This month marks the second consecutive issue in which we bring you an article that explains aspects of the National Electrical Code as they relate to the communications-cabling systems you specify, design, build and/or manage. This month's article, like last month's, is authored by Stanley Kaufman, Ph.D. who is principal of CableSafe Inc. and serves as a consultant to the Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA). If all goes according to plan, the article in this month's issue is the second of what will be nine articles on the topic authored by Dr. Kaufman.
While the article that begins on page 29 of this issue is the second in the series, it (hopefully) will be the first one in which all the information provided is factually accurate. That's because, despite the fact that Dr. Kaufman authored a descriptive and accurate article for our last issue ("What the 2011 NEC says about datacom cable and raceways," July 2011, p. 7), through errors in the editing process, the article that ultimately was published included some inaccuracies.
Believe me, if I find the person responsible for these errors getting into the publication, I'll ... Oh, wait. I just found the person responsible. When I looked in the mirror. So my humble apologies go of course to Dr. Kaufman for introducing mistakes into the article he wrote. And my apologies go to you as wel, because I know you look at this magazine to get accurate, practical information that can help you in your day-to-day job functions. When we (I, specifically) let you down in that regard, an apology is in order.
So, how about I use the rest of this space to set straight some of what appeared last month?
Most importantly, page 7, right-hand column, about one-third of the way down the page. The sentence begins, "They do not apply to installations ..." It should say, "They do apply to installations ..." That's a rather crucial point.
Also, the term "Balanced twisted-pair copper communications cable", as it appears on page 8, should read simply "Communications cables."
Other errors were typographical in nature. The box on page 8 includes a field "plenum cable" that should be "plenum raceway." A box on page 7 tells you about "Datacam" cable. Uh, that should be "Datacom" cable.
And when discussing definitions of the word conduit on page 8, the phrase "raceway or circular cross section" should be "raceway of circular cross section."
Again, my apologies. I hope you'll continue to read our NEC coverage.
PATRICK McLAUGHLIN
Chief Editor
[email protected]