Some of Our Relay Training Reviews

How did you feel about testing relays before the course?
My greatest frustration was understanding the purpose and function of some of the digital elements without an understanding of their physical ancestors.

How did the course help you?
Having less field experience than many of my classmates, I came into the course expecting to be left behind rather quickly. However, Chris has a knack for effectively teaching everyone sitting in front of him no matter what their experience.

How do you feel about relay testing now?
I'm far more interested in pursuing excellence in testing methods.

Why should someone take this course?
I was a beginner when I took the Protective Relay Testing Fundamentals Course--very green in the discipline--and I took the class with people who had a range of experience. Some had decades in this specific field while others (like myself) had only a year or so, with several somewhere in between. Because the class is structured as a hands-on test experience of an individual relay element in both its electro-mechanical and digital forms, everyone gets to follow along under instructor guidance. Everyone learned something, and the delivery was as inviting, enjoyable, and enriching as any class I've ever taken in any subject or discipline. Relay testing can be an intimidating subject, but this class demystified some of its thornier aspects and Chris taught it in such a way as to make relay testing an inviting and deeply interesting endeavor.

What would you advise students who are interested in this course?

Review any of Chris's YouTube videos that relate to the relays you will be going over, and if possible purchase the Relay seminar video and review the modules that pertain to "Dynamic testing", it will be the best investment of time and money you could make as a Relay Tech.

Absolutely take advantage of this course as there is a wealth of information to be obtained not only from the course material, but the instructor as well.

If you test relays, this class is a must. I lacked experience with generator relays and the combination of hands-on testing and theoretical knowledge about the elements in test created a seamless transition from the classroom to the field. Outstanding professor with many ways to explain the same thing. I look forward to future classes!

This is a great class; even if you have little to no experience with relays. Chris can really break things down to the most basic level. Great instruction. Great class.

This course was probably hands down the best relay training course I have ever taken in my 13 years of relay testing. It is obvious the instructor knows what he talking about and is very enthusiastic about relay testing. His approach makes it easy for someone to understand what the relay elements are trying to accomplish and how to properly test that element. This class should be on every relay technician’s list as not only part of their certification but also as a refresher. Well done!

Do it. I had a wonderful experience and learned an immense amount about troubleshooting relays and the test sets.

What did you enjoy most about the course?

Learning to test the elements manually without the use of automated software and being shown how the relay actually operates and senses readings.

Understanding phase angle relationships to simulate faults.

This is the best training I have seen for 3 phase power systems! The animations are terrific. These are things that I am constantly drawing by hand to help illustrate concepts to other technicians but they just aren't the same when I can't draw them in motion. The links to other sites that are referenced have an abundance of additional theory topics and more animated illustrations. I very highly recommend this course.

Chris was an excellent instructor. For an inexperienced tester like myself, he made it easy to follow and understand. I was never bored once in the 3 days. I had never used the Doble or its software before, and now I’m confident I have a great base to continue my learning.

The information in this course was very well presented. The practice sheets make the concepts more easily understood. I would recommend this course to anyone who is involved with electrical power systems.

If you're new to digital relays and want to feel confident when approaching them in the field, definitely get started with this course.

You really get a sense of why relay testing is so important before a system goes into service. You also get hands-on training testing the more complicated relays in use today. The instructor is knowledgeable and has a great deal of experience in the field.

There is a lot of higher level knowledge that you could benefit from learning first. However, the course builds around these concepts very well and the entirety of the concepts comes together very smoothly.

Good way to get CEU's and a refresher in relay testing (even for an engineer).

I learned a lot from this course. Having no relay testing experience, I was grateful the real world examples were shown. I will definitely continue with this program, as they become available.

This course is fantastic for all who look to gain a better understanding of how relays work, as well as how to test those relays.

A good start or refresher for anyone who is eager to learn.

Most of the 'relay' problems I have faced were actually human errors instead of equipment errors. Most relay tests would not catch these errors. Examples: Wrong CT/PT ratios, wrong polarity.

This course helped show how testing a relay can also catch human errors in the installation of equipment or wiring and the programming.

This course is unlike any I have ever seen. I have paid ten times the cost to attend training in person, and the training usually covers mostly theory and standards. This course actually shows you how to do real-world relay testing.

you will get a lot of knowledge out of the course that will save you time in the long run

Well worth the money and best training I've had.

Very good training to help someone understand what to look for in phase relationship with what you will see in the real world of relays.

This course should be mandatory to anyone entering into relay testing! I feel that they should have a little experience under their belt with the basics of talking to the relay, changing settings, using a test set to test elements, etc, but certainly a must in my book!

Live training courses are NOT presented in a one-size-fits-all, take-it-or-leave-it format. The instructor’s experience allows him to tailor the content on-the-fly to fit each student’s background and experience.

Even seasoned (you can’t teach me anything) relay techs are captivated by the instructor’s enthusiasm and experience.

Engineers attending the courses leave with an understanding of the importance and challenges of specifying effective and complete field testing.

There is a ton of great information and it really helps to see the step by step process that is actually explaining what were doing when we test relays and not just moving on once there's the green checkmark.

I have just bought your protection relay testing set of books about a few weeks ago and I just wanted to say that I’m very impressed with it.

I have been commissioning power systems for a few years and I wish I had found your books a while ago.

This course will help you sort out which brands use which system to depict phase angles. That is super handy in the field.

