The BICSI Cable Skills Challenge: Round Table Discussion with 4 Competitors

WEBVTT
00:00:00.561 --> 00:00:01.243
Hey Wario Monkeys.
00:00:01.243 --> 00:00:04.049
Welcome to another episode of let's Talk Cabling.
00:00:04.049 --> 00:00:08.089
This episode we're talking the Bixie Cable Skills Challenge.
00:00:08.089 --> 00:00:13.801
What are the participants like, what's the competition like and what's it really like behind the scenes?
00:00:13.801 --> 00:00:36.731
Welcome to the show where we tackle the tough questions submitted by installers, estimators, project managers, customers, even IT personnel.
00:00:36.731 --> 00:00:40.609
We are connecting at the human level so that we can connect the world.
00:00:40.609 --> 00:00:48.088
If you're watching this show on YouTube, would you mind hitting the subscribe button and the bell button to be notified when new content is being produced?
00:00:48.088 --> 00:00:55.686
If you're watching us on the listen to us on one of the audio podcast platforms, would you mind leaving us a five star rating?
00:00:55.686 --> 00:01:01.252
And if the show is not a five star rating, let me know what I can do to make it a five star rating.
00:01:01.252 --> 00:01:09.769
The simple little steps helps us take on the algorithm so we can educate, encourage and enrich the lives of people in the ICT industry.
00:01:10.781 --> 00:01:13.588
Thursday night, 6 pm, eastern Standard Time.
00:01:13.588 --> 00:01:14.251
What are you doing?
00:01:14.251 --> 00:01:28.253
You know I do a live stream where you get to ask your favorite RCDD and you know that's me questions about installation, certification, estimation, project management, even career path questions.
00:01:28.253 --> 00:01:29.503
But I can hear you now.
00:01:29.503 --> 00:01:32.000
But, chuck, I'm driving my truck at 6 pm on a Thursday night.
00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:33.506
I don't want to get into an accident.
00:01:33.506 --> 00:01:39.311
I got you, they're recorded, so you can watch them at your convenience, when it's safe for you to do so.
00:01:39.311 --> 00:01:45.947
And finally, while this show is free and will always remain free, would you mind clicking on that QR code right there?
00:01:45.947 --> 00:01:47.566
You can buy me a cup of coffee.
00:01:47.566 --> 00:01:52.069
You can even schedule a 15 minute one-on-one call with me after hours, of course.
00:01:53.722 --> 00:01:56.072
So, like I said, the Big C Cable Skills Challenge.
00:01:56.072 --> 00:02:02.370
That's where the best of the best of the best of the best to use a men in black colloquialism come to me to compete.
00:02:02.370 --> 00:02:04.188
But what's it really like?
00:02:04.188 --> 00:02:06.000
What are the competitors really like?
00:02:06.000 --> 00:02:08.206
What's it like behind the scenes?
00:02:08.206 --> 00:02:15.846
I've got a special round table of participants in the Big C Cable Skills Challenge this year and we're going to cover this.
00:02:15.846 --> 00:02:19.385
I got some tough, hard-hitting questions, so I hope they're up to speed.
00:02:19.385 --> 00:02:23.128
I hope they're good at shooting from the hip with questions that they are terminating fiber.
00:02:23.128 --> 00:02:33.693
So I want to welcome to the show tonight four special people, all participants in this year's Big C Cable Skills Challenge.
00:02:33.693 --> 00:02:40.349
Gentlemen, why don't you go ahead and go around the room and just introduce yourself and give us the 15, 20 second.
00:02:40.349 --> 00:02:43.441
Who are you, nathan?
00:02:43.441 --> 00:02:46.741
I'm Lover.
00:02:48.606 --> 00:02:49.588
Madison, wisconsin.
00:02:49.588 --> 00:02:55.189
I currently run my own business home run cabling and technologies.
00:02:55.189 --> 00:02:58.605
Been doing it about 25 years.
00:02:58.605 --> 00:03:04.167
I've been a Big C member about 10 years and yeah, that's basically it.
00:03:05.868 --> 00:03:10.247
Mr Sean Sean Rep, Kansas City.
00:03:10.247 --> 00:03:12.551
I work for Envision Technology Group.
00:03:12.551 --> 00:03:16.329
I am a project manager for them.
00:03:16.329 --> 00:03:22.850
I've been a Big C member since 2017.
00:03:25.381 --> 00:03:26.585
Who are you rooting for in your Super Bowl?
00:03:26.585 --> 00:03:27.448
Just out of curiosity.
00:03:28.441 --> 00:03:34.643
I mean 49ers, but I wasn't upset that the Chiefs won DJ.
00:03:36.542 --> 00:03:50.840
I am TJ Paite, the current Cable Skills Rating Champion, three-time winner, two times back-to-back, one, one time in 2020, but then Michael Ratliff won in 2021.
00:03:50.840 --> 00:03:53.305
22, since we didn't have a 21,.
00:03:53.305 --> 00:03:56.431
Then 1 in 23 and then 1 in 24.
00:03:56.431 --> 00:04:10.373
I work for Florida Cowarin Light here in the 70th and Ball City, florida, and I actually work right now on a splice trailer on a transmission line working on some OPGW fiber that we're bringing into a solar site.
00:04:11.260 --> 00:04:12.864
And future show topic.
00:04:12.864 --> 00:04:15.950
Just saying, Just saying Stay tuned.
00:04:16.591 --> 00:04:21.064
Doug, you look a little chilly today, doug, it's cold in Florida.
00:04:21.324 --> 00:04:22.307
Don't let people fool you.
00:04:22.307 --> 00:04:25.533
I got goats with sweaters on right now it's cold in Florida.
00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:27.122
It got to 60.
