arfur mo

as you external siren rings when 'forced' i just want to mention, i'm not totally sure with the logic 4 - been a long time since personally having the displeasure of working on one. it is a very simple panel, many more modern panels will only trip the external siren on full alarm condition i.e. needs to be armed fully then tripped (opening a tamper only operates the internal siren). if the panel is dead then don't shed to many tears, as a decent replacement panel is not that many sov's to shell out regs alan

but you don't cover richmond - do you? i'd suggest get in touch with the vendor or landlord, estate agents may know the code from the viewings B) regs alan been simply age's since you said that line 'son' it brings tears to my eye's regs alan

he can't help it - the SIRENS still going lol regs alan

stretching the thread a bit, but i love a good practicle joke, on a union shop stewards course at the Esher Colledge facility, during the 3 day course we were told that past kings used the building's to have 'out of sight' relationships with there consorts, it had secret passageways to die for, the whole nine yards. men being men we got into telling ghost stories after a long visit to the local pub. you can always tell the nervous one's who stay on 'to be men' but are absolutely scarred whitless. there is was a generally unused wing which was reputed as being haunted, so playing on this we decided to visit it saying it was uncannily cold and quiet from an earlier visit we had done. so we 'searched' several rooms and played up the cold feel aspect for the benifit of the nervous guys, then edged them to open a particular door, result as they openned it the curtains of the window flew just the other side flew into their face's, caused simply by the draught from the door but heart attacks all around. i laughed myself sensless most of the night at the 'sissy's' reactions. priceless! regs alan

i'd say a dead ringer lol regs alan

hi Martin, we do not give out 'defaulting' information for obvious security reasons, if after reading the manual you still have problems then best you ask the landlord to arrange for the code change for you. it is his equipment, and many landlords will use any excuse to not return your deposit if an when you move on, so be wary before you alter anything always get prior permission. regs alan

lee, well thats a 'spooky' coincidence - watch out for the bogey man, while trying to stay within the spirit of things. regs alan

hi all, not security but telecoms in funeral parlour a little known fact with a Panasonic KXTD 1232 is it has a built in tune for 'on hold' built in and can be listenned to through the handsets. it's not dicumented anywhere but go on a coarse and you get to know. this parlour had one fitted for several months and the engineer had turned it on, but no one checked what happened when on hold - the tune was an ice cream van version of -: "bring me sunshine" when the receptionist hit the background music button and it played out while relatives were making arrangements - till one complained of 'insensitivity'. priceless! regs alan

Very interesting, I wish I was that young the first panel I fitted was Rely a Bell panel in 1970 the actual panel was wired with anti tamper wire, all windows and door's were wired the 'old way' it was really hard work the back up battery was an Ever Ready type battery, the alarm was connected to a TYPE of dialling machine that had a specially made record placed on a turrntable which sent a message to the Police, there was also another type of Police calling device that went direct to the local 24 hour manned Police Station where we had access to test, at the Police Station there was banks of switches that activated when signalled the switch relay went down an an audible signal was heard the Police Officer then checked the numbered switch and dispatched a Police car. Believe me this is true even I often wonder if all that really did happen after what we have now days. hi binthere, i'm not sure your memory serves you to well mate, especially about the 12 volt battery. rely-a-bell was 5 qs flags in the panel and 3 x 'O' cells end of line. Burgots had an EverReady HP1 as standby as it was a 12 volt system. the PIU (Police Indicator Unit) was fitted to the local police station. a high security 'balanced' version came out later which had 8 channels and had to be 'tuned' both ends - nightmare for service in electrical storms if lightning bolt hit the manhole outside the main police station - which it did 3 times over one easter weekend at Southend - and i was on call. the '999' you speak of which were 12 volt battery operated was called an 'RG' or 'RE' , one version had line fault sensing, a good clump on the catch side of the case used to send the arm across the record and cancel the call servicing was a bit 'brutal' in those days B) . regs alan

