The Communication System of The Southern California Edison Company, Ltd.

This paper gives a general description of the Southern California Edison Company's communication system which not only meets the requirements of load dispatching but also serves to bring about close cooperation between the outlying district forces and their directing heads at division headquarters and in the general office. Decentralized dispatching which makes possible the restoration of service after an interruption without the immediate need for commnunication is touched upon. The detail of the development and construction by the Company of the ``Serjdetour'' arrester is made public for the first time. This piece of equipment has made possible a protective system which not only prevents damage to valuable communication equipment in stations for the extreme case of actual contact between telephone lines and power lines but also preserves continuity of communication service after power system disturbances which create surges of considerable magnitude on inductively exposed telephone lines. A brief outline is presented of the standardized assemblies of telephone equipment into units which are adaptable to wide variations in requirements by the use of different combinations and quantities of standard units. The communication building where the telephone system centers is described, together with the methods of handling traffic through this point. A brief description of the testing equipmens for initial tests on new lines and maintenance of existing facilitiet is given together with test results on a typical line 279 miles long.