00:04:27.122 --> 00:04:28.728
Sorry Doug, it's 60 degrees right now.
00:04:28.728 --> 00:04:29.689
That's why I'm in my parking lot.
00:04:32.745 --> 00:04:33.447
Okay, doug, good.
00:04:33.466 --> 00:04:38.048
Sorry to interrupt you, doug Sherwood, here, 29 degrees, columbus, ohio.
00:04:38.048 --> 00:04:42.985
I'm a data center team lead.
00:04:42.985 --> 00:04:44.807
I work for CVE.
00:04:44.807 --> 00:04:48.312
I've been in the field since about 1997.
00:04:48.312 --> 00:04:53.747
Got my Bixie Technician in 2004.
00:04:53.747 --> 00:04:56.432
So that's me.
00:04:57.300 --> 00:05:01.793
I got to say I'm impressed because it's a wide range of people I was expecting.
00:05:01.793 --> 00:05:10.149
Like somebody, everybody say, oh, I'm a technician, no, we got a project manager, data center lead, a business owner and then the has anybody ever?
00:05:10.149 --> 00:05:13.894
Are you the only one who's won back to back TJ, or did somebody else win back to back too?
00:05:14.581 --> 00:05:24.317
No, Michael Ratliff won back to back and then he won back to back and then set a lull I didn't win one.
00:05:24.317 --> 00:05:36.896
And then he beat me the next year and then the very first Three years was won by the very first three years of the K-1 skills challenge was won Individual.
00:05:36.896 --> 00:05:42.786
He won it three times and then there's only three people that won it three times.
00:05:45.216 --> 00:05:45.819
I know two of them.
00:05:45.819 --> 00:05:49.298
Yes, actually, yeah, do not do them.
00:05:49.298 --> 00:05:54.629
So let's go around room, let's, let's find out what motivated you to compete in this competition.
00:05:54.629 --> 00:05:58.137
I get asked, I got asked several times at the conference how come I wasn't in it?
00:05:58.137 --> 00:06:05.524
And you know I have an old war injury that I've got a hobble, so I can't, I can't really participate in it, you know, because of that war injury.
00:06:05.524 --> 00:06:08.500
But you know, nathan, what motivated you to do it?
00:06:08.901 --> 00:06:19.286
Well, you know, going back to when I was just getting started doing this, like 2000, we always thought there should be a competition like this, even before Vixy started doing this.
00:06:19.286 --> 00:06:27.942
Because you know there's competition in between the guys or the crews at work and you know Everyone likes to talk a lot of game.
00:06:27.942 --> 00:06:39.892
But you, you get down to, you know, under the bright lights of the Expo Center and they're Looking over your back and taking notes and timing.
00:06:39.932 --> 00:06:52.387
You and You're, really you're really the rubber meets the road right, exactly Right and you're so spot-on because I got to attend the Nica show and Philly this year.
00:06:52.387 --> 00:06:56.564
My day job my day job sells electrical product.
00:06:56.564 --> 00:07:01.954
So I got invited there to talk about low voltage stuff and I was kind of like why am I going to this electrical thing?
00:07:01.954 --> 00:07:11.254
I'm a low volt guy, right, electricians don't like low volt guy, but yet I had I had the second most amount of contacts at that meeting because I knew how to push the guys buttons.
00:07:11.254 --> 00:07:12.702
I'd see two guys walking down the aisle.
00:07:12.702 --> 00:07:14.733
I'll say, hey, which one of you terminates faster?
00:07:14.733 --> 00:07:16.257
And Know the what I do?
00:07:16.257 --> 00:07:16.798
Oh, I don't know.
00:07:16.798 --> 00:07:18.523
Come on over here, improve it.
00:07:18.523 --> 00:07:19.745
Guys are competitive.
00:07:19.745 --> 00:07:20.908
They truly are competitive.
00:07:20.908 --> 00:07:23.158
So this is your first time, right?
00:07:23.158 --> 00:07:26.947
Yes, what motivated you to to jump into the fray?
00:07:28.475 --> 00:07:30.262
Kind of like what Nathan said there's.
00:07:30.262 --> 00:07:40.439
There's always been like a healthy competition out in the field a lot of times instigated by me, probably, but and I've all that I've.
00:07:40.439 --> 00:07:49.569
Back back in the day seamons used to have some competitions and stuff and I want a few of those.
00:07:49.569 --> 00:08:01.634
And then my, my bosses would go to the big see winter conference and tell me that they had a scapelly cabling skills challenge and it's just always something I wanted to do and try.
00:08:03.137 --> 00:08:12.661
I know one skill challenge that they had in the skills in the in the big see cable skills challenge you'd win cable dressing, cable dressing.
00:08:14.156 --> 00:08:16.122
Two cables or three, three cables.
00:08:18.737 --> 00:08:22.214
Don, sean's got that, dad, he's got that dialed in, buddy dialed in.
00:08:22.214 --> 00:08:28.526
I heard a little birdie tell me, though, that TJ's got the fiber dialed in.
00:08:28.526 --> 00:08:29.288
Jj.
00:08:29.288 --> 00:08:30.269
What motivated you?
00:08:32.676 --> 00:08:39.924
Well, I honestly I wanted to win it three times and Michael Ratliff was on me about listen, there's only two of us in this club.
00:08:39.924 --> 00:08:41.173
We need a third person.
00:08:41.173 --> 00:08:53.001
And I wanted to challenge myself again, knowing that I've worked on my skill set and how much fiber work I've done in the last year and how much better I'm trying to make myself doing fiber work.
00:08:53.001 --> 00:08:55.006
And I said I can do this.
00:08:55.006 --> 00:08:57.903
So I knew what I needed to do going in.
