Field Service Technician Thread

[jeffmoss26]

Yes! I did lighting and sound from elementary school through college. I keep a roll of gaff tape at home, instead of duct tape, have TONS of sharpies, and keep drill bits in mic bags. I also get mad when people do not coil cables over-under lol

A 'unique' tools thread would be very cool. I am an IT guy and also do some voice/data cabling on the side still, I've accumulated so many tools.

 

[Brownsfan]

I design, install, service, and support high resolution multi-projector display systems, usually on curved screens and with 3D.

zuk

I used to do projectors and screens in schools and meeting rooms in corporate settings. Most of the time in schools it was a Smart Board and a short throw projector. I was tired of traveling so I went back to cars. Still have all the tools for it though. You never know.I really enjoyed the work just not all the overnight travel. I have a wife an 2 young kids.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Did you work for a company in Cleveland?

 

[Brownsfan]

Yep. Downtown

 

[magova1104]

Here are the ones that I use at my job. The yellow case is for general service, but most related to complete Auto Security new installs and repairs.
The red one its for Auto security, GPS, Tracking devices and Smarts Start installs (Laptop inside)
And the little black one is the one that I carry on my glove box. Small but capable to perform any install or repair.

 

[jeffmoss26]

Nice! I like all the orange stuff!

 

[magova1104]

Nice! I like all the orange stuff!

Thanks Jeff! If you work in the cars you understand how easy is to leave them in the car, under neath the seat, inside the hood, etc. Using bright colors you can minimize the chance of lose them. I personally like orange over the green because there a lot of tools more in that color and is the standard color for Industrial Tools and Equipment (Orange and Yellow)

 

[jeffmoss26]

I mostly work in drop ceilings and crowded phone closets where it is just as easy to lose tools!

 

[zuk123]

Ha, I've found some good tools in ceilings!

Magova, I've always been intrigued by the idea of tool pallets, but I never know what tools to put where, and I thought there would be a lot of wasted space. Does having everything right where you can see it make up for the empty spaces?

Did your pallets come loaded, or did you piece the set together?

zuk

 

[ncfh]

Funny how many former stagehands/grips we have here. I too started in lights and sound, started my first business while in HS.

Then moved onto sign service, the power/boiler scene, and now medical imaging.

I love field work and travel, no desk can catch me!

 

[magova1104]

Ha, I've found some good tools in ceilings!

Magova, I've always been intrigued by the idea of tool pallets, but I never know what tools to put where, and I thought there would be a lot of wasted space. Does having everything right where you can see it make up for the empty spaces?

Did your pallets come loaded, or did you piece the set together?

zuk

Ok. Companies like Jensen Tools or Time in Motion, even Snap On tools create specific tools sets for every job (Military,Electronics Field, Mechanics,etc) but since they are customized, you will spend a lot of money (600-5000) and you have to get their own tools in stock.
Me, I rather buy the case alone (yellow= 180, red= 54 and portable black case= 45) and fill it with my own preference set of tools, tools that I have already.
I have a KRL series Snap on tool box in my job's shop and I really like the cases because you have everything organized and READY TO USE every time. These companies offer an wide variety of pallets configuration, one for every tools needed in that job, and you can switch them easily.

 

[Brownsfan]

Here are the ones that I use at my job. The yellow case is for general service, but most related to complete Auto Security new installs and repairs.
The red one its for Auto security, GPS, Tracking devices and Smarts Start installs (Laptop inside)
And the little black one is the one that I carry on my glove box. Small but capable to perform any install or repair.

I wish you worked in my shop. So people would not say I have a tool problem. I think you and I are the most prepared 12v guys on the planet. I have tools that I dont need everyday but if I do I know I have it. I have tools for 3 different proffesions. Auto mechanic, 12v instaler, and a intergration technician(network,survailence,av etc). Not to mention the tools that I have for around the house. I thought I was the only 12v guy that had enough tools to supply the whole shop

 

[kc-steve]

Funny how many former stagehands/grips we have here. I too started in lights and sound, started my first business while in HS.

Then moved onto sign service, the power/boiler scene, and now medical imaging.

I love field work and travel, no desk can catch me!

