EPRI Color Books

Just heard about Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI)'s color books series. They refer to various fields of electrical power transmission and are exorbitantly priced. The Red book is listed at $4750! No wonder people go for pirated copies. Why information should be kept at a premium is hard to understand. The following are the full list of publications in this series.

1. Olive Book - HVDC Transmission Reference Book (2010)
2. Copper Book - Power Transformer Guidebook (2014)
3. Green Book - Underground Transmission Systems Reference Book
4. Red Book - AC Transmission Line Reference Book: 200 kV and Above (2005)
5. Orange Book - Transmission Line Reference Book: Wind-induced Conductor Motion
6. Yellow Book - Overhead Transmission Inspection and Assessment Guidelines
7. Blue Book - Transmission Line Reference Book: 115 - 345 kV
8. Light Blue Book - Power System Dynamics Tutorial
9. Teal Book - Best Practices and Life Extension Guidelines for Substations
10. Maroon Book - Fault Current Management Guidebook (2008)
11. Platinum Book - Increased Power Flow Reference Book (2008)
12. Bronze Book - Underground Distribution Systems Reference Book (2009)
13. Gold Book - Power Electronics based Transmission Controllers Reference Book (2009)
14. Grey Book - Overhead Transmission Grounding Guide (2009)
15. Tan Book - Live Working Reference Book (2009)

Books 10 to 15 have not been published yet.

Ode to an Antenna

The 6m-long antenna pole for television was finally brought down today at home. Though it was inoperational for a long time due to the advent of satellite TV, it was a relic of the past, a vibrant reminder of several years of entertainment, which is totally new to the children of today. How we enjoyed the Hobson’s choice of Doordarshan (India’s state-owned telecasting organisation) with relish even though not a soul would care to switch to any of their numerous Hindi-language programmes now!

More than the entertainment aspect, the antenna-pole marked a phase of my life. It was installed in August 1986 and after nearly a quarter-century, it is finally removed. As in history where the middle ages are considered to begin with the burning of the library at Alexandria in 415 CE and that of the modern era with the fall of Constantinople in 1453 CE, the installation of the pole marked my transition from adolescence to youth while its removal today might signify the transition from youth to middle ages! Abhorrent is the thought of aging, but there is no way out!

Thinking of the antenna-pole, I am pulled back to nostalgic reveries of those times. TV transmission in Kerala was still in its infancy and we had decided to buy a colour TV set in 1986. Even though it was very costly by today’s standards, our family decided not to look at black-and-white sets, but a decent colour set seemed to be unaffordable. Enquiries were made at Coimbatore and a firm, M/s Vimal Videos agreed to sell a set for Rs. 11,900 at an EMI of Rs. 515 for 36 months. The instalment amount was straining our resources when I was in the 10^th standard, but we made up our mind to purchase it to fulfill our long felt desire. When the money was collected and we reached the shop, there was some last minute bargain resulting in coughing up the last rupee we had. Hiring a taxi or vehicle was out of the question and we chose a late-night train running from Trichy to Ernakulam. The TV set reached home early next morning. The real problem cropped up then. There was no antenna and we had no cash to spare. Borrowing from some friends, a quick run to a hardware shop brought the 6m long pole and antenna kit which was immediately assembled and hoisted. Even though I don’t remember the first program we watched on this set, the euphoria and the waiting for 6’o clock (that was the time when the daily transmission started) unexplainably fills a feeling of sadness in me. The set was Teltronix make, a startup company at Thrissur which manufactured sets in collaboration with Toshiba. The company doesn’t exist now. This was in 1986 when I was 14 years old and now, this pole is brought down and removed.

In a sense, the diminishing role of the antenna can be compared to that of Doordarshan also. In an era when it reigned supreme over the Indian skies, the choice and quality of the coverage was poorest among the poor. Doordarshan began its operations in 1959, which became a daily black-and-white service in 1962 in Delhi. By 1965, it was extended to Mumbai and Amritsar (why Amritsar is anybody’s guess!). The transmission changed to colour along with 1982 Asian Games held at New Delhi. Towers and production studios also multiplied, with Malayalam service commencing in 1984 from Thiruvananthapuram.

The smooth sailing of the national airwaves monopoly faced rough weather in 1991 when Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao’s economic liberalisation movements catapulted the nation along a trajectory of steep economic growth along with inevitable changes in all aspects of public life. Private companies were allowed to broadcast and the age of satellite television arrived. The number of channels burgeoned and we found the original eight channels in the Teltronix set too few to receive the numerous channels, most of which didn’t make any relevance to us. But since they are broadcast, it would be too bad on our part not to be able to receive it! Hence, the sets were changed and the new era arrived. By recent estimates, it is known that there are 417 private TV channels operating in India at the end of 2009.