00:08:57.903 --> 00:09:03.523
I need, I knew what I needed to prep myself with and I said you know what I can do this.
00:09:04.144 --> 00:09:06.894
And Then a little birdie told me that Sean was gonna be there.
00:09:06.894 --> 00:09:12.095
I did my due diligence about Sean and I said, oh, oh, I really got a tighten up.
00:09:12.095 --> 00:09:15.004
And then all of a sudden, I heard my boy, nathan, was gonna be there.
00:09:15.004 --> 00:09:16.187
I'm like, oh, here we go.
00:09:16.187 --> 00:09:18.215
And then Doug's right there on my heels.
00:09:18.215 --> 00:09:23.654
I taught Doug into competing and boom, there's Doug, you know, right there too.
00:09:23.654 --> 00:09:34.467
So I knew we had a great skill set of technicians going this year and I wanted to know if I could come out you know above and compete with the best that we had out there.
00:09:34.467 --> 00:09:40.111
And there were some fantastically skilled technicians there this year Can't take nothing away from me and the guys.
00:09:40.865 --> 00:09:42.994
So, doug, what motivated you to compete in this thing?
00:09:44.125 --> 00:09:47.373
So, uh, I have.
00:09:47.373 --> 00:09:48.917
I'm a competitor.
00:09:48.917 --> 00:09:50.892
I've been a competitor for years.
00:09:50.892 --> 00:10:00.894
Uh, I've always wanted to get involved with the cabling skills challenge but have never had the backing of uh where I've been employed.
00:10:00.894 --> 00:10:28.416
And uh, getting involved with uh scheme alignment and JTAs uh with the with the Bixie corp Uh, and getting getting involved with the RCSC, with uh TJ uh talking with him more about it Uh motivated me a little bit to uh take that next step and ask, ask uh CVRE to kind of sponsor me to to be able to come to the event.
00:10:28.416 --> 00:10:32.991
And there I was so very exciting.
00:10:33.566 --> 00:10:39.253
Maybe you can tell me this, TJ do they announce a runner up or a second or a third place, or is it just the winner take all?
00:10:40.306 --> 00:10:40.750
No, it's.
00:10:40.750 --> 00:10:42.605
It's just like your Bixie test, right?
00:10:42.605 --> 00:10:47.530
So anytime you take any kind of test for certification with Bixie, no one sees their scores.
00:10:47.530 --> 00:10:48.595
No one does.
00:10:48.595 --> 00:10:58.904
So we don't get to see the score until we all gather around David Richardson and at the end of the night, after they announced the winner, and then everyone can see their score.
00:10:58.904 --> 00:11:02.125
He'll have it on his phone, on a spreadsheet, but after that no one sees it.
00:11:02.125 --> 00:11:04.173
There's no option to see it.
00:11:04.173 --> 00:11:08.062
Um, they will send out a prize pack for the bill award.
00:11:08.062 --> 00:11:13.225
You know, first place technician, first place uh fiber and then first place copper.
00:11:13.225 --> 00:11:16.111
Um, because they compete on their own individual levels.
00:11:16.111 --> 00:11:17.226
But anyone can win it.
00:11:17.226 --> 00:11:18.561
You know, an installer one can win it.
00:11:18.561 --> 00:11:21.163
You don't have to be a technician to win it.
00:11:21.163 --> 00:11:23.341
It's, it is fair game for anyone.
00:11:23.341 --> 00:11:30.565
As long as you have a credential, an installer one can come in, do the work and and installer one can win it.
00:11:30.565 --> 00:11:34.825
But that's the only time we get to see is right then, and then after that no one knows.
00:11:35.225 --> 00:11:37.880
So the next question I want to go around the panel is.
00:11:37.880 --> 00:11:41.743
You know what specific skills or techniques do you think the showcase?
00:11:41.743 --> 00:11:45.277
The showcase showcased your skills in this challenge, starting over you, nathan.
00:11:46.907 --> 00:12:00.034
Well, I did win one event, um, for the uh patch cable, uh, construction, and uh, that's um, I don't know if it's really where I've my strong point is necessarily.
00:12:00.034 --> 00:12:05.725
But, like I said, I run my own business now, so I'm I'm kind of out of the field as much as I used to be.
00:12:05.725 --> 00:12:09.105
I competed before in 2019, 2020.
00:12:09.105 --> 00:12:12.062
Um, I know I did a little better this year, but I didn't.
00:12:12.062 --> 00:12:18.484
I didn't get to see the scores after, I didn't wasn't hanging around too much later because my family had come down.
00:12:18.484 --> 00:12:23.225
So, um, it was cool to actually to win something.
00:12:23.225 --> 00:12:30.205
I, even though I didn't get the gold might, while I was gone, my guys made me a golden keystone.
00:12:32.269 --> 00:12:36.803
As long as the installation prize Love it Love it, love it, love it.
00:12:36.823 --> 00:12:40.711
That's cool, so DJ your turn.
00:12:40.711 --> 00:12:43.697
What specific skills or techniques did you showcase during the challenge?
00:12:44.265 --> 00:13:38.226
I think this year my biggest, my biggest showcase was probably the fiber um with the, the fiber assembly where we had to put uh SoC is the splice on connectors, and then one side was a splice on connector and then your other side was a uh corning, uh unicam, so we had to put that in and then they tested it and then, once they tested it, we had to cut it in half and put it in a mechanical splice Um, even though you know we don't do a lot of mechanical splices I don't do any mechanical splices but it really showcased what we were doing and you know, with the amount of fiber that I've been uh able to work on this past year, it really it really showed where I got to show off and um, and probably second to that would be the cable terminations, not the event A but event B that actually ended up winning Um.
