Matt -

We generally terminated on 66B4-25 blocks that gave you 5 appearances for each line. If we had a situation that called for more terminations we would sometimes put the blocks with the feed pins touching, run the feeder cable up the middle and loop it on one block and punch it down on the other one. This gave us 10 terminations. For situations that required more appearances then 10 we would just duplicate this scenario.

I did a job once that had over 70 K-30 sets. All picked up the same 20+ lines. The frame room was huge. 75 pair for each of the sets. It was a blown out ITT K-76A system - I think it offered 54 Intercom extensions, 3 or 4 channels of Intercom and 24 CO pick ups. We maxed it out and then some. Had to put lamp extenders on.

The job started with about 40 stations and just grew. They tried to sell the owner a PBX at one point, but he was having none of it. I showed up there once and someone had run out of space in the frame room and had commandeered the coat closet next door. He punched a hole in the sheetrock and ran the cross connects through the hole in the wall to the blocks in the coat closet.

I was appalled.

A big job like a hospital is different from a small key system. There is key equipment, but it backs up a PBX. Usually there are no more then 3 or 4 stations picking up the same line (Boss, assistant, secretary and covering secretary). There were exceptions of course.

Sam

"Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket?"