Just as we have seen new technologies in optical fibers, new choices of cables are available for fiber optics. With fiber finding more applications, choosing the right cable requires knowing about all the new types as well as the old. Correct answers and explanations are in red text.

1. Besides the traditional cable installation and field termination, you can now _______.

A. Blow fibers into preinstalled plastic tubes

B. Install a preterminated fiber cable system

C. Install armored cable under floors

D. All of the above

All these options are now available and appropriate in certain applications.

2. Preterminated cable systems are now available for both premises and outside plant installations.

True

False

As a result of developments used in fiber to the home, preterminated systems for outside plant applications are now available.

3. If you _______, you can install a preterminated cable system.

A. Have a benign installation environment

B. Are willing to use only one type of cable throughout

C. Know the exact layout of your cable plant

D. Need fewer than 24 fibers to any location

The primary requirement for preterminated cabling systems is a thorough knowledge of the layout so exact cable lengths can be ordered.

4. Preterminated cable plants use _______ for joining backbone cables.

A. Mechanical splices

B. Fusion splices

C. Small form factor connectors

D. Ribbon multifiber connectors

Multifiber ribbon connectors are used because they terminate many fibers at one time but also are small enough to be easy to install, even if pulled in conduit.

5. Air-blown fiber requires the installation of _______ before blowing in fiber bundles.

A. Cables containing tubes into which fibers will be blown

B. Small plastic tubes inside conduit

C. Any plastic tube larger than 3 mm inside diameter

D. Plastic tubes with a pulling tape

Air blown fiber requires installation of cables with multiple tubes in which cable bundles are blown.

6. Air-blown fiber installations can be used on links as long as _______.

A. 100 meters

B. 500 meters

C. 600 feet

D. 6,000 feet

Air blown fiber can be blown up to 6,000.

7. Air-blown fiber allows easy upgrades because _______.

A. New fiber bundles can be blown into currently used tubes at any time

B. Old fiber bundles can be blown out of tubes and new ones blown in any time

C. Fibers can be blown one at a time when needed

D. Any fiber is compatible with air-blown fiber installation

Old fibers can be replaced after being blown out of the tubes.

8. Data centers with under-floor cabling are good applications for armored indoor cables because _______.

A. The cables are more immune to grounding and interference than other fiber cables

B. The larger diameter makes these cables easier to find

C. The cables withstand greater pulling tension

D. The cables withstand crushing by other heavy cables better than other types

Underfloor systems often have many heavy cables, and the armor protects the fibers better than with other cable designs.

9. A _______ cable allows outdoor use between buildings without _______.

A. Dry water-blocked, messy cleanup of gel-filled cables

B. Double-jacketed indoor/outdoor, splicing cables within 50 feet of the building entrance

C. Hybrid multimode OM3 and single mode, worries about future upgrades

D. All of the above

All three are possible.

10. Distinguishing indoor cable with laser-optimized OM3 50/125 fiber from legacy multimode fiber can be done by color coding with a(n) _______.

A. Orange jacket

B. Yellow jacket

C. Gray jacket

D. Aqua jacket

Aqua is the standard color for laser-optimized OM3 50/125 fiber.

HAYES is a VDV writer and trainer and the president of The Fiber Optic Association. Find him at www.JimHayes.com.