Are you a 6 month or 12 month pat'er ?

[dj-jaym]

Do you have your gear tested every 12 or 6 months ?

[rob1963]

12 months.

[Penfold42]

Does it not depend on how often you use it?
Make mine 2 years......:D :D

12 months.....:)

[Shaun]

12 months.

[electricnite]

12 months

[dj-jaym]

It does depend on how often you use it so im told, Im on 6 month testing

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Yearly for us.

[Dragonfly]

12 months here too

[dj-jaym]

Suprised either im given dud info, Will have to check with my tester again

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Suprised either im given dud info, Will have to check with my tester again

Not necessarily dud info - there are no hard and fast rules.

[Dragonfly]

i have a retest date given on my certificate of 8th of august 07

[Spirits High]

12 months for me aswell

[cara]

i've still yet to get mine tested (shame)

i'm getting it done once i start gigging properly, i've only done 2 gigs (to test the waters) so far and haven't charged for either

ami right in thinking every single electrical item has to be tested

by everything i mean 4 ways etc. basicaly anything with a plug on it?

[groovy-nights]

Gear is checked and tested before each gig.

[dj-jaym]

Gear is checked and tested before each gig.

Must cost you alot to have it pat tested each gig, Let alone the time factor !:D :bang:

[groovy-nights]

in house testing

[dj-jaym]

in house testing

How long it take before each gig to have it pat tested then ?

[groovy-nights]

if you have all the items ready to check its a quick visual check then put then onto the test takes about 30mins which is not to bad.

[dj-jaym]

if you have all the items ready to check its a quick visual check then put then onto the test takes about 30mins which is not to bad.

Do you do this yourself ?

[rob1963]

if you have all the items ready to check its a quick visual check then put then onto the test takes about 30mins which is not to bad.

Are you talking about a proper PAT test here, with labels on all the gear & a certificate? or just a more general visual & electrical test?

[dj-jaym]

Are you talking about a proper PAT test here, with labels on all the gear & a certificate? or just a more general visual & electrical test?

What i was thinking if it was id say money better spent on a in house web design team

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

if you have all the items ready to check its a quick visual check then put then onto the test takes about 30mins which is not to bad.

You can't have many items then if you are doing this properly?

We can generally test between 15 and 20 items an hour.

[Penfold42]

We can generally test between 15 and 20 items an hour.

Didn't know that....have to keep up.

Is that part of your company as well?

[theoloyla]

It does depend on how often you use it so im told, Im on 6 month testing
It does depend on how you use the gear and how often but the average dj should get it done once a year. Hire equipment (which may suffer more abuse) should be done more often and anyone who is working 6 or 7 nights a week might think it wise to get it tested more often but at the end of the day there are no hard and fast rules and we are generally guided by the tester.

[spin mobile disco]

12 months here , but do a basic cable checks and unit safety check at each gig just to play safe.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Didn't know that....have to keep up.

Is that part of your company as well?

Yeah, we only bought the machine a couple of months ago, so have just started really. Obviously to work out fees and charges we needed to work out how many items on average can be tested in an hour etc.

[Penfold42]

Yeah, we only bought the machine a couple of months ago, so have just started really. Obviously to work out fees and charges we needed to work out how many items on average can be tested in an hour etc.

Nice one....I've thought about this but not looked into it but I believe the equipment is not cheap....but the exam is - how true is this?

[CRAZY K]

Every year--keep visually checking all the time.

I always know when theres a problem--the red or green neons dont come on

:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

On a serious note I nearly bought a second hand mixer recently from a disco shop--got it tested with all my other stuff and it FAILED.

No one could work out the problem --needless to say I didnt buy the mixer:(

It was more likely to have been a breakdown problem than dangerous--but still shows how useful PAT testing is :D

CRAZY K

[Corabar Steve]

Nice one....I've thought about this but not looked into it but I believe the equipment is not cheap....but the exam is - how true is this?

Couple of hundred quid for a C&G qualification

[dj-jaym]

Its the calibration thats costly each year, Machines can be had cheap on ebay

[Larry B Entertainment]

My official PAT is done every 12 months.

[Vectis]

My official PAT is done every 12 months.

Is there an echo in here? (let's not start that again :D )

Unofficially everything gets an earth bond check approximately monthly, and anything that gets frayed, trapped, stretched gets inspected and tested immediately.

[Larry B Entertainment]

Is there an echo in here? (let's not start that again :D )

My official PAT is done every 12 months.

Is there anybody there ?

Is there anybody there ?

Is there anybody there ?

Is there anybody there ?

[djdarren]

12 month is fine but if it looks visualy wrong! ie cables look like they are hanging out its not going to pass!

the first test in pat is visual inspection, if it does not look safe it will not pass!

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Nice one....I've thought about this but not looked into it but I believe the equipment is not cheap....but the exam is - how true is this?

Our machine was about 2K but we got one with bar code reader and all the extras.

[Corabar Steve]

Our machine was about 2K but we got one with bar code reader and all the extras.
I think we paid silly money too. The machine itself wasn't too bad, but when you added in the software, calibration, bar code scanner, bar code labels, etc etc it did mount up.

[dj-jaym]

I think we paid silly money too. The machine itself wasn't too bad, but when you added in the software, calibration, bar code scanner, bar code labels, etc etc it did mount up.

