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If you are looking for technical information, start with the
FOA Online
Reference Guide
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FOA!
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Optic Training:
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Approved Training Schools
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of Schools
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of Schools
Free Online Self Study
Fiber Optic News:
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Online Newsletter
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- Technical
Information:
- FOA
Online Reference Guide
- User's
Guide To Fiber Optics
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Products
& Services
Provided
by FOA corporate members - listed on the FOA website in
map
and list
form.
- Learn
More About The FOA
About
the FOA
Membership &
Certification
Welcome To The
FOA For New Members
- FOA
Certification Programs
- FOA
Renewal Form (pdf)
- Corporate
Membership
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- You
can now renew with PayPal
- For
Schools and Instructors
School
Update/Renewal Form
Instructor
Certification
JATCs and Instructors
Requirements
For FOA Training Programs
Fiber
Optic Resources For STEM Teachers
Want To Become A FOA
School?
New School Requirements and
Application Procedures
Fiber U Affiliate
Program
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Your FOA Affiliation
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logos for member use
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Logo Merchandise on Zazzle
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to other fiber optic sites
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Join FOA on
FOA
has now certified over 61,000 fiber techs. Over 9,500 have
also achieved specialist certifications. Are
you experienced in fiber optics but not FOA CFOT®
certified? FOA's
"Work
To Cert" program is for you.
Read The
Latest FOA Online
Newsletter:
FOA Certifies #61,000
Growing Pains Creating A Crisis In Fiber Optic
Installations
More On "Pole Wars"
Back To The Courts
What A Broadband Customer Is Worth
SmartGigCities Comes To Columbus, OH
How Much Do Installers Make?
Sacramento's Golden 1 Center Claims To Be "Highest Tech
Stadium In Sports"
Reflectance and OTDR Measurements
Adding Cables By Recovering Conduit Space
Static Electricity When Cleaning Connectors
Intel Shipping Silicon Photonics 100G Transceivers
The New Standards Process - update - moves to cellular
and backbone
Fiber Art
7 Commandments For Fiber Pros
"Dig Once" Guide and Links
Educational Systems For Fiber Optic Fundamentals
More FOA YouTube Lectures - >100 total !
- All
in the FOA online newsletter.
- Time
To Renew Your CFOT? You
Can Renew Online
Two New FOA Books:
FOA Outside Plant Fiber Optic Construction Guide
And
FOA Reference Guide To Fiber Optic Network Design
FOA has just published two new books. The first is a
guide to installing the fiber optic cable plant - starting
with the construction work necessary before the fiber optic
cable is installed and the techs begin splicing, terminating
and testing. The second book is a reference guide to fiber
optic network design.
FOA
Outside Plant Fiber Optic Construction Guide
FOA
Reference Guide To Fiber Optic Network Design
Resources
For Teachers In K-12 And Technical Schools
Teachers in all grades can introduce their students to fiber
optic technology with some simple demonstrations. FOA has
created a page for STEM or STEAM (science, technology,
engineering, arts
and math) teachers with materials appropriate to their
classes. Fiber
Optic Resources For STEM Teachers.
Fiber U
Adds New Free Online Self-Study Programs, Now Offers Online
"Fiber U Certificate of Completion" For All Courses. Read
more at Fiber
U.
Join
FOA on Pinterest.
FOA has started a Pinterest page for fiber optics. Keep up
with the news on our "Worth
Reading" Pinterest page.
How
Fiber Works - Live!
Want to see how fiber works, how attenuation is wavelength
dependent and what causes connector loss?
View our "Fiber Optics - Live!" YouTube videos.
- Corporate
Members
- Search
for products and services offered by hundreds of FOA
corporate members worldwide. Corporate
members are listed on the FOA website in map
and list
form.
FOA
offers corporate memberships to companies involved in fiber
optics as manufacturers, contractors, installers, etc. FOA
Corporate Members get substantial discounts on
membership/certification renewals and direct
certifications. Other benefits include access to
training and direct certifications. Read
more.
FOA
Jobs Website
- Where
Are The Jobs In Fiber Optics? This new FOA YouTube
Video talks about all the applications for fiber optics,
what the jobs involve and the qualifications for the
workers in the field.
- The
FOA Jobs
Web Page has been updated and a new page added on Using
your FOA Training/Certification to Find the Right Job
in Fiber Optics
We get many questions from CFOTs, students at
FOA-Approved schools and others contemplating getting
into the fiber optic business regarding jobs in fiber
optics - and how to find them - so we’ve created a new
web page to share some information we've gathered about
jobs in our industry. The information is designed to
help you understand what jobs are available in fiber
optics, how to find them and apply for them.
If
you are looking for a job in fiber optics, here is the
FOA's guide to jobs.