00:13:38.567 --> 00:13:46.813
I was able to, you know, use my softening tool, the cable master 210, to help me because I actually landed the cable wrong.
00:13:46.813 --> 00:13:49.711
But I tested it and saw that I had it landed wrong.
00:13:49.711 --> 00:13:52.721
I had to move it because I just in a hurry, you know, mislabel.
00:13:52.721 --> 00:13:53.667
It happens to everybody.
00:13:53.667 --> 00:13:55.673
But yeah, most definitely my fiber.
00:13:56.025 --> 00:14:00.157
So was this your first time at this event, or are you a repeat show, a repeat competitor?
00:14:00.325 --> 00:14:02.452
First timer, first timer.
00:14:02.452 --> 00:14:09.791
So, uh, it was definitely, I would say, a little challenging, a little humbling experience for me.
00:14:09.791 --> 00:14:14.455
Uh, I would say event B, the 25 pair, terminating.
00:14:14.455 --> 00:14:26.610
That uh probably was my strong suit, only because, uh, we used I used to build out buildings with, uh, you know, a lot of 200 pair going throughout the building, uh, the patch, patch cords.
00:14:26.610 --> 00:14:29.778
Creating the patch cords, uh was interesting.
00:14:29.778 --> 00:14:36.876
Uh, I really have done a lot of fiber, but where I fall short is I haven't done a lot of fusion splicing in my life.
00:14:36.876 --> 00:14:48.692
So, uh, even though I knew a little bit about the, the splicing, or the, the fiber itself, uh, getting my hands on a fusion splicer for the first time was, uh, very interesting.
00:14:49.326 --> 00:14:52.620
Was the first time you got your hands on a fusion splicer was at the event.
00:14:52.620 --> 00:14:53.806
Uh, pretty much yeah.
00:14:56.331 --> 00:14:57.794
I mean actually doing it.
00:14:57.794 --> 00:15:06.702
I took a Lipergate class but actually doing it and people watching and all that.
00:15:06.702 --> 00:15:11.558
This was the first time Really haven't had to do a lot of fusion splicing.
00:15:11.558 --> 00:15:13.657
We actually outsource that most of the time.
00:15:14.571 --> 00:15:18.376
It's totally different when you're doing in a classroom as opposed to when someone's looking over your shoulder.
00:15:18.376 --> 00:15:21.096
Totally different, totally different.
00:15:21.096 --> 00:15:23.221
Yeah, welcome back, mr Sean.
00:15:23.221 --> 00:15:25.096
Sorry about the connectivity issue there, my friend.
00:15:25.096 --> 00:15:33.176
So we're going around the room and we were talking about what specific skills or techniques that you have to showcase during the challenge.
00:15:34.529 --> 00:15:35.753
Event A and event B.
00:15:35.753 --> 00:15:50.657
You know copper, fibers, Fiber, I've done a lot of fiber but I've never used the UCL Swift, I never used the.
00:15:51.119 --> 00:15:51.419
Ilson.
00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:51.760
Tech.
00:15:51.760 --> 00:15:56.254
I'd never used any of the fiber splicers that they had, same with the tester.
00:15:56.254 --> 00:16:02.780
I'd never used the Expo, and so I was just kind of learning on the fly.
00:16:02.780 --> 00:16:13.197
But UCL Swift, they had those new ins there that nobody had done before, so that kind of made me feel a little bit better.
00:16:13.217 --> 00:16:13.740
That was cool.
00:16:14.190 --> 00:16:14.996
Yeah, yeah, I really loved it.
00:16:14.996 --> 00:16:21.177
But the good news is, if nobody's ever touched them before, that means none of the other competitors have touched them either, right?
00:16:21.177 --> 00:16:23.120
So they put everybody on the same playing field.
00:16:23.624 --> 00:16:28.738
Yeah, yeah, sumitomo had their brand new Lynx2 LCMs there too, Right.
00:16:32.631 --> 00:16:34.009
All right, so let's go to the next question.
00:16:34.009 --> 00:16:39.918
All right, so you guys are now experienced competitors in the Kiblin Skills Challenge.
00:16:39.918 --> 00:16:46.297
What skills do you take away from that Skills Challenge that's going to help you in your day-to-day job.
00:16:46.297 --> 00:16:55.620
Starting off with you, Nathan, I think you know, it's probably just to refresh on some of this stuff, you know.
00:16:56.149 --> 00:16:59.219
A lot of us have, you know, taken these tests years ago.
00:17:00.331 --> 00:17:11.210
And you know as much as you were able to soak up enough to pass the test is sometimes the last time you look at that book.
00:17:12.876 --> 00:17:16.710
So it was good to do a little refresh before the written test.
00:17:16.710 --> 00:17:18.055
And it's going to be.
00:17:18.055 --> 00:17:27.376
I'm hopefully going to be testing for the RCDD shortly, so Sweet, nice, awesome, nice.
00:17:27.509 --> 00:17:29.958
You know I've run several RCDD study groups.
00:17:29.958 --> 00:17:42.650
I'm currently in one right now, but I've also just launched there's not a study group for technicians, so I launched a group on Facebook and I've put out some questions up there.
00:17:42.650 --> 00:17:46.970
It's still building momentum, but you know what those technicians need love.
00:17:46.970 --> 00:17:49.336
And installers need love too, because it's not.
00:17:49.336 --> 00:17:50.829
You know, reading that book.
00:17:50.829 --> 00:17:53.863
It's a manual, it's a challenge.
00:17:53.863 --> 00:17:56.769
It can be a challenge Because you're used to doing it a certain way in the field.
00:17:56.769 --> 00:18:04.134
Now you've got a book telling you You've got to do it a different way, but not really telling you why you're doing it that way and why that way is better.
