Phase X, Y or Z?

[K8MHZ]

Have you ever wondered if the POCO's keep track of phasing for every drop made, even res? If so, how is it done? Or have you wondered if the POCO's have maps of their systems?

My daughter just graduated from GVSU with a Bachelor's in Conservation Management with a GIS specialty certification. Before she even graduated, she had a job. She now works for Davey Resource Group and is mapping out the Consumer's Energy lines, literally one pole at a time. She starts at a sub station and using GPS and a computer, she is making a 'wiring diagram' of the system. Every wood pole gets a tag with an ID number. She can look at a pole and tell if it's single or three phase, 'low' (less than 13,200) voltage or higher, and what all the communication cables are. This, after her full day on the job. She will be tagging 50 - 100 poles a day, so I am going to have to get her a good hammer. Here she is with her company truck (which she keeps 24/7 and has conditional personal allowance) on her first day.

View attachment 17549

She started with GPS with me years ago playing a game called Geocaching. She loved it, but we haven't done it in years. So GIS was a shoe in for her, and helped her get this job. Davey is more than a tree service now. They do all kinds of different outside stuff. Somehow they landed a contract with Consumer's Energy to map out every detail of their system. This could be a permanent affair, since the lines are always being moved for one reason or another. We kind of thought her degree would get her into the DNR, She did two internships with the DNR, so it's kind of ironic that her first 'degreed' job is making 'as builts' for our POCO. So far, she loves it.

 

[gadfly56]

Have you ever wondered if the POCO's keep track of phasing for every drop made, even res? If so, how is it done? Or have you wondered if the POCO's have maps of their systems?

My daughter just graduated from GVSU with a Bachelor's in Conservation Management with a GIS specialty certification. Before she even graduated, she had a job. She now works for Davey Resource Group and is mapping out the Consumer's Energy lines, literally one pole at a time. She starts at a sub station and using GPS and a computer, she is making a 'wiring diagram' of the system. Every wood pole gets a tag with an ID number. She can look at a pole and tell if it's single or three phase, 'low' (less than 13,200) voltage or higher, and what all the communication cables are. This, after her full day on the job. She will be tagging 50 - 100 poles a day, so I am going to have to get her a good hammer. Here she is with her company truck (which she keeps 24/7 and has conditional personal allowance) on her first day.

View attachment 17549

She started with GPS with me years ago playing a game called Geocaching. She loved it, but we haven't done it in years. So GIS was a shoe in for her, and helped her get this job. Davey is more than a tree service now. They do all kinds of different outside stuff. Somehow they landed a contract with Consumer's Energy to map out every detail of their system. This could be a permanent affair, since the lines are always being moved for one reason or another. We kind of thought her degree would get her into the DNR, She did two internships with the DNR, so it's kind of ironic that her first 'degreed' job is making 'as builts' for our POCO. So far, she loves it.

Well I guess we'll know the answer once your daughter finishes up! But I think you're right, she could retire on this job. Or more likely, supervising others doing this job.

Congratulations to the both of you; you for raising a hard worker, and her for seizing the opportunity. Too many people pigeon-hole themselves and can't think outside the box when it comes to considering a potential career. I wish her the best of luck.

 

[K8MHZ]

Well I guess we'll know the answer once your daughter finishes up! But I think you're right, she could retire on this job. Or more likely, supervising others doing this job.

Congratulations to the both of you; you for raising a hard worker, and her for seizing the opportunity. Too many people pigeon-hole themselves and can't think outside the box when it comes to considering a potential career. I wish her the best of luck.

Thanks, I am very proud of her.

She started 'working' when she was 16 doing volunteer work for an animal shelter. She stayed there for nearly three years, never collecting a cent. Then she got a job at Hallmark, which she held until last year when she moved away for her last year of school. On the weekends, she works for her mother, who is in the home health care business. She is also a trophy winning brown belt in American Karate.

