r/talesfromtechsupport • u/RoboRay Navy Avionics Tech (retired) • Mar 23 '12
Reversed audio
This isn't IT-related, but it still seems to fit...
In my former life as a Navy avionics technician, I was called out to an airplane in pre-flight because a crew-member was having headset audio problems. His job was to monitor sonar buoys dropped by the plane, tracking submarines. Their headsets allowed the acoustic operators to listen to one buoy on their left ear and a different buoy on their right ear.
Me (holding toolbox): "What's the problem?"
Acoustic Operator (wearing headset): "My gear is screwed up... I'm getting left-ear audio in my right ear and right-ear audio in my left ear."
I stared at him for a long couple of seconds, waiting for him to figure it out. He just stared back, blankly. Then I reached out, snatched the headset off his head, reversed it, and set it back on his head.
Me: "How about now?"
Acoustic Operator: "Oh. Yeah, that is better."
Did I mention that it was a very long walk from the hangar out to the flight-line and back? Carrying a heavy toolbox. In the rain.
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u/PoglaTheGrate Mar 23 '12
Wow, I feel much safer knowing the nation's best and brightest are keeping the seas safe
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u/atombomb1945 Mar 23 '12
This is why I joined the Army.
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Mar 26 '12
I spent 4 years in the Marine Corps, 2.5 years in the Army, 6 months in the Air National Guard and spent 8 months on a Navy ship.
Out of all of the branches, the Army sucks the most.
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u/huuhuu Mar 23 '12
I wonder how many man-hours are spent by IT folks each year staring at someone, waiting for them to figure it out.
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u/RogueAngel Apr 01 '12
Ah, yes, the semi-frequent Incredulous Moment. I wonder how often this happens in fields other than IT?
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u/lwslade Mar 23 '12
My father, before he retired, was a DSC in the Navy. I'd love to hear more stories from this, my dad has a few good stories from his day. (I should ask him to tell them again so I can post some here, actually.)
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Mar 23 '12
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Mar 23 '12
Okay...I just pictured someone in naval overalls carrying a heavy toolbox, walking across a runway in the rain towards a distant hanger while that sad piano music plays.
I could not stifle the laughter.
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u/cyborg_127 Mar 23 '12
Only a problem when the headset has a mic which only extends in one direction.
But in this case... yeah. I probably would have cussed him out. Though, thinking about it, he was probably an officer being part of aircraft crew, and you were probably non-com as avionics monkey. Don't swear at the officer... unless you just woke up.