It was not just a length of galvanized-iron pipe that we removed today, but a whole lot of memories and experiences that shaped and highlighted my youth!

Trip to Bangalore (Apr 2010)

Since my routine is more or less sedentary, any travel out of the ordinary is noted and remembered for a long time. A trip to Bangalore is nothing to write home about, since thousands do it on an almost weekly basis. This was an official visit – inspection of an electric panel in a prominent firm in Peenya Industrial Area, and I was reluctant to go at the very outset. The matter was informed to me by my boss on April 16, and upon enquiry it was seen that there is not much chance of getting a seat in train for almost two weeks. All I could manage was a third AC ticket on Garib Rath Express which was running at a very inconvenient time, reaching Aluva at 00.45 hrs! There was not much choice, so the ticket was reserved online. At Rs. 449, the cost is only 70% of the normal fare. However hard I tried, there was no possibility of getting an AC ticket for the return journey, so I contented with a sleeper ticket on the Intercity Express to Ernakulam leaving Bangalore at 6.15 hrs.

First day (Apr 27, 2010)

The Garib Rath was right on time, though the number of passengers to board from the station was meagre, owing to the call for a hartal on that day by the ruling party in Kerala. The communists’ farcical strikes on the flimsiest of reasons and the arrogance and violence-filled way in which they enforce them is to be noted by Amnesty International for the way in which they hold the populace to ransom. The all-India strike call was by the Marxists, so after leaving Kerala, there were no signs of any protest either in Tamil Nadu or Karnataka. The journey was not good, in the company of some Keralites settled in Bangalore who had lost all touch with Kerala and who seemed to have even forgotten their mother tongue! Irritating these skunks really were, and it wa nauseating to listen to their conversations and chit-chats in English. Each one had a huge luggage with them which caused them great hardships while alighting. Travelling light doesn’t occur to them and the baggages were as strong as their heads. Reached Yeshwantpura station at 12.00 hrs, 30 minutes behind schedule. Hired an auto to hotel and the first pangs of the unruly autorickshaw drivers in Bangalore became apparent. This hoodlum exacted Rs. 80 from me, whereas the meter showed only Rs. 65. All visitors should be beware of these nasty lot and as far as possible should avoid them. Checked in to Hotel Lucky Inn in Cottonpet Main Road near Majestic bus stand. Ordered a plate of vegetable fried rice in room and a pathetic sample of the dish arrived which was an ordeal to finish. Never in my life I have experienced a worse plate of fried rice. Thus refreshed, I set out to Peenya Industrial Area for the inspection.

At about 6.30 pm, the day’s work was over and returned to city centre by public transport. There was a heavy gale and rain at that time and I was almost drenched. Several trees were uprooted and the traffic jam was unbearable. It took 1 hr 45 min to travel a distance of 12 km! At 8.45 pm, reached Majestic and it was already uncomfortable. Went straight away to hotel room and went to bed after ingesting a cup of sugarcane juice and a packet of orange cream biscuits.

Second day (Apr 28, 2010)

Early next morning visited the company again to complete the official formalities and returned at 4.30 pm back to city. This time, the travel was smoother even though it crawled at a number of places. More than the number of vehicles, the narrow passage ways caused by construction work of elevated metro rail and elevated highways was the main source of traffic congestion. We may hope that once these megaprojects are over, the journey would be smoother. Took a sumptuous dinner from a nearby restaurant and retired for the day, with all official business over.

Third day (Apr 29, 2010)

Vacated the hotel at 5.30 am and walked to City railway station for the Intercity Express to Ernakulam which was scheduled to leave at 6.15 am. But the train was not in the platform even at 6.05 am and there was a large crowd there. As the train was coming into the platform, a person hurriedly came to me and asked whether that train would go to Ernakulam. When I said yes, he enquired whether I am a Malayalee and introduced himself as ‘Clever Thomas’ and presented a photo ID to prove the claim. One quick look at the ID was enough to convince anybody that it was a hoax and the man didn’t seem to be so clever! He said that his baggage, including money was on a bus to Ernakulam which left station as he alighted it for relieving himself. As he had no money, he wanted Rs. 98 to purchase a ticket so as to reach Ernakulam to get his baggage back. As I had fallen victim to such a hoax in Vijayawada 16 years earlier, and the memory of the incident still fresh in my mind, I at once refused to pay him anything. Having thus despatched him off, I boarded the train which left Bangalore at 7 am, 45 minutes late.

It was so hot and the journey was not at all comfortable. When it reached Coimbatore, the crowd was eased and reached Aluva at 5.10 pm after an eventless journey.