Another place, another time redux
Sometimes in the 1990s in a area commonly called Palm Springs the local TV broadcast site is located within sight of the city center. The broadcast site was served by a single power line with very good generator back up. The equipment on the hill could report remotely all varieties of alarms [alarms not values]. Then the DAY off-air and the usual calm well measured moves by the suits [the ones that can read a balance sheet but a schematic is a arcane mystery]. Checking the alarm board: transmitter no alarms, generator no alarms conclusion no problem on Edom Hill and off to annoy the techs that operated the Studio-Transmitter Link. After a bit of this management somebody goes to the site and finds the generator out of fuel with a dead battery.
In order to save money a common voice grade line was rented consequently no voltage, amp, or power for any of the equipment was available at the studio or business office nor fuel levels. The generator had an automated weekly run test built in but that time was not a fault. The service contract for the generator was on-call, not scheduled because it was the cheapest. The generator tests used the fuel so when this well engineered system worked well in the hardware end, the gellyware in the form of the suits faulted. Fuel used is tests is not like calories when cooking as not counting
Biting the hand that feeds IT
