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Author Topic: Cables through the crowd area  (Read 8186 times)

Brian Jojade

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Re: Cables through the crowd area
« Reply #20 on: December 25, 2018, 11:34:38 PM »

FWIW, the devices linked are all listed as 'Cable protectors' not trip hazard reduction.  Their primary purpose is to protect the cable.  They create a higher profile and thus create more of a trip hazard than other solutions.

Placing a simple rubber runner over your cables is less of a tripping hazard, although does not protect your cables as well.  In this type of situation, that's probably what I'd use.  Much easier to deploy, stays in place, and usually offers enough protection for normal foot traffic.

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Lyle Williams

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Re: Cables through the crowd area
« Reply #21 on: December 26, 2018, 02:55:01 AM »

FWIW, the devices linked are all listed as 'Cable protectors' not trip hazard reduction.  Their primary purpose is to protect the cable.  They create a higher profile and thus create more of a trip hazard than other solutions.

Placing a simple rubber runner over your cables is less of a tripping hazard, although does not protect your cables as well.  In this type of situation, that's probably what I'd use.  Much easier to deploy, stays in place, and usually offers enough protection for normal foot traffic.

+1

People are far more likely to trip on cable ramps than cables.  Big rubber mats are good.  Also, if you make a hazard you need to mark it with traffic cones or something.  It is having marked the hazard clearly that will reduce accidents and show that your priority was safety.
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Aaron Maurer

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Re: Cables through the crowd area
« Reply #22 on: December 26, 2018, 08:31:09 AM »

Trying to protect Cat5 cable and eliminate trip hazards. Anyone with experience with this drop over cable ramp?  Some events are in the grass and surfaces  can be uneven. Not sure mats are an acceptable method plus it’s not going to provide the protection of the Cat5 I am seeking.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pack-Extra-Wide-High-Traffic-Pedestrian-Cable-Cover-Wire-Protector-Ramp-/292840605614

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Kevin Maxwell

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Re: Cables through the crowd area
« Reply #23 on: December 26, 2018, 10:34:43 AM »

To the OP, I assume that this tree lighting has come and gone. So how did you deal with it and how did it go? I did one tree lighting this year and we put the mixer side stage and I mixed with a combination of at the mixer and in among the people with a tablet. I hate mixing on a tablet it is too slow for me. I had a glove on my right hand with the fingers cut off towards the tips. And my hands were still freezing. The musicians were having a hard time playing with freezing hands. I was wondering if some of those hand warming things would have helped stuffed into the gloves, but I think they have a warning on them to not put directly on flesh. At all of the tree lightings I have done over the years, the tree isn’t where the stage is. The tree is off to one side or in this place the tree was behind the audience and they turn around for the lighting. 

My basic cabling thoughts and experiences.

I freelance for a company that does a series of outdoor concerts in the summertime here. The run from the stage to the FOH is across the grass except for a concrete path from left to right that is about 9feet wide. The cables in the grass seem to sink in just enough that it doesn’t seem to be a trip problem. This is in the summertime when the grass and the ground isn’t freezing and hard as a rock.  For the concrete path we use Bumblebee cable protectors (with 5 channels) which are the lighter weight cable protectors from Yellow Jacket. I have never seen someone trip on the cable path in the grass, we carefully lay all of the cables (usually 4) flat and straight and all next to each other.

I have seen people tip and fall on the cable protectors. The 2 issues seem to be alcohol and darkness. Everyone that has tripped seems to be slightly under the influence. Over the years the ambient lighting at this location has changed. By the end of the show the lights just don’t seem to light this area (the Path) as much anymore. I bought some LED rope lights and string them in the ramps and plug this in when it gets dark. The LEDs make the yellow plastic of the ramps glow. This seems to have helped a lot.

Since we have all of the snakes we need (and more) to do this kind of thing it never seemed to make sense to buy a digital stage box and have to deal with the issues of Cat5 cabling. And to go fiber, which I would consider, really adds to the cost.

