Prog cable organization

[efc]

This might be a topic in the wrong are of Batlabs, but just looking for ideas. What does anybody else do with all the prog. cables
that we collect, at least as a field service tech., to transport them in an organized fashion? I bought a tackle bag that had diff. compartments, but I have since outgrown it and the storage method is not real organized. The cables quickly become a big bundle, taht which I want to avoid.

Thanks

[FireCpt809]

I have the majority of mine in heavy duty ziplock freezer bags with the name written on them they coil nice and the larger cables I use a double sided velcro I keep everything in large pelican case with my laptop.

[tvsjr]

I use a Pelican 1650 case with the factory padded dividers. This carries all of my cables and programming stands, plus the DOS boatanchor for old stuff. I have a chart for the location of all of the cables, and a sign-out sheet when I loan anything out. It's big, it's heavy, the replacement cost would be massive... and it's full. I count: 1 laptop, 1 power supply, 4 RIB-style widgets w/ AC adapters, 4 pager cradles, 45-odd cables, and proper USB and serial cables.

All cables are wrapped using Velcro ties from Tessco. The cables are labeled, usually on the connector end unless impractical, as to the radio they program, and their owner (mostly).

I would not go any bigger - this thing is already too big as-is. It weighs about 80 pounds. If I'm only working on one particular radio or a certain subset while on a job or deployment and know I won't need anything else, I move the appropriate cables to the laptop bag.

If I were doing it over again, I would consider a smaller Pelican for the pager stuff (one interface, four cradles)... a medium Pelican for the Moto stuff... and another Pelican for the non-Moto stuff.

[Bill_G]

We have a wall of shelves with neatly stacked & labeled plastic bins for the umptine different official cables necessary to service all the different brands with duplicates of the popular models. You take what you need and return it. However, for my day to day cables in my truck, I make my own out of rj45 to db25 adapters, silver satin cable, old spkr mic connectors, old battery housings, or whatever is required to adapt to the radio. It is amazing what a little solder and a rubberband can do. You can get very compact that way, and keep it all sorted out in a plastic lure case. Ain't nobody gonna wanna borrow it cuz it's ugly.

[motorola_otaku]

I use one of these: http://www.mobileedge.com/scanfast-chec ... fcase.html
and keep the daily-use stuff in the outside pockets and lesser-used stuff bundled up in the inner pockets. You can comfortably fit 2 portable cables in the outside pockets so it's not going to hold the entire shop collection, but it'll do ya if you're a casual self-supported end user-type.

[wavetar]

We have a similar set-up as Bill_G, each series of cable gets it's own labeled banker's box, and they all reside in one of those large filing cabinets with the flip-up front doors & sliding shelves for easy access. Popular cables have duplicates in the boxes. As far as for on the road, since we 9 times out of 10 come to the shop every morning, we simply load up what we need as the job requires...honestly the need for programming existing field units without prior knowledge of having to do so is pretty rare, so we don't bother with laptops, RIBs & cables unless we know we're gonna need them.

[Will]

ZipLoc static proof bags, one for each cable.

[Tom in D.C.]

I've found that like many others on here the medium-size Ziploc bags with the white write-on label areas work best. I use a permanent black marker to identify the cable inside. There's not enough room inside for the cables to get tangled, to start with. I keep the most-used cables (about three of them) in the side pocket of the programming laptop, with the less-used cables in a separate small case downstairs at the bench. (One thing is always certain: when you need the RIB it will always be downstairs and not in the laptop case.)

Another important detail if you're doing Sabers and Astro Sabers is to mark the cables as to which cable is for each model radio, otherwise you'll end up doing trial-and-error discovery or, worse, having to pull the cover off the multipin cable to see where that one different wire is connected.

[tvsjr]

Another important detail if you're doing Sabers and Astro Sabers is to mark the cables as to which cable is for each model radio, otherwise you'll end up doing trial-and-error discovery or, worse, having to pull the cover off the multipin cable to see where that one different wire is connected.

Easier - just use one cable (Astro Saber) and add a switch to choose Astro or analog.

[jackhackett]

Organization? What's that?

[banks]

We just picked up a Casecruzer XTS 6-pack and I was actually surprised at how much extra room there was for cables/ribs/batteries/etc.

Just wish there was enough room for the KVL and the laptop to make it a true "one stop shop"