My trip to Hong Kong. 1966 RAPTOR One of the first eligible exports. Heraldo phone, black, went to the former British colony of Hong Kong. I think it was around the 80,000 eligible., I do not remember the correct figure.
mid-August of 1966 I was called to the office of S. Armisén who told me that they thought of me to carry out a trip to Hong Kong (about 15 days, ha, ha) to find out what there was any truth to the complaints of the Telephone Company of this city on the quality of the phones received. The idea was that it finds "in situ" the problem and then mounted a mini fit repair damaged. According
I was informed, before beginning the trip, there were two main problems: the dumb bells and rupture of the racks of the fittest. The timbres of no surprise since we picked Factory and had experience in this area: the metal particles inside the device caused when handling the inserts of the racks, plus sometimes came built-in transport boxes stamps were introduced into the air gaps in them, leaving them completely silent. However, the latest was the problem of breakage of the frame. Until then there had been a complaint in this regard.
According to reports from HK, the frame started the back of it, just entered the area where extension cords and microteléfono.Pero before explaining why this happened, I will tell you how was the beginning of the tour.
After a long journey of several hours, with stops in Madrid, Rome, Bombay and Bankog, passed over Vietnam (in absolute silence from the passage, until they told us we were out of the airspace) and we finally to Hong Kong. That day was a feast (do not know why) with great color and sound of fireworks. Due to time changes and long distance was very tired, so I decided to get involved directly in the hotel bed Ambassador, located on Nathan Road in Kowloon Peninsula. He had not slept for one hour when a horrible noise, like it was a bomb, I stood up in bed with the creeps and a significant tachycardia. It was a powerful firecracker placed a few feet from the window of my room. Wonderful welcome! It was only overcome when the time, to leave the hotel for a walk, I was about to be hit by a taxi while trying to cross the street (drive on the left!).
The next morning I phoned Mr.Wethey president Transelectronic, which was the ITT factory where Cia. Hong Kong sent directly to phones defective repair. After many hesitations and interruptions could tell this gentleman that it was necessary to speak with a representative from the phone company and explain that CITES had sent a technician (me!) To repair them as soon as possible.
The interview the next day, with the representative was very unpleasant and why, for my poor English (he was always very bad), I do not hear half of what I said (just by the look on his face me realized that was not happy with the "toys telephones" as he called them).
Transelectronic were prepared in a plant where he had piled up, when I arrived, a considerable amount of mobile ("400?," 500?) who had to try to repair. Since then more kept coming.
Preparation for work Because people that I would help repair were four Chinese girls, Mr.Wethey had the happy idea of \u200b\u200blooking at China University one of the few English who were then living in Cologne, spoke perfect Chinese and had some preparation.
It was an ex-seminarian, Daniel Cavero, who taught English and English at the University of china, because in HK had, at least then, two universities (the Chinese and English). This man came to Taiwan (Formosa) years ago and wrote about life and customs of the island to a English magazine, and wrote very well not Chiang Kai Shek was expelled and declared persona non grata. "
Arrives in Hong Kong and married a Chinese woman, Cecilia, which once had four daughters. This man treated me as a friend and was of invaluable help not only my work but during my stay in the city.
To facilitate my communication with operatives I compiled a list of all items, parts and phone components and tools that would use in repair. In a notebook, left, top to bottom appear the names in English, on the right, in another column, the translations in English, and ultimately to the right, the last column with the Chinese pronunciation of all words.
This was supplemented by a list in Chinese, pronounced in English, vulgar words and phrases in common use, such as greetings (good morning, good afternoon, evening, morning, etc.) And phrases common in everyday life.
This represented a huge help for me, because in daily contact with the operatives, one of whom spoke some English, I spoke to them with a mixture language English and Chinese (sorry have not recorded). For example, if I needed a screwdriver, he told the chieftains - Fung, (was his name), please, one "losipay." Losipay was how it sounded in Chinese the word for a screwdriver. Apart from this
always carried with me a small English-English dictionary.
Once we went to the restaurant for lunch, I left forgotten in the workshop and before entering the car Mr.Wethey told that he had left and needed to bring it up because it was very useful for me to I replied, "it is not Useful, pero essential". (it was hot).
Así comenzó el trabajo 1º.- Procedimos a desmontar la montaña de teléfonos que había allí acumulados y ordenarlos en el suelo a fin poderlos contar con cierta facilidad.
2º.- A continuación fuí probándolos uno a uno, utilizando un pequeño dispositivo diseñado y montado en el Laboratorio de Pruebas de Vida (Control de Calidad.)Prácticamente todos tenían el bastidor roto y el timbre mudo.
3º.- Una vez reparado el apto. ,especialmente de fallos en el timbre por acumulación de virutas metálicas en los entrehierros, se le colocaba un bastidor nuevo y a continuación se enviaba a HK Telephone Co.