A must for anyone testing relays without formal training. You can only gather so much information from other technicians and reading.

It filled several gaps in my understanding of phasor diagrams. I found a number of valuable insights.

I am happy to highly recommend the course for any P&C Tech regardless of experience.

I am looking forward to taking additional training courses.

Thank you.

Just beginning my path with relay testing, and course was filled with plenty of good thoughts and info.

It’s a lot of good and clear information

This course is a must for relay testing engineers who struggle with the testing of more advanced relay functions such as line distance and transformer differential. Instruction on the background and theory of the functions is followed by hands-on testing of these functions on relays that are commonly encountered in the field.

Would have saved me a lot of learning curve if I had had this course when I started testing distance and differential relays a couple years ago. Even with a couple years of experience, it filled in some gaps.

I would definitely get this online training. Its broken down to the basics and takes you through a step by step process. You cant go wrong with this. It is worth every penny. It even has websites you can research if you're unfamiliar with the material.

Most of the test sets does the work for you with a push of a button. With this online course you understand what is going on and how to interpret results. I really like this course.

The videos and presentations on this course have been very helpful and given me a better edge on what is going on in the relay testing industry.

Wonderful course that really digs into generation protection while keeping it interesting and informative. The hands-on approach really aids in the retaining of knowledge!

Great way of increasing your electrical knowledge

I work for a testing company and I always wanted to get better with relays but found it difficult to learn more on-site since we don’t usually have much time to play around. Our company owns Omicron and Doble test-sets and was able to borrow them over the week ends. I would grab an SEL relay and follow you step by step and learned a lot that way.

I practiced a lot doing manual pick up and timing test (without changing settings) to get a good foundation and now slowly getting into dynamic testing.

I also purchased your Relay Testing Handbook and find it very useful on-site. I keep the soft copy on my laptop so I can refer to it very easily.

I recommend this course to anyone who wants to get better at testing relays.

Looking forward to more videos from Valence.

Keep up the good work

Excellent course, We are only as good as the persons who have taught us in the past. But you have laid out a great start to finish on EM relays. I have been testing relays for years and luckily had a decent amount of EM relay testing in my past. This was a great review and learned a few things i had not been aware of. Never too old to learn a thing or two. As time goes on we see less and less EM relays in the field. We have many techs who have only learned and continue to work on micro-processor relays. I’m afraid this is becoming a lost art. Thanks again for a great course!!

How did you feel about testing relays before your purchase?

I was not comfortable testing relays outside of simple E-M before the course.

How did the material help you?

I have a greater understanding of the principles and the tool to accomplish what I want to test in the relays

How do you feel about relay testing now?

I feel much more confident

It is worth taking because it is designed to help you regardless of your knowledge level and you can learn at your own pace.

Worth every time spent on the training, very practical and educational, it gave me both practical view of relay testing and educational understanding of relay testing

1. How did you feel about testing relays before your purchase?
   Most of the time I felt like I was a good copier of relay testing
2. How did the material help you?
   Educating in aspects of power system and its protection
3. How do you feel about relay testing now?
   Confident and with an understanding of protection

Chris is extremely knowledgeable and experienced. He has seen almost every mistake that can be made in the protection and control game. This course will provide you with a great step-by-step guide to testing. Not only will you have a good guide, but you will understand WHY you are doing that step.

How did you feel about testing relays before the course?
I am a bit apprehensive with the New Test Equipment for Digital Relays

How did the course help you?
Made me more aware of how easy it is to operate and test Digital Relays

How do you feel about relay testing now?
Not got an issue now

Why should someone take this course?
Massive benefits. The Tutor is so advanced in his techniques. Also he has shown the correct way in testing.

All I've had to work with so far was Enoserve/RTS, virtually no training for microprocessor relay tested and just dated electromechanical training. I couldn't tell you if what I did was correct or not beyond green dots for test passed. Now I have a much better understanding of relay testing and a whole lot more insight on how to use my test set WITHOUT reprogramming the relay.

Many people cannot attend a formal classroom training as they may be from very far locations around the world, this training allowed me to gain knowledge and also review when I did not grasp a part of the lesson, also there was the forum to ask questions. I believe that the lessons are well prepared and it was really good that the instructor shared his experiences along the way.

Great hands-on training with a detailed visual guide. Chris’ experience in the field allows him to bring real world application to the classroom. The hands-on training keeps you engaged and helps you understand the theory of operation. I can’t wait to participate in the advanced course in the upcoming weeks.

If you want to have a better understanding of the electrical theory and / or single phase and 3 phase systems this is a perfect class to start at. Especially before entering the relay testing world

This is a great beginner course to 3-phase power for relay testers that are thrown in to relay testing through programs rather than having the electrical theory to back up troubleshooting and expected results.

What would you tell someone who was thinking about a purchase?

I scribble phasor diagrams everyday while explaining systems, simulations, or theory. It behooves every NETA technician level 2 and up to be able to understand the relationship between the generator, the sine wave, and the phasor diagram.

Best relay testing courses out there that I know of. The instructor has extensive field experience, thorough understanding of power system theories and years of teaching experience. For someone with power system fundamentals but new to the relay testing field, the “Protective Relay Testing Fundamentals Class” would be a very good starting point. You could learn not only how to conduct a relay test but also the ins and outs behind each step/setting/parameter etc.

very informative and digestible for anyone at any level of knowledge.