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Maintenance of the sound system can be a matter of a few minutes spent each week for systematic evaluation and testing of the sound system. A sample test procedure follows: After the Chapel sound system has been turned on, a brief test of each microphone jack is recommended. This brief test also will confirm the status of the electronics. With the folding partitions closed, the Cultural Center system should be turned on, and the microphone jacks should be tested. After verifying the function of the microphone jacks, a tape can be played over the Chapel system. While the tape is playing, the Chapel speakers can be checked by walking underneath them and listening for any that are distorting the sound. Opening the doors to the overflow should send Chapel sound into the room. Opening of each additional set of partitions should send Chapel sound into the next section. The opening of each partition evaluates the working order of the infra-red sensors. A malfunction could indicate a sensor out of alignment, or an error in the equipment memory, preset, or programming. The perimeter speakers and volume controls would be the next items. The volume controls should change the speaker sound level at each step on the volume control. Each speaker should smoothly change in level. The rooms that have independent systems should also be checked to verify the proper operation of the source select switches and microphone jacks. Microphone cables, microphones, and Assistive- Listening receivers should also be tested periodically. A microphone cable that has poor connectors or sounds scratchy will not be worth repairing and should be thrown away. Microphones that are from older systems will not have the same gain structure, sound, or the same microphone elements, and will not perform the same as the new microphones. They should be used with older systems only. RFI (RF interference) can become a problem at any time. The first things to check are external changes in the area-ham radio operators, new radio stations, new community radio services, etc. After verifying that external conditions haven?t changed, the next step would be system changes. By unplugging all the microphone cables from the mixer, cables that could be acting as antennas are disconnected from the system. If RFI is still present a sound technician should be requested. Motors, dimmers, phase issues, transformers, etc., can also have a negative effect on the sound system electronics. Identification of the cause or source of the interference would best be done by a qualified technician while on site. Digital processing equipment that loses settings should be reported to the sound contractor as soon as possible. Amplifiers that have a failed channel should also be reported. Speakers that start sounding distorted should be replaced. A building-wide power surge or loss could affect the memory settings of the equipment. Problems with other digital equipment, such as thermostats, might also indicate the possibility of telephone or sound system irregularities. As surge suppressers do not have any indicators of remaining service life, it is recommended they be replaced on an annual basis. In the event of persistent power problems, a power conditioner might be considered.