Respecto a breaks the racks, most of them, as I wrote at the beginning, had a thin line of a substance such as a sweat, that was where they opened later. This problem was due to the so-called "plasticizer migration." For those who do not know, a plasticizer is a substance that is incorporated into the plastic, increasing its flexibility, manageability and elasticity, reducing the strength and rigidity. Plasticizers are essential and major products in the finished product, which has led from the beginning its use has been monitored and controlled. Plasticizers are substances added in the manufacturing of PVC compound to impart softness and flexibility. Because of its performance and low cost, plasticizers create products for consumers and industry that are versatile, durable and affordable. About 93% of plasticizers are phthalates, being approximately 7% for esters or polyesters based on adipate, phosphoric acid, sebacic acid, etc., PVC (used in the manufacture of pasachasis on extension cords and handsets) is in a long chain of high molecular weight polymers. Plasticizers such as phthalates, are liquid. Processing conditions - involving heat and sometimes pressure-make polymers and liquids meet. In the new state, the liquid acts as an internal lubricant and allows the polymer chains are moved towards each other, providing flexibility. So this material can be molded or shaped in a variety of useful products.
However, rupture of the racks, because the "migration" apparently came from two sources. On the one hand contact pasachasis (grommet) to the frame, combined heat and humendad in Hong Kong and mechanical pressure, in some cases, had in these areas, caused this "migration", causing the rupture of the plastic Frame (ABS). But there were also other possible cause, which was discovered in the laboratories of STL (London) and was the production of certain vapors produced inside the plastic bags covering handsets.
I did some tests with racks Malaga newcomers, introducing them in closed bags. After a few days some cracks had racks. Following the report of STL bags that wrapped the fittest. and racks came with holes drilled to facilitate the evacuation of those vapors.
That was my life any day The Ambassador Hotel, where I spent two or three days, I went to the Hotel Fortuna, in the same street than the first, but cheaper because Mr.Wethey thought that, given the time it was supposed to be in Hong Kong, the first bill may be too high. As I stated at the beginning, came to this city in mid-August and returned to Manchester in mid-December. On 16 January 1967 my third child was born. (The youngest is now, April 2008 - 41 years).
Early in the morning, after breakfast at the hotel, sometimes coming to get me in a car of ITT, and others went by taxi to the factory Transelectronic, who was also on the Kowloon peninsula, but something more interior.
The work was interrupted between 11 am and 12 noon, when he had lunch in the same factory the four Chinese who worked with me and other workers who were in the factory. Indeed the only thing that I learned of the workshop was an assembly line of a small television made there, which will put a plastic housing with the legend: "Made in USA" (and write the story.)
At the time I took the opportunity to take some juice and candy. The girls came back soon and often brought inside a plastic bag which is used to wrap the handset, a few roasted cockroaches as a dessert. When the first day gave me the of laugh on seeing the face of disgust when I saw that I put.
Soon, about 13 hours, I picked Mr.Wethey, Mr. Guiford (control) and a queue with a beautiful Chinese and Chinese when asked if he replied with some anger that no, it was American. I think it was a chieftain of the workshop.
The company car we went to the airport restaurant was the only decent that was near the factory. I still remember the face "joke" that got the waiters one day to see meatloaf was a beautiful shot towards the door driven by the pressure of my sticks.
Later we returned to the factory where it remained until around 4 or 5 in the afternoon.
From that moment on it was mine. Apart from numerous trips to visit the city, a quite peaceful and pleasant, going to the movies quite often, looking for the Chinese-language films with English subtitles, was the only way to learn! As is sometimes the last session was noted that at the end of the film and the lights switched out on the screen a photograph of his Gracious Majesty the Queen accompanied by the "God save the Queen", of course, the few Englishmen who were in the room at that time remained attention as the music played: Chinese beeping out without the slightest attention. Epilogue
During the four month period of my stay there I had the opportunity to make several visits to both the Kowloon peninsula, as in Victoria Island, the main center of government and commercial and tourist center. In most of these outputs used to accompany Daniel Cavero, thanks to which I know quite interesting sites.
When I came here one of the things that surprised me was seeing the typical English double-decker bus to San Miguel Beer advertising. I initially thought it was a product English exports. Later I learned that in 1890 the English Enrique Barreto opened in Manila, in the district of the capital which bears the name of San Miguel, San Miguel Brewery, the first factory of its kind in Southeast Asia. Born in Spain in 1946 another brewery under the name of La Segarra. Seven years later, Andres Soriano, president of San Miguel Philippines reached an agreement with The Segal for it to continue producing its beer under the name of San Miguel, and so born San Miguel Brewery and Malta, SA Conclusion: that Chinese and drank heavily before us Philippine San Miguel beer.
Soon to be here was the general director D. Mira Mariano Gomez, who along with Lorenzo Martinez came to be interested in the progress of the repair of equipment.
One thing I missed was the peaceful invasion of the colony by the Red Guards of the Cultural Revolution (Mao Tun September), who entered Hong Kong in January 1967.
At end I note that this trip, the first thing he did out of Spain, was a very rewarding experience, despite the enormous task that lay ahead and worry of not knowing exactly when he would return home, waiting the arrival of my last child.
Rafael Serrano Calvo