00:18:04.295 --> 00:18:04.516
Yes.
00:18:05.031 --> 00:18:06.277
See, that's where the instructor comes in.
00:18:06.277 --> 00:18:08.950
That's where the instructor says yeah, I understand, you're taught this way.
00:18:08.950 --> 00:18:11.997
Here's the correct why and here's why this is a better way.
00:18:11.997 --> 00:18:15.291
The book doesn't go that extra step, you know.
00:18:15.291 --> 00:18:17.509
That's why I created that Facebook group for everybody.
00:18:17.509 --> 00:18:20.138
So we'll see if we'll see if it gathers momentum.
00:18:20.138 --> 00:18:21.930
So who do we leave off with?
00:18:21.930 --> 00:18:22.412
So it was Nathan.
00:18:22.412 --> 00:18:23.234
Says TJ's turn.
00:18:23.830 --> 00:18:30.317
My biggest takeaway was for me in which, as I struggle with this day to day, is my just slowing down and real attention to detail.
00:18:30.317 --> 00:18:38.138
On the optical loss test set event, I forgot to write down, well, the OTDR event.
00:18:38.138 --> 00:18:53.613
I forgot to write down if it was a splice, a mechanical or fusion splice or a made-it-pair, and I forgot to write that down Even though I knew I needed to say, all right, that's a splice, ok, that's a fusion splice, that's a made-it-pair.
00:18:53.613 --> 00:18:54.798
I didn't write it down.
00:18:54.798 --> 00:18:56.615
I wrote all the other values down.
00:18:56.615 --> 00:19:07.338
The DV losses the reflection, the attenuation is as small the details and the details are what matters, and that's what I'm focusing on now is the details.
00:19:07.338 --> 00:19:08.734
Maybe try to get the details right.
00:19:09.750 --> 00:19:10.353
Doug your turn.
00:19:10.353 --> 00:19:29.278
Honestly, I think you kind of touch base a little bit on it is after you get qualified as technician, installer, copper, fiber, whatever you kind of create your own habits, you do your own thing, you establish how you want to do cabling.
00:19:29.278 --> 00:19:39.298
But when you enter that arena and you're challenging yourself in the competition, it's no longer how you do it.
00:19:39.298 --> 00:19:47.575
You have to adjust to how the It'sim tells you to do it and if you don't, you lose points, you get docked.
00:19:47.575 --> 00:20:00.640
I think that's where I need to focus is and adjust, I guess my self to become a better technician.
00:20:00.720 --> 00:20:02.182
So Sean, your turn.
00:20:02.182 --> 00:20:04.377
I don't know if you heard the question because you had connectivity issues.
00:20:04.377 --> 00:20:05.515
You dropped out, came back in.
00:20:05.515 --> 00:20:13.638
I was asking do you believe participating in cable skills challenge like this enhances your expertise in structured cabling?
00:20:14.730 --> 00:20:15.151
For me.
00:20:15.151 --> 00:20:19.142
This being my first year, I really didn't know what to expect.
00:20:19.142 --> 00:20:31.041
And so, day one going in to take the written exam, I knew that wasn't going to be easy, but just that, I think it was the very first question.
00:20:31.041 --> 00:20:33.296
I was like this, this is just ridiculous.
00:20:33.296 --> 00:20:37.279
And then the first three.
00:20:37.521 --> 00:20:39.894
First three questions luckily it got a little bit easier.
00:20:39.894 --> 00:20:43.217
But I feel like they were just trying to get into my head.
00:20:44.755 --> 00:20:45.769
It was very intimidating.
00:20:45.769 --> 00:21:03.720
And then also at the beginning, them saying that they opened it up to international this year and there was people from Japan there that had to win the same competition in that country to be able to compete in this one, and it was just very intimidating, and so I wasn't sure how I was going to do.
00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:17.549
Like just I do this stuff all day every day, and at first I was kind of frustrated with just how I was messing up the simplest things, and then that's the competition part there.
00:21:17.589 --> 00:21:18.394
Yeah, yeah.
00:21:18.990 --> 00:21:47.201
And then, yeah, I remembered what TJ had said in his last podcast about how it's really just you're competing with yourself and so you know, just kind of not taking yourself so seriously and just kind of taking a breath, and you know, event B went a lot better, so you guys, you keep saying event A, event B, what are event?
00:21:47.240 --> 00:21:47.541
what is it?
00:21:47.541 --> 00:21:51.266
Person who's watching hasn't looked at the page yet.
00:21:51.266 --> 00:21:52.190
What's event A?
00:21:52.190 --> 00:21:53.115
What's event B?
00:21:53.115 --> 00:21:56.613
In all the other events I'll let them see.
00:21:56.613 --> 00:21:57.876
Let's go around the room, Nathan.
00:21:57.876 --> 00:21:58.357
You pick one.
00:21:58.377 --> 00:22:07.275
Tell us what one of the events are well, event a was what a couple of cats.
00:22:07.275 --> 00:22:17.599
Six cables from the patch panel down to a wall outlet and Also to an access point location.
00:22:18.451 --> 00:22:18.731
TJ.
00:22:18.731 --> 00:22:19.355
What was event B?
00:22:20.050 --> 00:22:25.463
That B was you had to land a 25 pair from a fires, bring it down from a fire stop.
00:22:25.463 --> 00:22:27.327
Land a 25 pair in a 110 block.
00:22:27.327 --> 00:22:43.324
Then land a cat 5e Like a wall outlet on a different row on it, 20 on a 110 and then run your cross, connect and Bond your ladder rack to the ground bar and then make your connection for your WAP.
00:22:45.112 --> 00:22:46.057
Did you have to fire?
