Had a chat with a retired lineman at the diner this morning

He told me he never trusts a cable that looks too clean inside the jacket because that often means the shield is junk. Made me think about all the times I skipped checking the dielectric just because the outer jacket was shiny. Anyone else run into hidden corrosion on otherwise clean-looking drops?

2 comments

2 Comments

tarab5420d ago

...and there I was last month, pulling my hair out over a drop that tested fine on the surface but was completely shot inside. Had this nice shiny jacket, looked brand new, but the shield was flaking off like old paint. I felt pretty dumb when I finally cut it open. Guess that's what I get for trusting a pretty face over a solid connection, right?

-1

aarons3620d ago

Nah, it's actually the other way around... the jacket carries the signal, not the shield.