When running cabling indoors I do everything I can to keep it off of the ground. If there is food being served you can’t have any cabling on the ground (floor) no matter what cable covering you do. If they are wheeling in food carts they will have a problem getting over the cables. And the servers carrying food will trip. A lot of venues that one would need to keep the cabling off of the floor, usually have ways to put the cabling over doorways and running all cabling along the walls. Some even have cable troths under the floor, with a pull line in it. Sometimes this means compromising a little bit on the ideal mix position but not usually too bad. 

I do an event in a fieldhouse (big open room that is an acoustical nightmare) and in there we hang not only the speakers but all of the cabling to the FOH position. If you have enough cable length there are usually ways to get from point A to point B without having to run the cable on the floor where people will be walking. Sometimes you may need to move point A and or point B a bit to make this happen. And in a bunch of cases we use wireless to make things happen without cable hazards.   
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boburtz

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Re: Cables through the crowd area
« Reply #24 on: December 27, 2018, 12:36:21 PM »

Trying to protect Cat5 cable and eliminate trip hazards. Anyone with experience with this drop over cable ramp?  Some events are in the grass and surfaces  can be uneven. Not sure mats are an acceptable method plus it’s not going to provide the protection of the Cat5 I am seeking.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/5-Pack-Extra-Wide-High-Traffic-Pedestrian-Cable-Cover-Wire-Protector-Ramp-/292840605614
We use the "Checkers" brand equivalent to these. It's called a "fastlane" and works very well for some things. They are lower profile than the hinged lid, trough style so a little less of a trip hazard, but they are still a trip hazard. I purchased one of the units you linked as a test to see if it would mate with our existing inventory of Checkers, as they are a lot cheaper. They don't. They are also a stiffer rubber that tends to warp and won't lie as flat. The Checkers are great for ballroom doorways (gaff tape saver) and sidewalks. I wouldn't run your snake through it and let a car drive over it, though. They will squish under the weight and your snake will bear the load.

Also, if you have thick cables (~1" or so) and they are bundled with other cables, you have to make sure the cables are not wrapped around each other, otherwise the ramp won't lie flat, and will roll with the cable. That is more dangerous than just taping a cable down.

boburtz

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Re: Cables through the crowd area
« Reply #25 on: December 27, 2018, 12:40:31 PM »



 I bought some LED rope lights and string them in the ramps and plug this in when it gets dark. The LEDs make the yellow plastic of the ramps glow. This seems to have helped a lot.

THAT is a GREAT idea. I wonder if it works with other brands / styles, or just the bumble bees...

James Brooks

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Re: Cables through the crowd area
« Reply #26 on: December 28, 2018, 11:27:10 AM »

All great ideas, but there are only two people who can really answer that question.
Your lawyer and your liability insurance co.
They will be the first people to call if some one trips.
There opinion matters.
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Dave Pluke

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Re: Cables through the crowd area
« Reply #27 on: December 29, 2018, 12:14:06 PM »

Their primary purpose is to protect the cable.

Two related observations:

1)  We just took possession of some similar ramps and noticed the hinge dowels are prone to sliding out.  We may bow them a bit to encourage them to stay in place.

2)  Two weekends ago, I used some ramps to protect as many cables as I could as they crossed the backstage access path.  I watched several people gingerly step OVER the cable ramps - and, subsequently, onto some remaining cables, as they passed.  So, I guess they can also act as a deterrent?

Dave
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Debbie Dunkley

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Re: Cables through the crowd area
« Reply #28 on: December 29, 2018, 12:28:19 PM »

Two related observations:

1)  We just took possession of some similar ramps and noticed the hinge dowels are prone to sliding out.  We may bow them a bit to encourage them to stay in place.

Dave

Dave, I noticed this too and I used small zip ties attached to the dowels in the gaps so they don't move around.
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Dave Pluke

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Re: Cables through the crowd area
« Reply #29 on: December 29, 2018, 12:35:44 PM »

Dave, I noticed this too and I used small zip ties attached to the dowels in the gaps so they don't move around.

Ah, good idea! Thanks, Debbie!

Dave
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Re: Cables through the crowd area
« Reply #29 on: December 29, 2018, 12:35:44 PM »


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