Backing up a bit, when she was 10, she got her first ham radio license. When she was 12 she passed her Morse Code certification, making her the youngest FCC licensed telegrapher in the state. Also when she was 12, she worked security with me at an air fair where the Blue Angels were performing. That got both of us on TV, Fox 17 heard about it and came into the show and a reporter and a cameraman followed us around for about 45 minutes, getting us our 15 minutes of fame.

She also worked search and rescue with me, using GPS and maps. Who knew what all that would lead to!!

 

[steve66]

Good for her. Its nice that she can do something she likes, and earn a good living at it.

As far as the POCO maps go, yes, our POCO has detailed maps, and they frequently share them with me when I have complex projects.

The voltages and wire sizes and # of phases are all pretty accurate. And they even show every street light.

But the pole locations are all just somewhat approximate, especially for anything on private property. I guess they are intended to be more of a schematic instead of an actual layout. But sometimes they are off so much you can't tell what's what, so getting them laid out right with GPS would definitely be a benefit.

 

[K8MHZ]

Good for her. Its nice that she can do something she likes, and earn a good living at it.

As far as the POCO maps go, yes, our POCO has detailed maps, and they frequently share them with me when I have complex projects.

The voltages and wire sizes and # of phases are all pretty accurate. And they even show every street light.

But the pole locations are all just somewhat approximate, especially for anything on private property. I guess they are intended to be more of a schematic instead of an actual layout. But sometimes they are off so much you can't tell what's what, so getting them laid out right with GPS would definitely be a benefit.

She has some sort of letter she carries with her that explains why she has right of way on private property to do her mapping. GPS is very close now days, like plus or minus 3 or 4 feet. We found that out doing Geocaching.

 

[steve66]

She has some sort of letter she carries with her that explains why she has right of way on private property to do her mapping. GPS is very close now days, like plus or minus 3 or 4 feet. We found that out doing Geocaching.

My last android phone was really bad - couldn't really geocache with it. One second you were in the right spot, and a minute later, the spot was 30' away.

I haven't tried my new phone. And I have my garmin watch that I use to track my runs and bicycle rides. It seems pretty accurate.

 

[K8MHZ]

My last android phone was really bad - couldn't really geocache with it. One second you were in the right spot, and a minute later, the spot was 30' away.

I haven't tried my new phone. And I have my garmin watch that I use to track my runs and bicycle rides. It seems pretty accurate.

The best GPS devices to use for Geocaching are the ones used for hiking and the like. Phones and car GPS units are more targeted for drivers on roads, not people walking.

 

[Besoeker]

Thanks, I am very proud of her.

As indeed you should be!!

 

[Fulthrotl]

View attachment 17549

She started with GPS with me years ago playing a game called Geocaching.
So far, she loves it.

the grin says it all.....

she gets to drive around and get paid to geocache.
and when you were doing that, people looked at you like you were a bit
batty.... now you can tell those doubting folks that she grew up to be a
geocacher.

it's funny. i've not done it in years, and was driving home today by a park,
and glanced over at where one of the first caches was at... still there.

funny what sticks in your mind, and what escapes untouched.

 

[kwired]

GPS is very close now days, like plus or minus 3 or 4 feet. We found that out doing Geocaching.

I think how accurate it is mostly depends on your equipment.

Back in the 1990's when I was in Army National Guard, our company commander was the only person in the unit that had a GPS device, was also first time I ever heard of such a thing. Never seen it being used, but supposedly could give you a 10 digit grid coordinate for the device's location. A 10 digit coordinate would be accurate to within 1 meter. Most of the time we only used 8 digit coordinates for every day things which is accurate to within 10 meters. Calling for artillery fire with 8 digit coordinates is very accurate if everyone is on the right page with the coordinates. If you could get fire support to 10 digit accuracy from all aspects, snipers could be out of a job:happyyes:

 

[cowboyjwc]

I kind of figured that must be what Edison is doing here, I see them all the time out and about taking pics and nailing tags. Here we don't have any three phase run into residential areas so phasing isn't a problem. What we do have is an old infrastructure in neighborhoods where all the houses had 100 panels, but now everyone has added a pool, AC, room ads, detached garages, and the utility is having a hard time keeping transformers from blowing, especially in the summer.