00:22:46.057 --> 00:22:46.820
Stop the fire.
00:22:46.820 --> 00:22:48.490
Stop assembly too, or was it already fire?
00:22:48.490 --> 00:22:49.453
Yes, yes.
00:22:50.371 --> 00:23:00.378
So one fire stop is a regular standard four inch sleeve with putty and they provide the putty, and your other is an STI Speed sleeve to where you don't have to do anything.
00:23:00.378 --> 00:23:08.316
I, you know, I love those speeds, those sleeves, because that they're sitting there super easy, not the drop top it.
00:23:08.316 --> 00:23:10.750
But, doug, didn't you win a speed challenge?
00:23:10.750 --> 00:23:13.740
I remember that well, sorry.
00:23:16.471 --> 00:23:18.215
It was a battle between me and Nathan.
00:23:18.215 --> 00:23:30.201
I think Nathan was gracious gracious enough to To hand me the W, but we were going back and forth, but yeah, I think it was like 3.6 seconds.
00:23:30.201 --> 00:23:33.117
It was kind of fun it was.
00:23:33.117 --> 00:23:35.130
It was a fun event but I was kind of short.
00:23:35.130 --> 00:23:37.930
It was hard for me to to get the cabling through the sleeves.
00:23:37.930 --> 00:23:41.000
Uh quick, but uh yeah.
00:23:44.250 --> 00:23:45.493
So what's event C?
00:23:45.493 --> 00:23:49.683
If there is there, is there event C, I'm assuming yep all the way to H.
00:23:50.451 --> 00:23:54.058
Event C was fusion and mechanical splicing.
00:23:54.058 --> 00:24:00.380
And then you had a event C, also that was supplemental, your supplemental fusion splicing.
00:24:00.380 --> 00:24:04.509
D is cable assembly that Nathan won.
00:24:04.509 --> 00:24:09.082
Event E1 is cable troubleshooting the table of death.
00:24:09.082 --> 00:24:14.994
E2 is troubleshooting Testing a fiber link with OTR.
00:24:14.994 --> 00:24:20.220
In event F is your fiber link testing With their OLTS test set.
00:24:20.220 --> 00:24:22.250
And then event H was your competency exam.
00:24:43.027 --> 00:24:43.968
You know the trophy now.
00:24:46.811 --> 00:24:53.679
You know, if I was at home I was gonna have my the check in the background and you know and that Kind of like the interview you did last time.
00:24:54.431 --> 00:24:55.596
Yes, yes.
00:24:55.596 --> 00:25:05.470
So event E, the cable troubleshooting was the whole table where they had cable assemblies and fiber cords.
00:25:05.470 --> 00:25:11.255
You know, I did identify 25 pair blocks, possibly a 50 pair block.
00:25:11.255 --> 00:25:21.819
You know there's all kinds of stuff, big block and Crohn's block, but then you also had to, you know, say if it was good or not and why it was good or why it was bad.
00:25:21.819 --> 00:25:31.221
Event E yeah, then F and then H was the comes, the exam.
00:25:31.221 --> 00:25:34.233
I'm sure we missed something somewhere, but nothing I did not prepare.
00:25:34.714 --> 00:25:35.478
I think we got all of it.
00:25:35.478 --> 00:25:38.517
So let's, let's shift the conversation.
00:25:38.517 --> 00:25:50.932
You know, one of the things I heard when I was Talking to everybody at the big event was how they went back and listened to the show that you and I did TJ a year ago To help prepare for the show.
00:25:50.932 --> 00:25:52.394
So let's, let's help the.
00:25:52.394 --> 00:25:55.742
The people are gonna compete against you, maybe next year.
00:25:55.742 --> 00:25:56.792
I'll leave that.
00:25:56.792 --> 00:25:58.499
I'll leave that to be determined later.
00:25:58.499 --> 00:26:06.280
But what, what advice would you have for somebody who's gonna try to compete in next year's cable skills challenge?
00:26:06.280 --> 00:26:07.544
Start off with you, nathan.
00:26:08.473 --> 00:26:10.089
Read the it's some front to back.
00:26:10.089 --> 00:26:12.815
Join the.
00:26:12.855 --> 00:26:17.824
Facebook group with the big C technician to Facebook group, where we helping people with that right now.
00:26:17.824 --> 00:26:20.557
Shame was plug, shame was plug.
00:26:21.451 --> 00:26:22.251
Yeah, no, I.
00:26:22.251 --> 00:26:29.244
I did brush up a bit before the night before the written exam, because it's been a while since I've taken one.
00:26:29.244 --> 00:26:32.939
So it's just, it's preparation.
00:26:32.939 --> 00:26:38.776
Watch, watch the podcast and and listen to our advice.
00:26:39.451 --> 00:26:39.753
There you go.
00:26:39.753 --> 00:26:42.829
One of the things I want to do is I want to in the RCD study group.
00:26:42.829 --> 00:26:47.069
I've got practice exam questions written up for those people who are in the class.
00:26:47.069 --> 00:26:50.480
They're not actual RCD test questions, because I don't know what they are and don't have access to them.
00:26:50.480 --> 00:26:54.529
They're just questions that I come up with till people kind of gauge how their studying is going.
00:26:54.529 --> 00:26:59.067
I'm probably gonna do the same thing with the it's a manual and put and start making that available in that Facebook group.
00:26:59.067 --> 00:27:04.000
Tj, what piece of advice do you have for your next year's competitor?
00:27:05.752 --> 00:27:10.827
If you didn't get to see the Cable and Skills Challenge, for being there.
00:27:10.827 --> 00:27:17.779
See if you can see any footage I'm sure there's all kinds of footage floating around of the Cable and Skills Challenge to get an idea of what you're going in.