Maybe some clarification is needed and I think Zuk feels the same as I do, based on what he says about his situation. It is in fact the intensive travel away from home that gets you after many years. We probably ALL enjoy being autonomous in our employment, the ability to work without being watched, or hounded, or following a routine. You can do that without intensive travel. That is VERY enjoyable, but is quite different when you are away from home week after week, month after month, year after year. In the beginning it's new and fun, then it becomes a drudgery. Motels and hotels start looking the same . . . life feels like it is slipping away. Then one day you wake up and have forgotten what city you are in. yadda-yadda

Steve

 

[magova1104]

I wish you worked in my shop. So people would not say I have a tool problem. I think you and I are the most prepared 12v guys on the planet. I have tools that I dont need everyday but if I do I know I have it. I have tools for 3 different proffesions. Auto mechanic, 12v instaler, and a intergration technician(network,survailence,av etc). Not to mention the tools that I have for around the house. I thought I was the only 12v guy that had enough tools to supply the whole shop

I rather have more than one of each tool. And a tool sets everywhere: Kitchen, bathroom,garage,trunk,glove box, etc. I like to be always ready. I know that having the right tools always on hand, you save time and make money.
I'm always carry tools in my car,sometimes, visiting friends, someone ask me about a problem they had with their key less entry, R/S, etc. I know what is the problem, grab my tools, fix it and charge the people. Easy money. Some times is just a simple valet/override switch flip, or reprogram a remote.

 

[ncfh]

Been on the road fifteen years and no regrets.

 

[zuk123]

NCFH, KC-Steve

I wrote a huge post agreeing and expanding on what kc-steve said, and I just accidentally hit "back" and lost it.

So the short version.

Glad you like it and it suits you. I did for 15+ years. The constant challenge and change get in your blood like nothing else. You learn a lot very quickly. But eventually your priorities change, or at least mine did.

Right here is where I need to be now. I didn't like what being gone was doing to my 2 year old. I didn't want to build the foundation for the rest of her life on anger and disappointment with her daddy.

I'm pretty sure I'd be lousy at a 9-5 desk job. I know what you mean when you say a desk won't catch you! You might find that there are periods in your life where that is what you need though.

I am not surprised to find a lot of ex production people in field work. The demands of the job are similar, there is constant challenge, change, and movement. And you get to play with tools and tech gear all the time. Isn't that part of what drew you to theatre/av/production?

If fact, I told my boss we would be better off hiring from the entertainment industry, than directly from our field (or heaven forbid, engineers right out of school). I can teach construction management. I can teach the technical aspects of the job. I can't teach work ethic, or how to run a crew, or how not to drink yourself to death on the road. (Except by example.) I can't teach how to be the only one there to work, or how to get there on time, or work til the job is done. Those things, you have to learn on your own. Most working techs in the entertainment industry have learned how to do it. Or it is real obvious where they come up short.

And the hardest part to face...eventually you get old and tired. The pace gets to you. The lack of attachment to society gets to you. I had a moment when I realized I was more comfortable in a hotel bar than my long time neighborhood hangout. Surrounded by my anonymous peers, road warriors, looking for just enough interaction but not too much. It is a hard way to live.

Didn't mean to be a downer or anything. We have a lot of good times too. But mostly when we're out as a crew and not when alone.

So now I get to pick when and where to work, with mostly local support calls. That said, I was away last week and will be again next week, 'cause I still need to get to where the work is.

zuk

 

[jeffmoss26]

Amen!!

 

[Brownsfan]

What got to me was my 3 year old daughter at the time crying on Monday because she knew dad was leaving and she wont see him until friday. That is when I knew I had to make a change. My wife started to almost resent me because she did EVERYTHING while I was gone. Money was good but sometimes it is not everything. I loved the work but hated the travel. If I could have done the same work with no travel or maybe a little travel I would still be doing it. What really sucked is the older guys that were there longer got all the in town jobs and the rest of us were gone. It was supposed to be a rotation. I worked there for a year, I was in town for work for 3 weeks. I would not know friday where I was going monday. You showed up monday with bags packed ready to go.

 

[4x4gearhead]

I have a KRA6200 that barely fits into the side door of my gmc savana, It is packed to the gills because im a firm believer that taking as much as you can and being self reliant is a more professional approach to field work. I have various hand totes that I am able to carry most all I need to go rescue a groomer off the hill/ or get a Go-Tract out of the woods. I would love to have a truck with a service body though the heater in the back of the van is nice. I have to travel a lot and I find it does start burning you out after awhile, It always equals out to long days where I may work for 8 hrs and drive for another 8 and sometimes to even more excess. In a way I wouldnt mind being in a shop for awhile, kinda nice to have all your stuff right there, the challenge of not having as many resources can also burn you out sometimes too. It is nice to not have anyone up your *** and be able to make your own decisions based on the situation at hand. I have been doing this for about 6 years now and I do enjoy it. I cant picture myself behind a desk, I prefer being greasy.

