When your wiring starts to resemble a giant spider web, it's time to rethink what you're doing.

Consider the person who taped cables to a floor and routed them through a doorway. The wires included a 120 VAC extension cord. This is a fire hazard, to say the least. Who could condone such an act?

The State of Minnesota enacted a law requiring contractors and broadcast engineers to be licensed as low-voltage electricians; I wrote an article about this for the April 11, 2001, edition of Radio World. It was a hassle to become licensed and later renew my contractor�s license at a cost of about $500 a year.

However, there is a bright side. In learning the National Electric Code, I came to appreciate fully the reasoning behind neat and safe wiring installations. Eight hours of required continuing education each year helped cement in my mind what is right and what is wrong. This includes code issues on which an electrical inspector might take a client station to task.

Bad form

Safety violations for exposed high-voltage (over 50 volts) wiring and lack of proper grounding should be taken seriously.

Remember your 120 VAC on-air light that gets its power from an audio console? Bad form!

The top photo here shows nicely installed relays in an equipment rack, yet 240 VAC is exposed a real shock hazard.

Yes, I always try to do neat work. Pride pushes me to that end. Fortunately I've always worked on a "time and material" basis so there was no incentive to cut corners.

Make sure your satellite dish is in good shape.

True, there are various approaches to wiring equipment. Some engineers will take all circuits out to a wiring closet, while I might do point-to-point wiring in a studio. My cost to the client might be noticeably less, but at least everything is wired and marked neatly.

What about serviceability? Who can troubleshoot or repair something that resembles a spider web? You shoot yourself in the foot, so to speak, when doing something like that. Your wiring should make perfect sense when you or anyone else comes in to make changes later.

One of the photos shows a satellite dish held up by a concrete block, a phone book and a block of wood all because the alignment bolts on the dish were frozen. A few drops of penetrating oil on those bolts solved the problem within 24 hours, the right way.

The hard part is when you walk into in an existing installation that was done in a "gosh awful" manner. Where do you start? Do you continue using the same bad wiring techniques already on site?

No. I recommend that you make every change to a good engineering level, replacing old wiring one piece at a time. I know this is easier said than practiced; but it is the right thing to do. You need a "master plan" and then you need to stick with it.

Shown are more examples of some messy upkeep.

In the end, as you leave the studio or transmitter, you should feel that you have done your wiring neatly and responsibly. The station has received work of which you can stand back and be proud.

If not, it could come back to haunt you!