00:27:17.779 --> 00:27:18.763
So you don't go blind.
00:27:18.763 --> 00:27:27.162
But also talk to a past competitor, almost like a mentorship, say, hey, what do I need to do?
00:27:27.162 --> 00:27:31.175
Coming in blind, Me and Doug talked a lot about.
00:27:31.175 --> 00:27:32.539
Hey, doug, you need to prepare yourself.
00:27:33.471 --> 00:27:35.935
This is event A, event B.
00:27:35.935 --> 00:27:43.036
We went over the basics of everything that Bigsy gives you and I helped him prep as best I could.
00:27:43.036 --> 00:27:46.323
Even though Doug's my boy, I'm still a competitor at heart.
00:27:46.323 --> 00:27:49.596
So I mean I help, but I mean there's.
00:27:49.596 --> 00:27:54.115
You know, you can only help so much and then it's a learning curve.
00:27:54.115 --> 00:27:55.819
After that, my same learning curve.
00:27:55.819 --> 00:28:00.672
What I helped Doug is as much as I could to help prepare him, to give him an idea of, hey, this is what we're doing.
00:28:00.672 --> 00:28:04.541
When you come in for the first day, don't get overwhelmed, it's okay.
00:28:04.541 --> 00:28:07.998
If you have questions, you can ask questions until the whistle blows.
00:28:07.998 --> 00:28:10.434
I told Doug that a couple of times.
00:28:10.434 --> 00:28:11.678
I said just ask questions.
00:28:11.678 --> 00:28:17.131
And oh yeah, look at this, read your sheet and you'll see some people doing some things like.
00:28:17.131 --> 00:28:23.236
I don't know if Nathan or Sean saw me do this, but I took my sheet in event A and actually taped it to the backboard.
00:28:24.852 --> 00:28:27.641
Yes, I did exactly that.
00:28:28.432 --> 00:28:30.873
Hey, there's Doug, so I wasn't looking.
00:28:30.873 --> 00:28:34.080
I wasn't looking for my paper to see what I needed to do.
00:28:34.080 --> 00:28:34.751
I just stopped.
00:28:34.751 --> 00:28:41.319
I read the instruction, then I moved on Because, as you know, a paper on the ground that could be a trip hazard.
00:28:41.319 --> 00:28:44.557
We're not, and, Bigsy, we're not trying to make safety hazards.
00:28:44.557 --> 00:28:46.596
We're trying to work efficiently and work safely.
00:28:47.089 --> 00:28:52.113
So that sounds a lot to me, because I used to be a Bigsy trainer once upon a blue moon many moons ago.
00:28:52.113 --> 00:28:57.795
On the hands-on portion, they gave you a sheet for each of the stations you had to go through and it went through the steps.
00:28:57.795 --> 00:28:59.915
Is that the same thing for the competition?
00:29:00.898 --> 00:29:03.210
Yes, it's relatively close.
00:29:03.210 --> 00:29:08.141
It gives you instructions on what you need to do, but how you do it is on your own accord.
00:29:08.141 --> 00:29:11.656
You know, making sure that you do it, you know?
00:29:11.656 --> 00:29:13.852
Oh, there he is, Doug.
00:29:13.852 --> 00:29:14.433
Can you hear us now?
00:29:16.255 --> 00:29:16.656
I can hear you.
00:29:16.656 --> 00:29:19.318
We need some good cable guys to fix the internet.
00:29:19.651 --> 00:29:20.393
Let's not work too long.
00:29:26.916 --> 00:29:31.952
Sean, what advice do you have for a participant in next year's competition To hope?
00:29:31.993 --> 00:29:34.041
that TJ isn't participating.
00:29:34.041 --> 00:29:54.555
No, you know, just prep yourself for it, study, you know, try to get your hands on some effusion splicer and attest her and just have fun and don't take yourself too serious.
00:29:56.660 --> 00:30:00.318
I got to say this Are you really the best if you can't beat TJ?
00:30:00.318 --> 00:30:03.958
I'm just thinking out loud, just thinking out loud.
00:30:03.958 --> 00:30:04.921
That's fair.
00:30:04.921 --> 00:30:09.779
Doug, what advice do you have for a participant in next year?
00:30:13.915 --> 00:30:14.336
Honestly.
00:30:14.336 --> 00:30:21.010
I mean, try to really get your hands on product and you know, try to test that stuff out.
00:30:21.010 --> 00:30:27.103
You know, challenge yourself, terminate the stuff, really, really practice.
00:30:27.103 --> 00:30:32.261
And I mean the test was extremely difficult.
00:30:32.261 --> 00:30:39.104
So you know, really wrapping your head around the it's them trying to figure out how to calculate things.
00:30:39.104 --> 00:30:41.238
There were some calculations that needed to be done.
00:30:41.238 --> 00:30:53.397
There's just a lot, a lot of things that you really need to wrap your head around to get involved in this competition, but it was a fun experience, honestly.
00:30:54.789 --> 00:30:55.653
Do you remember what they had?
00:30:55.653 --> 00:30:56.436
You calculate?
00:30:56.436 --> 00:30:57.857
Do you have?
00:30:57.917 --> 00:31:00.273
any chance, I can't really.
00:31:00.273 --> 00:31:02.840
Can we like a lot of stuff?
00:31:02.840 --> 00:31:08.017
Well, I'm just saying like, for instance, certain things in the manual that you might have to do some type of calculation.
00:31:08.632 --> 00:31:10.576
It's like a fiber optic loss budget or something maybe.
00:31:11.078 --> 00:31:14.429
Oh, I'm slaw, oh, I'm slaw, yeah, oh, I'm slaw.