 

[Brownsfan]

As a funny side note. I had all the guys in this AV company wanting a snap-on ratcheting screwdriver. They all had klien 11-in1 screw drivers and I used my snap on ratcheting driver with all the bits I needed in the cap. An they ALL wanted my snap-on bent handle wire cutter/crimpers. I lost them somewhere in a elementry school in Bardstown KY. They are probably laying on a drop ceiling somewhere. They company supplied all the tools but I said no because they bought mostly junk. The bag that was handed to me had some cheap workforce pliers and some other **** in it. But the "old" guys had klien,channellock etc. So I said screw it and brought in my own. The old guys after that were trying to get a company account with Snap-On after they used some of my stuff

 

[kc-steve]

What got to me was my 3 year old daughter at the time crying on Monday because she knew dad was leaving and she wont see him until friday. That is when I knew I had to make a change. My wife started to almost resent me because she did EVERYTHING while I was gone. Money was good but sometimes it is not everything. I loved the work but hated the travel. If I could have done the same work with no travel or maybe a little travel I would still be doing it. What really sucked is the older guys that were there longer got all the in town jobs and the rest of us were gone. It was supposed to be a rotation. I worked there for a year, I was in town for work for 3 weeks. I would not know friday where I was going monday. You showed up monday with bags packed ready to go.

As a funny side note. I had all the guys in this AV company wanting a snap-on ratcheting screwdriver. They all had klien 11-in1 screw drivers and I used my snap on ratcheting driver with all the bits I needed in the cap. An they ALL wanted my snap-on bent handle wire cutter/crimpers. I lost them somewhere in a elementry school in Bardstown KY. They are probably laying on a drop ceiling somewhere. They company supplied all the tools but I said no because they bought mostly junk. The bag that was handed to me had some cheap workforce pliers and some other **** in it. But the "old" guys had klien,channellock etc. So I said screw it and brought in my own. The old guys after that were trying to get a company account with Snap-On after they used some of my stuff

TRUE Field service is a young man's game, for sure. It is just a matter of time. If you are still doing the same work in 20 years then you will appreciate the company giving the "older guys" some perks. In my case, my background set me on a course for intensive travel no matter what. I was more experienced and trained in the equipment than anyone else so they were expecting me to take the lead, help others, and work alone.

One thing nice back then was the fact that all my employers allowed me to write tools off on my expense reports. Never had a problem.

Steve

 

[zuk123]

Brownsfan, that is the truth. Finding the right tool for the job makes it so much easier.

I've always had my own tools. Every year the company would budget for tools for the field guys, every year a tool list would make the rounds, and every year the money would be spent elsewhere (or piecemeal.) Most of the other field guys (and gals) would use company money to buy stuff as they needed it, but then you are at the mercy of the local stores. And it was wasteful in that you would buy a socket set for the 4 you needed, or a screwdriver or pliers set with lots of part you would never use. Some of them ended up dragging giant pelican cases full of tools they would never use (like linemans pliers, or stubby screwdrivers, or channel locks.)

The other thing that bugged me was that the factory guys got the top of the line tools to do their job (including the guys in my group that preassembled everything.) Of course, that was preferable to their old practice of raiding field guys tool cases when they came back into the shop.

What tool is your biggest time saver? For me it was the EZRJ45 system for making cat 5 cables. Everything in AV is going over cat 5 now, video, audio, control. So we make and run a lot of cat 5. Sometimes 1000's of feet in the same room!

When we were doing coax, the compression tool and system from Liberty cable was the fastest and most consistent I ever used.

Oh, and I can't forget my Disto laser measuring tool. For site surveys it saves hours.

And my PLS cross hatch laser, and my Disto Lino2 are tops for layout and alignment.

zuk

 

[zuk123]

<<--- 3 years old. "Daddy, I don't want you to leave. I miss you when you are gone."


That sort of thing will give you the push you need.

zuk

 

[Brownsfan]

<<--- 3 years old. "Daddy, I don't want you to leave. I miss you when you are gone."


That sort of thing will give you the push you need.

zuk

Thats why I am not in it anymore. So true aon the cat-5 thing. We would be daisy chain high def distribution amps with cat-5. I still have my cat-5 termination tool as well as my coax compression tools.To "save" money they started buying pre-terminated cables for everything. I think it was the older guys complaining or the temps that didnt know how to terminate. Try having your three year old saying that while crying. Theone time I called off because I could not break her heart. I knew then I had to find something new.

 

[Brownsfan]

TRUE Field service is a young man's game, for sure. It is just a matter of time. If you are still doing the same work in 20 years then you will appreciate the company giving the "older guys" some perks. In my case, my background set me on a course for intensive travel no matter what. I was more experienced and trained in the equipment than anyone else so they were expecting me to take the lead, help others, and work alone.

