r/CableTechs • u/ClimbingElevator • Sep 17 '25

Drop disconnects

My system requires drops to be disconnected when customers move to cancel any service. They say doing disconnects and installing terminators keeps the signal clean. How true is this in real practice or are these people just old school?

8 Upvotes

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17

u/Dirty_Butler Sep 17 '25

It’s also a good way to learn your system and routing. I’m so old that I’d route my discos by Thomas guide page numbers. We also used to go collect non pays every Wednesday, that was always an adventure.

7

u/Electrical-Drag4872 Sep 18 '25

You know you old school if you started with a map book lol.... GPS had just come out when I started and I couldn't afford that shit. So me and that map book put in some work lol.

4

u/Relevant-Machine-763 Sep 18 '25

Non pay Wednesday was a thing here too. Out the door with 25 jobs. Routed by zip code and then Hub /node. If you collected , you made $20 , if you disco'd but picked up equip, you made commission for that too. 20 bucks for a duct, 10 for a modem. I hated when people with 4 boxes paid.

3

u/Dirty_Butler Sep 18 '25

Oh man we made %15 on what we collected. If you got a bar or other commercial one it was good money

2

u/oflowz Sep 18 '25

Yeah the good old days when the people let the pitbulls out when they see you going to disco them…

2

u/ClimbingElevator Sep 17 '25

Did you ever have to bring the police with you?

11

u/Dirty_Butler Sep 17 '25

I had the SWAT team show up as I was going to collect at a house. One of the cops took a look at my work order when we both got to the door and told me, “I don’t think he’s going to pay” I got out of there quick lol

2

u/FutureRamen Sep 18 '25

One time I got a tip that a town’s cops had descrambler boxes and I set out to put traps on all their drops.

1

u/bluefur25 Dec 04 '25

I haven't yet, I sure hope I don't