In my previous article about OTDRs, I covered the basics of how the instrument works and how it is used to make basic measurements of attenuation, splice or connector loss and reflectance. If you need to, go back and review...
It’s always nice to hear from my readers. In December 2018, I wrote about aerial fiber optic cables, and that column prompted a very interesting inquiry. Usually these inquiries are technical in nature and come from...
Recently, I attended a meeting for local residents on my city’s plans to allow numerous “small cell” cellular sites around the city. The city’s website showed more than 600 potential sites, all on city-owned street lights. No...
The most powerful—and complicated—instrument used for fiber optic testing is an optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR). In the hands of an educated tech, the OTDR is a powerful testing and troubleshooting tool, but it can...
It’s human nature to be more vocal when complaining than complimenting. That means I hear a lot more about what goes wrong than what goes right. I retell these stories because you should learn from your (and others’) mistakes...
I’ve been doing a fiber update for ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR every January for 16 years. I enjoy sitting back and taking an overview of the current fiber optic technology and markets, distilling it down to what I see as the most...
In several recent columns, I have discussed the perils of installing underground fiber optic cables and how to locate the buried cables and pipes that represent danger to the contractor. Digging up or puncturing gas lines,...
Recently, I have been working with one of the Fiber Optics Association’s (FOA) overseas instructors, who teaches a program in outside plant (OSP) fiber optic cable plant construction, to create a curriculum for all FOA...
In my August 2017 column , I discuss the history of fiber optic connector termination and a new technology, splice-on connectors (SOCs). At that time, I wrote, “These connectors, now known as splice-on connectors, may well...
In the last couple of years, I’ve attended meetings focused on such topics as smart cities and vehicles of the future. The two are very closely connected. Proponents of autonomous vehicles (AVs) are striking fear into the...
I spend most of my time with fiber optics, but I have quite a bit of experience with copper cabling too. Fiber is always in the news, and wireless threatens to take over all communications; copper has been quiet and has not...
Dirty connectors are major problems in fiber optics. They cause high connector loss and high reflectance, and they contaminate transceivers. Network operators claim the majority of fiber optic network problems can be traced...
For the last few columns, I’ve focused on fiber optic cables, their types, installation techniques, etc. With that background, I want to cover some additional details you need to know to design and install a fiber optic cable...
Every technology has its own jargon, of course. Some of it we joke about because it’s mostly TLAs—the abbreviation for “three letter abbreviation,” the favorite way tech people have of showing how cool they are. I remember a...
Recently, the Fiber Optic Association (FOA) has worked with and, at times, even trained city planners and traffic engineers. After talking to people responsible for municipal networks, it’s clear why they are so harried. They...
In a perfect world, before designing or installing an underground fiber optic network, you phone the Call-Before-You-Dig number, 811, and get a file (or a set of paper drawings, if you are old-school) that would include...
The fiber optic industry really began taking off about 30 years ago. Fiber’s bandwidth and distance superiority over copper wires or radio links—and the financial advantages those technical advantages provided—prompted a...
Last time, I wrote about what you can learn from keeping your eyes open, and I continue on that theme this month. This time, we’re looking up and discussing aerial fiber optic cable. Some years ago, in the Fiber Optics...
Last month, I wrote about a new class of fiber optic cables called microcables, which, as the name implies, are much smaller than regular fiber optic cables. They fit into much smaller ducts and even allow a unique...
Microcables are becoming very popular, and it’s important to understand their purpose, applications and installation. These smaller fiber optic cables are designed for applications where large numbers of fibers are required...