the ist alarms i worked were all oc button contacts in the hinged side of the door, no anti tamper and no limit to numbers of them or pad's either. the times i have spent on tracing the foil type pads where someone dropped a dressmakers pin or needle which then penetrated the sleeve and shorted the plates. the hoover would reposition them too, once the plastic went brittle. i made a 'crasher' which was initially a simple monastable designed and used for intermittent loop testing, i then modified it to pick up fast shorts on o/c's. i'd attach it to the pair and walk into each room, jump in the air or stamp the floor. the bleep would sense and extend the signal of the short the client was also convinced, and could not the chair was not on the mat for instance, saved untold hours of carpet lifting, and seeing my 'mad genius act' they tended to sign on the dotted line no trouble regs alan

woa! there old hand, don't give away all our secrets - or they'll be putting external sirens up plumb next - OMG! you coulds start a rash! always loved the lazy gits who left the masking tape on the windows, and those who used permanant markers when setting out regs alan

blimey james, i thought i'd be the only one to remember using saddle (insulated) staples. companie's stopped using them in the '70s in favour of 1/2" galvenised. i always thought it was a backwards step . the 'logic' aplied being the insulated saddle could allow the cable to slip instead of break. the amount of earths, shorts and rots, thus false alarms that would have been avoided had we all stuck with saddled one's far outweighed this risk imo . BS.4737 then decided in its great wisdom we needed to use nylon insulated posts and screws for concealed anchors in stead of the 1/4" rubber gromet and 1 1/2" black japan screw . i know securitas used their T28 cable tackers for laced wire stapling - oh dear oh dear! regs alan

hi all, talking knockout rods i just remembered a customer when i was on Chubbs, she was a baraster, and only worked 6 months a year and travelled six months. she had every window on the house fitted with knock out rods so she could walk arround inside and be protected. the alarm was always armed, and about every 2 weeks she'd open a window and dislodge a bar calling the police. to stop here getting nasty letters from the CPO i said to remove the phone from the cradle within 30 seconds, so at least the 999 would be stopped and we did a dress rehearsal. next call for a reset, i asked did she take the phone off the hook? 'Yes' so the Police were not called 'er! yes they were'. baffled i check this old black phone (the one's with a chrome dial) no probs, so got her to demonstrate, she sets off the alarm rushes to the cupboard and lifts the receiver as planned - then plants here fingers on the wrest buttons banghead just glad i never needed her to defend me regs alan

Yer I'am forming a new firm called "retro alarms" it all tube & batten, cc wire & foil......... i Anybody know where I can get hold of mark II escort van some wooden ladders & a flared leg boiler suit? For the complete look? your not going back far enough, tube and batten is the modern version, it's tube and saddle frames using ebony coated coppr wire and insulated staples you really want for retro don't forget the kerry spring contacts and knock out bars either. as to clothes Chubbs issued its service enginners with blue plastic 'barbers' jackets, it got a bit saucy if you went into a gay persons flat i can tell you - backs to the wall and all that regs alan

on rely-a-bell and later Chubbs CA3 they called it a 'lockblock and coffin' design, same idea keyswitch, toggle switch and a reset button. house versions had an 'AGRO' buzzer, if you touched it while adjusting it would kick you across the room. the countless number of trainee's, and a few supervisors i 'got' that way - progress? where's all the fun gone if i had an intermittent on a laced wired circuit, i'd feed a spare agro buzzer via a 12 volt hpi battery, the induction would either weld the 'rot' or blow it apart. if at night or a basement and you were lucky you would see the spark, smoke or arcing from the fault. just some 'old skills' shown to me from my original service trainer - who needs these new fangled calibrated meters . regs alan

don't let us forget Heathkit regs alan

well, well you not as old as we was reckoning, I was betting, your first 'un was made from War dept surplus relay's in a metal box the relays were the old post office tye, brown waxed paper and all the panels i admire most were made from box wood and brass shim, actually on site by rely-a-bell installation engineers. an absolute work of art and an example of workmanship and precission not seen today even on the best panels. some of the early stuff i serviced had been in place faultlesly for 40 years. regs alan