Twenty Years Before the Antenna Mast

Murphy's Law effectively states that :-

IF ANYTHING CAN GO WRONG, IT WILL!

Putting it in a mathematical form:

1+1________________________________________________________________£_2_

_W_h_e_r_e_ _£_ _r_e_p_r_e_s_e_n_t_s_ _t_h_e_ _m_a_t_h_e_m_a_t_i_c_a_l_ _s_y_m_b_o_l_ _H_A_R_D_L_Y_ _E_V_E_R_._ _ _C_o_r_o_l_l_a_r_i_e_s_ _a_s_ _a_p_p_l_i_e_d_ _t_o_ _T_e_l_e_c_o_m_m_u_n_i_c_a_t_i_o_n_s_ _a_r_e_ _a_s_ _f_o_l_l_o_w_s_:_-_ _ _1_)_ _ _ _A_n_y_ _c_o_m_p_l_e_t_e_d_ _a_n_d_ _c_h_e_c_k_e_d_ _d_r_a_w_i_n_g_ _w_i_l_l_ _n_e_i_t_h_e_r_ _b_e_ _c_o_m_p_l_e_t_e_ _n_o_r_ _c_o_r_r_e_c_t_._ _2_)_ _ _ _D_a_t_a_ _w_i_l_l_ _a_l_w_a_y_s_ _b_e_ _e_x_p_r_e_s_s_e_d_ _i_n_ _t_h_e_ _l_e_a_s_t_ _c_o_n_v_e_n_i_e_nt form.

3) Important reference books will be missing, incorrect or out of date.

4) Vital instructions will invariably be received too late or lost.

5) If a project requires N components, there will always be N-1 components available.

6) The missing component will always be the most important one.

7) Nominally interchangeable parts will exhibit fundamental differences.

8) Cables cut exactly to length will be too short.

9) Connection leads will always be faulty, missing or of the wrong size.

10) Any item dropped will land where it will do the maximum damage or in the most inaccessible spot. (This is also known as the law of Selective Gravitation.)

11) The replacement for any item dropped will never be found in the "ready to use store" kept in ones pockets. (Also known as the law of Displaced Objects)

12) If a circuit cannot fail, it will - generally catastrophically.

13) Backups will only function during non-essential testing.

14) The probability of failure is inversely proportional to the ease of repair.

15) Fail-safe circuits will always destroy those adjacent to them.

16) In overall performance tests, all errors are cumulative.

17) Equipment that works during testing will always fail when put into service.

18) The most delicate repairs will always have to be carried out in the roughest conditions.

19) The last component checked is always the faulty one irrespective of where a start is made.

20) The most essential piece of test equipment will (a) not work, (b) not be present or (c) explode.

21) Several pieces of totally unrelated but essential equipment will always fail together.

22) A most important point, discovered with the advent of modern solid state technology is that transistors exist for the protection of fuses.

23) Murphy was an OPTIMIST!

Drafted from over 20 years of Nautical Electronic experience by a Marine Electronics Officer. I have experienced every one at least once and some several times! I think Murphy must have been a sailor, as some of his laws seem to be borne out in daily life on board ships!