One thing nice back then was the fact that all my employers allowed me to write tools off on my expense reports. Never had a problem.

Steve

I understand the whole been there longer perk thing. But dont tell me there will be a fair even rotation and not adhere to it. What made me mad was 2 of the guys did not have a wife or kids, they just did not want to go.

 

[kc-steve]

Well Brownsfan, that REALLY brings us to my best argument for getting out of field service. Self-employment is so much better and YOU make the rules!

Steve

 

[Brownsfan]

Well Brownsfan, that REALLY brings us to my best argument for getting out of field service. Self-employment is so much better and YOU make the rules!

Steve

So true and thats why I did it. Idont know if I can ever go back to working for someone else

 

[comedyman809]

i will have to take pics of my setup

 

[dirtmister16]

ill have to get some new pictures of my box. i still do a service calls for my customers in town and close by.

i have a 3 drawer craftsman box i use that i carry in the truck. ive torn down cars,trucks,mowers with what is in there. if i can't do the job with those tools it needs to go the shop more often then not.

 

[finless139]

This company sells B&W International cases in all sizes. There are a few shown on the website but can get most any size. Great for traveling with tools and test equipment.

www.jdindustrialsupply.com

 

[zuk123]

I just picked up another pelican case, same size as the one I showed previously. THIS one I got for $35 at a yard sale!

Even though I'm not on the road so much anymore, my brain still works in the same way--"get that case! You need more cases!"

zuk

 

[bsaint]

Yea I got out of overnight and flight field service almost a year and a half ago after doing it for about 4 years. Gets old. Now that I have a little boy, I never want to get back into it. I DO like traveling tho.

 

[Holt]

I just picked up another pelican case, same size as the one I showed previously. THIS one I got for $35 at a yard sale!

Even though I'm not on the road so much anymore, my brain still works in the same way--"get that case! You need more cases!"

zuk

Wow you got one heck of a deal. I went ahead and picked up a veto Mb bag and I'm loving it. It holds my bosch ps21 driver in the meter compartment along with a small assortment of tools. The bit holder compartment is awesome as well.

 

[Holt]

Liked the veto Mb bag so much I decided to give the tp3 a try for my over flow tools. Love it as well

View media item 25705

 

[jeffmoss26]

Nice setup!

 

[thightower]

I'm a field service tech for natural gas compressors. I've found at least, 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" drive, 2 set of wrenches, a good set of screwdrivers, and a good set of misc pliers is a minimum.

 

[robe5000]

I'm a field service tech for forklifts, the company i work for sells 5 brands last time i checked and we service and repair whoever needs it, i work on everything from manual pallet jacks to container handlers, some of my customers are more than six hours away. So yeah, i need tools, lots of em! Everything from a jewellers screw driver to a 1" drive 6 ft long torque wrench
i just moved into a new to me Savana, ill get some pics posted as soon as i can, i don't have it geared up they way i want it right yet (duty calls)
Heres a couple pics of the old van being emptied out, i pulled out 3 pallets of stuff not including the 9 drawer craftsman box which is full

 

[zuk123]

THREE PALLETS! I'll link to your post next time someone says I ship too many tools

It has been really nice being home with my girls this year. I'm surprised that I haven't had the wanderlust hit me. In the past, after about 2-3 weeks at home, I'd start getting anxious and start missing the road. It must be the little ones. They are so much fun to watch and play with.

To all the vets out there, whose sacrifices include time away from family, THANK YOU.


zuk

 

[bibman]

NCFH, KC-Steve

And the hardest part to face...eventually you get old and tired. The pace gets to you. The lack of attachment to society gets to you. I had a moment when I realized I was more comfortable in a hotel bar than my long time neighborhood hangout. Surrounded by my anonymous peers, road warriors, looking for just enough interaction but not too much. It is a hard way to live.


zuk

Man are you DEAD-ON with this statement...

 

[mrjaw14]

Yes! I did lighting and sound from elementary school through college. I keep a roll of gaff tape at home, instead of duct tape, have TONS of sharpies, and keep drill bits in mic bags. I also get mad when people do not coil cables over-under lol

A 'unique' tools thread would be very cool. I am an IT guy and also do some voice/data cabling on the side still, I've accumulated so many tools.

You sound like a mirror image of me. I'm a network admin. got my start in low voltage cabling. in my late teens and early 20's I worked as a sound engineer. I coil EVERYthing over-under...even the darn garden hose LOL

Tool bag I sill use is this CLC bag