00:31:15.432 --> 00:31:17.258
So application of Ohm's law.
00:31:17.258 --> 00:31:18.583
Yeah, not just memorizing.
00:31:18.603 --> 00:31:19.625
Put it in every test.
00:31:19.967 --> 00:31:20.789
Oh, I love that.
00:31:21.913 --> 00:31:25.000
And your super bundles for like your super group.
00:31:25.630 --> 00:31:27.236
I couldn't believe that one, honestly.
00:31:29.613 --> 00:31:32.538
But there's no people out there who put in 500, 600 pair.
00:31:33.318 --> 00:31:34.099
They're still out there.
00:31:34.099 --> 00:31:35.301
They're still out there.
00:31:35.301 --> 00:31:36.864
I know you may have to work on it.
00:31:36.864 --> 00:31:50.834
You know, one of my best friends is Phil Cleansmith and he'll write the outside plant manual and he'll tell you there's still lots of legacy cabling out there that goes up to, you know, 2400, even more, and that's where the super groups really come into play.
00:31:50.834 --> 00:31:52.155
Really come into play.
00:31:52.155 --> 00:31:52.717
Yeah, all right.
00:31:52.717 --> 00:31:54.580
So this question is for my first timers.
00:31:54.580 --> 00:32:04.673
Okay, if in a perfect role, if all the stars align and the moon aligns and your boss says yes, are you going to compete next year?
00:32:04.673 --> 00:32:07.258
Again, not not saying yes doesn't mean you actually be.
00:32:07.258 --> 00:32:09.718
It's because there's a lot of stuff that's got to happen between now and then.
00:32:09.718 --> 00:32:12.838
But if everything lines up, would you compete again next year?
00:32:12.838 --> 00:32:13.913
That's actually a better question.
00:32:13.913 --> 00:32:15.315
Would you compete again next year?
00:32:15.315 --> 00:32:17.657
Am I the only first timer here?
00:32:17.657 --> 00:32:19.452
No, no, it's you and Sean.
00:32:19.452 --> 00:32:20.435
You and Sean together, okay.
00:32:21.458 --> 00:32:22.519
Go ahead, sean, go ahead.
00:32:24.010 --> 00:32:30.156
I already told my boss if he doesn't want to send me next year, I'll be taking vacation time and going anyways.
00:32:30.577 --> 00:32:31.991
That's right, I love that attitude.
00:32:31.991 --> 00:32:33.698
I love that attitude.
00:32:33.698 --> 00:32:34.359
What about you, doug?
00:32:35.372 --> 00:32:36.455
Well, I believe I'm going to be there.
00:32:36.455 --> 00:32:36.938
Anyway.
00:32:36.938 --> 00:32:38.855
I'm on the RCSE committee.
00:32:38.855 --> 00:32:41.755
I've already started creating notes.
00:32:41.755 --> 00:33:03.221
I've talked to my boss about how to build out the rack with the grounding to try to challenge myself and get better, because practice makes perfect and if you can't do some of that stuff on a day-to-day basis, basically I'm going back to the last competition and it's going to be challenging myself just as hard.
00:33:03.221 --> 00:33:05.721
So, yeah, I'm there.
00:33:06.385 --> 00:33:09.636
Nice, okay now this for my repeat competitors.
00:33:09.656 --> 00:33:14.230
This for my repeat competitors Again.
00:33:14.290 --> 00:33:21.134
if everything lines up perfectly your boss agrees and your schedule agrees and stuff would you compete again next year?
00:33:21.134 --> 00:33:23.356
Start with you Nathan.
00:33:23.589 --> 00:33:24.877
Yeah, I'm the boss.
00:33:25.480 --> 00:33:26.064
There you go.
00:33:26.064 --> 00:33:26.950
You make that happen easily.
00:33:27.191 --> 00:33:29.719
I'm going to win it next year, okay.
00:33:30.131 --> 00:33:30.813
Next year, man.
00:33:30.813 --> 00:33:35.038
You win next year too, jay, if everything lines up right.
00:33:35.829 --> 00:33:39.698
If everything lines up right, I might actually be the first time to win it four times.
00:33:40.019 --> 00:33:40.641
Nice.
00:33:40.861 --> 00:33:45.179
The first four ever, but a lot of things got to line up to make that happen.
00:33:45.179 --> 00:33:47.251
So what we will see.
00:33:47.251 --> 00:33:50.778
But you know, if you want to be the best, you got to beat the best.
00:33:50.798 --> 00:33:52.843
You got to beat the best, you got to beat the best.
00:33:52.843 --> 00:33:59.179
And if all four of you show up, well, none of you, any of you four, show up, or all four of you show up next year.
00:33:59.179 --> 00:34:00.809
Make sure you carve out time.
00:34:00.809 --> 00:34:01.813
I'm going to take you all to dinner.
00:34:01.813 --> 00:34:03.136
Make sure you carve out time.
00:34:04.571 --> 00:34:04.731
Deal.
00:34:05.549 --> 00:34:14.639
So I hope you learned a lot from this episode, because the competition is stiff, but they're also there to help you and mentor you through the process until the bell rings.
00:34:14.639 --> 00:34:19.679
So question is do you have what it takes to be TJ?
00:34:19.679 --> 00:34:21.438
Knowledge is power.
00:34:23.273 --> 00:34:26.039
That's it for this episode of today's podcast.
00:34:26.039 --> 00:34:28.416
We hope you were able to learn something.
00:34:28.416 --> 00:34:31.719
Make sure to subscribe so you don't miss out on future content.
00:34:31.719 --> 00:34:36.902
Also, leave a rating so we can help even more people learn about telecommunications.
00:34:36.902 --> 00:34:39.273
Until next time, be safe.