If you're not comfortable with such things then it's a tech job. Perhaps some other active jazz owners could say how much use their bass gets and how long their batteries typically last?

I didn't read the report that way. They covered it in a towel first and used water to cool things down. I agree with your point about just throwing water onto things, but even a chip pan fire can be contained by covering with a damp cloth. Or so I thought. http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/chipweek.asp Seems that the current official advice for dealing with chip pan fires is to just get out of the house, call the fire brigade and watch your house burn down, instead of the previous advice to turn off the heat and cover the pans with a wet cloth (if possible to do so safely of course). Hmm. More HSE nonsense? Someone sued the Fire Service about that earlier advice did they? I sometimes wonder why fire extinguishers are provided at all when all the advice is to just run away. Anyway, in an aircraft you can hardly just 'get out' so something has to be done and a damp cloth seems like a pretty good emergency measure to me. I wonder what the official training for airline staff advises?

Out of interest, if you have your gear PAT tested (should that really be PATed?) how does the tester decide on the 'next test' date, given all the variables? Surely a mains cable used to power a desk PC that will probably not be disturbed for the next few years is a completely different case to a mains lead used by a band that does a few gigs every week? My bet is that they just allow one year whatever the circumstances - which rather makes a mockery of all this 'competent person' and 'appropriate test regime' interpretation of the acknowledged 'wooliness' of the basic regulations.

I've had a few different sets of wireless keyboards and mice over the years and all were more trouble than they were worth. I'd change the batteries. If that doesn't work, I'd change back to wired units.

[quote name='Diablo' timestamp='1391589209' post='2358783'] In the interests of not letting the facts get in the way of a good story, the above is total bunkum. Lipo fires are chemically fuelled and no amount of water will put it out. In fact it makes it worse as the water boils on contact with the reacting failed battery and that fires off bits of burning chemical into the air (and person trying to put it out usually) and helps to spread the fire further. The only way with this kind of fire it to contain it (fire blanket, metal box or the like) and let it burn out. [/quote] Doesn't sound like bunkum to me. Wrapping such a fire with a wet towel sounds like a pretty good strategy in the absence of a fire blanket. The towel will contain the burning material and the water will prevent the towel catching light by removing the heat, thus safely containing the fire while it it burns out. What's the alternative, leave it on the floor to burn through the aircraft structure?

Holes and digging come to mind.

Good point. The metadata is essential for any music application. I'm careful to ensure it's all present and correct (and consistent!) before I rip my CDs and I've never had any problems with iTunes, so I think those few extra seconds have been very worthwhile - especially when you see some of the errors in the online CDDB database that many applications use to download metadata. It's the old 'garbage in, garbage out' thing.