newbee

**lawnpainter** · October 17th, 2008, 11:17 PM

Hi, I've been checkin' out this site for awhile, and decided to join the action.
I've been locating since 1998.
I liked the post about locating the dreaded street lights, but haven't had the chance to check out the suggested wrapping the pole with wire trick, but looking forward to seeing if it works for me.

**TheCableVine** · October 17th, 2008, 11:33 PM

Welcome aboard. Glad to have ya.

**sprayandpray** · October 18th, 2008, 08:44 AM

Welcome aboard. I've tried the wire wrapping several times now and without success. I think you need more than a 1 watt transmitter for this to work.

**Wingfoot** · October 18th, 2008, 03:37 PM

Welcome Aboard Minnesota newbee! lawnpainter - With 10 months of winter every year in Minnesota, is there really any lawns to paint? Just kidding.........

I was born in Fairmont, Minnesota and lived there for my first 9 years. Later I moved to Mankato, Minnesota for 2 winters of college. 39 below zero for the high temperature for 7 straight days taught me the lesson to find work further south! I moved to Omaha and experienced way too much snow. Then I moved to Kansas City, got married and meandered to Wichita, Kansas to get closer to the sun. Now I'm back in Kansas City and have been with SM&P since 1997. I love the freedom of this job and I enjoy the friendships & camaraderie in this fraternity. Being stuck at an office job would be a tough transition for me now.

Anyway, I'm glad you joined theVine and post often!

**yahoo** · October 18th, 2008, 08:02 PM

welcome to the vine lawnpainter......and to the show????? write often we love to see what you think.......Godspeed to ya

**ifinditunderground** · October 20th, 2008, 12:16 PM

Welcome to the show Lawnpainter. Easy there Yahoo......using my line. I'll have to take you out behind the barn.....

**yahoo** · October 20th, 2008, 07:42 PM

hahahhahahahah ifindit...........you got me!!! i'll take that beating like a man for word snatching...... Godspeed to ya lawnpainter.....

**Goldenboy** · October 20th, 2008, 08:02 PM

Welcome to the vine.

As for the wire wrapping trick, I've had about 25 percent luck with it working for me.

**lawnpainter** · October 22nd, 2008, 02:08 AM

Originally Posted by Wingfoot

Welcome Aboard Minnesota newbee! lawnpainter - With 10 months of winter every year in Minnesota, is there really any lawns to paint? Just kidding.........

I was born in Fairmont, Minnesota and lived there for my first 9 years. Later I moved to Mankato, Minnesota for 2 winters of college. 39 below zero for the high temperature for 7 straight days taught me the lesson to find work further south! I moved to Omaha and experienced way too much snow. Then I moved to Kansas City, got married and meandered to Wichita, Kansas to get closer to the sun. Now I'm back in Kansas City and have been with SM&P since 1997. I love the freedom of this job and I enjoy the friendships & camaraderie in this fraternity. Being stuck at an office job would be a tough transition for me now.

Anyway, I'm glad you joined theVine and post often!

(hope I did this right, guess we'll find out once I click submit), heh.
Well actually the snow works pretty well for painting, it gives you a much nicer drawing board. I love the way orange shows up so well on the bright white snow. You can really decorate the unsuspecting homeowners yard for the holiday season. And when you make a mistake

it is sooo much easier to erase, don't ya know. (minnesota accent applied) One of biggest problems with the snow is however, when it gets like over 4 feet deep, and then the temperature warms up just long enough to dump a layer of freezing drizzle on top and it freezes, then you go walking on top of it doing your locate, and all of a sudden you hit a soft spot and you dissappear out of site with nothing but your paint stick and receiver sticking out of the top of the snow.

And you can't get out because you have you carhart bibs on over a layer of long underwear and jeans, and you can't bend you knees because your so bundled up. But yeah, we work all winter, you know, frozen water lines need to be replaced. Cars sliding off the road and taking out the power poles and street signs. Always somethin'.
SM&P is in Minnesota too, but they lost a whole bunch of the Qwest contract they had, so I really don't see them in my area anymore. But some of them got hired by the locating service that picked up the contract, so I still get to see some of them around. I hate when you work beside locators for some time, then their company loses the contract, and you don't see them anymore.