What machines u running ?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I think we paid silly money too. The machine itself wasn't too bad, but when you added in the software, calibration, bar code scanner, bar code labels, etc etc it did mount up.

Agreed. The software was a major part of the expense.

[Corabar Steve]

Seaward, I can't remember the model off the top of my head, but it is an all singing all dancing, upload / download, printout / CD ROM, type it all into the machine & it does it for you type effort.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Seaward, I can't remember the model off the top of my head, but it is an all singing all dancing, upload / download, printout / CD ROM, type it all into the machine & it does it for you type effort.

Ours is a Seaward too and does pretty much the same.

[Penfold42]

I think that's not to bad actually........mmmmmm...me think more thoughts!!:)

Can you test and pass your own gear then?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

I think that's not to bad actually........mmmmmm...me think more thoughts!!:)

Can you test and pass your own gear then?

There's no reason why not.

[Penfold42]

There's no reason why not.

Didn't know if there was a law about testing your own gear.....
At least you know it's safe...that the good bit..!!

[Larry B Entertainment]

Think you have to have the right qualification to officailly PAT test anything. For your own use the machines are probably a bit too expensive and you would have to do alot of pat'ing before it paid for it self.

[Penfold42]

Think you have to have the right qualification to officailly PAT test anything. For your own use the machines are probably a bit too expensive and you would have to do alot of pat'ing before it paid for it self.

Agree with that....big outlay first but you can get it back...no different than buying your disco..:)

[flatliners]

my equipment is all new so no need for a pat

[dj-jaym]

my equipment is all new so no need for a pat

Incorrect im afraid

[theoloyla]

Incorrect im afraid
Not neccessarily. Its a grey area. People I speak to are still of the opinion that new equipment doesnt need to be tested until your next sheduled equipment testing (which is usually 12 months or less).

[theoloyla]

Sometimes jobsworth local council type officials cannot see the end of their noses and unless it has got a certificate it isnt coming in (even if it is a brand new stat of the art rolls royce piece of equipment - but that doesnt mean that the HSE think that way.

[LILLYSTONE]

you should do a visual inspection every time you use a piece of equipment.

[theoloyla]

you should do a visual inspection every time you use a piece of equipment.
Dead right AND a risk assessment of every gig you play. Are the fire extinguishers in place, do you know where the emergency exits are etc etc.

[LILLYSTONE]

The PAT certificates are not realy worth the paper they are written on, because as soon as the PAT test has been done the equipment may develop a fault and be dangerous for the next 12 months until the next test. A bit like an MOT on a car.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

my equipment is all new so no need for a pat


Incorrect im afraid


Does anyone actually read the contents of a thread before replying?

The PAT certificates are not realy worth the paper they are written on, because as soon as the PAT test has been done the equipment may develop a fault and be dangerous for the next 12 months until the next test. A bit like an MOT on a car.


Yes, we know.:bang:

Yawn.....

[Corabar Steve]

Can we have a pat testing forum, stick all of these threads in it & make the whole bloody lot sticky.

I might stop all these threads going over the same thing every few weeks.







Then again maybe it wouldn't :sj:

[theoloyla]

Can we have a pat testing forum, stick all of these threads in it & make the whole bloody lot sticky.

I might stop all these threads going over the same thing every few weeks.







Then again maybe it wouldn't :sj:
Steve, I have been involved with dj associations etc for over 40 years and believe me the same questions come up again and again and again on contracts, copyright, basic electronics, etc etc. You have to remember that the great majority of people are ill informed and ignorant and even when you give them the answers they dont always believe you.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Steve, I have been involved with dj associations etc for over 40 years and believe me the same questions come up again and again and again on contracts, copyright, basic electronics, etc etc. You have to remember that the great majority of people are ill informed and ignorant and even when you give them the answers they dont always believe you.

I think the major difference is though Theo, is that with the advent of the internet, the amount of information that can be sourced is a lot bigger, so really there is no excuse.

[Larry B Entertainment]

Does anyone actually read the contents of a thread before replying?



Yes of course we do.........

Now what is this thread about again ????????? :D

[theoloyla]

I think the major difference is though Theo, is that with the advent of the internet, the amount of information that can be sourced is a lot bigger, so really there is no excuse.
There has always been information available about everything be it word of mouth or encyclopedias and newspapers plus TV, film and radio some people though have always been ignorant because they dont open their eyes and ears and cant be bothered to look.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

There has always been information available about everything be it word of mouth or encyclopedias and newspapers plus TV, film and radio some people though have always been ignorant because they dont open their eyes and ears and cant be bothered to look.

I'm talking about DJing Theo.

Word of mouth? Too many untruths.

have you ever read anything regulrly about our industry in a newspaper or encyclopedia. What is the kind of image portrayed on TV of a DJ?

And when was the last time you turned the radio on and heard them talking about our industry?

[Corabar Steve]

And when was the last time you turned the radio on and heard them talking about our industry?

When I did the "presenter" made a joke about somebody who was a mobile DJ & did he have one of those T shirts with a tux & bow tie printed on it.

If other types of DJ hold us with such derision then what hope do we have for the public's perception?

[theoloyla]

I'm talking about DJing Theo.

Word of mouth? Too many untruths.

have you ever read anything regulrly about our industry in a newspaper or encyclopedia. What is the kind of image portrayed on TV of a DJ?

And when was the last time you turned the radio on and heard them talking about our industry?
I was talking generally about ignorant people not just dj's.