Subject: Telephone Cable "Rustling" in the Wild West :-)
Date: 2 Oct 89 23:59:29 EDT (Mon)
From: Larry Lippman <kitty!larry@uunet.uu.net>

In article <telecom-v09i0421m03@vector.dallas.tx.us> roy%phri@uunet.uu.net 
(Roy Smith) writes:
> 	Then again, maybe it had nothing to do with the strike --
> Metro North (Amtrack commuter service into Grand Central Terminal)
> reports continuing problems with people stealing the copper cables
> used for their low-voltage signal lines (there is a big black market
> in stolen copper, be it stolen cables or copper plumbing stripped from
> abandoned buildings).

	During the 1970's there was a particular problem with thefts of
telephone cable in the southwestern U.S., especially Arizona, New Mexico
and Texas.  The target was aerial lead-sheathed toll cable in remote
areas of these states.  AT&T Long Lines was a particular victim.

	The modus operandi was for the perpetrators, under cover of
darkness, to first cut the suspension strands and remove the lashing wire
from a mile or so of cable, allowing the cable to drop to the ground.
This portion of the act, being the most time-consuming, did not break
electrical continuity and therefore set off any carrier loss-of-pilot
alarms.  The next step was to cut one end, and then begin cutting the
cable into lengths to be loaded into a truck.  With several perpetrators,
a mile of cable could be cut up and loaded onto a truck LONG BEFORE anyone
could localize the fault and dispatch a repair crew.

	I can just imagine the expression on the faces of a Long Lines crew
when they find a mile or so of cable has simply *vanished*!

	The profit from this enterprise was tempting.  A typical lead sheath
toll cable, like a type S-54 27-pr 19 AWG, yields about 1/2 pound of copper
and 2 pounds of lead per lineal foot.  Using late 1970's prices, a 5,000 ft
section of cable would yield around 2,500 pounds of copper and 10,000 pounds
of lead, with a total metal scrap price of at least $ 3,500.00.  Not bad for
an evening's work with little risk of apprehension.

	The combination of some arrests, burying of cable, and declining
lead and copper prices caused this activity to diminish, although the
problem does reappear from time to time.

<> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. - Uniquex Corp. - Viatran Corp.
<> UUCP  {allegra|boulder|decvax|rutgers|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry
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Subject: Sometimes a Rude Surprise for Telephone Line "Rustlers"
Date: 9 Oct 89 00:21:52 EDT (Mon)
From: Larry Lippman <kitty!larry@uunet.uu.net>

In article <telecom-v09i0431m01@vector.dallas.tx.us> ee5391aa%hydra.unm.edu@
ariel.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax) writes:
> There is a town called Las Vegas, located in northeastern New Mexico.
> A few years back, when the price of copper was rising exponentially,
> one of the phone people was driving out to do some routine
> maintainence on some lines south of town. From up on a hill, he saw
> four turkeys (human variety) in a pickup truck taking down the copper
> lines on part of the local distribution net for that rural area.
> He "phoned home" on the radio, and the Sheriff was dispatched.
> ...
> I never heard what happened to those guys, but maybe I don't need to know.

	Besides being arrested, some telephone "rustlers" who steal
open wire lines (still common in the west) are in for another rude
surprise: some wire which they laboriously remove that *looks* like
copper, is really copper-clad steel - and is worth essentially
nothing.  I know of one instance where this happened.

	Copper, even of the "hardened" variety, is simply no where
near as strong as steel.  Most open wire lines which have been erected
or replaced in the past 30 years use copper-clad steel, also known as
"copper-weld".  Copper-clad steel is used in other outdoor
applications, such as 1-pr through 6-pr aerial drop wire, "bridle
wire" used to make connection to open-wire lines, etc.

<> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. - Uniquex Corp. - Viatran Corp.
<> UUCP  {allegra|boulder|decvax|rutgers|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry
<> TEL 716/688-1231 | 716/773-1700  {hplabs|utzoo|uunet}!/      \uniquex!larry
<> FAX 716/741-9635 | 716/773-2488      "Have you hugged your cat today?" 

From: "Michael H. Warfield (Mike" <mhw@wittsend.lbp.harris.com>
Subject: Re: Sometimes a Rude Surprise for Telephone Line "Rustlers"
Date: 10 Oct 89 03:29:49 GMT
Reply-To: "Michael H. Warfield (Mike" <wittsend!mhw@gatech.edu>
Organization: Lanier Network Knitting Circle - Thaumaturgy & Speculums Division

In article <telecom-v09i0437m07@vector.dallas.tx.us> kitty!larry@uunet.uu.net 
(Larry Lippman) writes:
>surprise: some wire which they laboriously remove that *looks* like
>copper, is really copper-clad steel - and is worth essentially
>nothing.

	As related in "Broadcast Engineering" several years ago (more
than twelve) a radio station had been having a problem with "copper
rustlers" stealing their antenna grounding radials.  These are
conductive lines which radiate outward from the base of AM
transmitting antennas to provide a good ground plane.  (Note FM and TV
do not require them because they are higher in frequecny, the "tower"
is not the radiating element, and the antennas are structured
differently.) This particular station had a marshly low land near it's
antennas where the radials had to be elevated over the ground, thus
making them easy prey.  

This caused frequent and severe distortions to their transmitted
field, to say nothing of the frequent cost of replacing long stretches
of heavy gauge (#12 or better) copper wire.  A bright engineer decided
to replace a significant number of the radials with barbed wire.  The
rustling stopped shortly there after, although evidence did show they
tried (remember most of this was done at night and in this case over
treacherous ground).  Later "proof of performance" tests showed their
radiated pattern still remainded well within FCC specs and the barbed
wire remains there to this day.  (Although some of the blood stains
may have washed away :-) ).

Michael H. Warfield  (The Mad Wizard)	| gatech.edu!galbp!wittsend!mhw
  (404)  270-2123 / 270-2098		| mhw@wittsend.LBP.HARRIS.COM
An optimist believes we live in the best of all possible worlds.
A pessimist is sure of it!