[RTTY] Labeling cables

[foxbw at comcast.net]

In response to the cable label query:  The following is a system that was used for large-scale 

commercial comms systems I was involved in. 

You have two devices, A and B, connected by a cable. 

If you have enough cables to justify it, you number each one 

Device A connector is Audio In, Device B is Audio out, for example 

You make up four labels, two for each end of the cable. 

At the Device A end, one label states: DevAAudioIN and the otherDevBAudioOut 

The DevA label is closest to the DevA conn to show that's where it plugs in, the other label tells 

where the other end goes. 

On the other end of the cable, the DevB label goes closest to the DevB connector, again to 

show where it connects and the other label tells where it came from. 



So no matter which end of the cable you have in your hand, you know where it came from 

and where it goes to. 



If you had hundreds of cables (which we did) you make up a .xls of cable number, 

from rack/device/conn,  to rack/device/conn, length, connectorl type, cable type, etc. 



I believe HP and maybe Brady  both make peel-and-wrap type lables just for this purpose 

which come on 8X11 sheets to run through your laser/inkjet printer.  This requires finding 

a labeling program that will handle these sheets and some clever formatting to get all 

the necessary info on each label. 



I did this for an 8 rack, 44 receiver ELINT system several years ago.  All RXs had RF in, 

IF and AF out, fiber optic and HP-IB cables.  Video and audio matrix switches, spectrum 

analyzers and tons of other neat stuff, all connected by hundreds of cables, all of which 

had these label s.  Needless to say, installation was plug and play.   


This is waaaaaay over-kill for most ham applications, but I still use this system in my shack. 

73, 

Barry - W1HFN