The FOA
Jobs Web Page has been updated and a new page added on
Using your
FOA Training/Certification to Find the Right Job in Fiber
Optics
Look
at the US Department of Labor Career OneStop website (below)
also for good job information.
If you
have job openings, let us post them on  .
Cabling
Project Management - FOA has created a new YouTube
video on what's involved in a cabling project
(copper/fiber/wireless)
with advice for both the customer and the contractor
involved in a cabling project. The intent of this video
lecture is to help customer and contractor communicate
effectively on a new project.
Is
Counterfeit Cable Dangerous?
You bet it is! The US Consumer Product Safety Commission
required Home Depot to recall $11,000,000 worth of it!
Watch the FOA YouTube Video:
Counterfeit Cat 5 Cabling
QuickStart
Guides
In our continuing quest to help people understand how to
test fiber optic cable plants and communications systems,
we've created three "QuickStart Guides to Fiber Optic
Testing." They are simple, step-by-step guides on how to
test fiber optic cable plants, patchcords or single cables,
using OTDRs and measuring optical power in systems. They are
as straightforward as it can get - what equipment do you
need, what are the procedures for testing, options in
implementing the test, measurement errors and documenting
the results.
It can't get much simpler.
Testing
Fiber Optic Cable Plants And Patchcords
Testing
Fiber Optic Cable Plants With An OTDR
Measuring
Optical Power In Communications Systems
FOA Standards For Contractors, Installers and Network
Users
Most industry standards are written for manufacturers so
they can build products that are interoperable to allow
multiple sources in the marketplace. These manufacturers are
responsible for interpreting these standards for their
customers. FOA has been requested to create standards for
contractors, installers and network users, providing a
generic interpretation of these standards. We've created a
few already on testing, one of the most confusing issues in
fiber optics. Furthermore, we've provided them in a 1 page
summary format, making understanding them much easier.
Go
here for more information.
Free For FOA Members: NECA/FOA 301 Fiber Optic
Installation Standard
Because of its importance to users, contractors and
installers of fiber optic networks, The FOA and NECA have
agreed to make the NECA/FOA
301 Fiber Optic Installation Standard available free
to FOA members.
Standards usually cover components and systems and how to
test them, but rarely get into installation issues. This
standard is derived from FOA educational material put in
standards form and approved by ANSI as an American National
Standard. It's specifically written to be used in contracts
to define "installation in a neat and workmanlike
manner." FOA
members can go here for instructions on how to download
your free copy.
FOA
Certifications Recognized By US Department of Labor
FOA Certifications have now been recognized by the US
Department of Labor. The DoL reviews certifications and how
they relate to job opportunities and training. The DoL
Career OneStop website helps individuals explore
career opportunities to make informed employment and
education choices.
FOA Certifications are listed by the US Department of Labor
- Occupational
Outlook Handbook - See Licenses, Certifications and
Registrations.
FOA
iPad Apps
The FOA has just released its second APP for the iPad, a
free "loss budget calculator," FOA LossCalc.
FOA LossCalc (FREE)
FOA LossCalc estimates the optical loss of a fiber optic
link. This will save time for the installer of a fiber optic
link needing to know whether test results are reasonable
and/or make a "pass/fail" determination. It can also help
the designer of a link to determine if communications
equipment will operate over this link.
By choosing the type of link (singlemode or multimode) and
specifying the length of the fiber and numbers of
connections and splices, it will calculate the end to end
loss of the link. The app has default specifications for
singlemode and multimode links or the user may create custom
setups with specifications appropriate for any application.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/foa-losscalc/id476262894?mt=8&ls=1
Self -Study in Fiber Optics
Our first app is a self-study version of the FOA Reference
Guide to Fiber Optics. The FOA APP builds on the FOA basic
fiber optic textbook to create an interactive learning
environment that builds on the iBook electronic version of
the book to add a guide to use for self-study and real-time
testing that provides feedback on what you have learned and
correct answers to questions answered incorrectly.
The FOA APP is priced at only $9.99, same as the iBook, so
the self-study program is free. Download it from the Apple
APP Store with your iPad or iTunes.
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/foa-guide/id434354283?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4
-
FOA Videos
- The
FOA has created a special FOA channel on YouTube, thefoainc,
where we're posting instructional videos and lectures
for everyone's use. We've got lectures on premises
cabling and fiber optics and hands-on
demonstrations about fiber optics and communications
cabling - yes, even "Cat 5"!
FOA channel on YouTube, thefoainc
- Free
Self-Study Programs
Lennie Lightwave and Fiber U are back! Learn the basics of
fiber optics in preparation for taking a training
course, refresh your knowledge or prepare for the CFOT exam
online at Fiber
U online.
New: Self-Study programs on outside plant (OSP) fiber optics
and OTDRs (with a free OTDR simulator to download)
FOA
has three LinkedIn Groups
FOA
- covers FOA, technology and jobs in the fiber optic
marketplace
FOA
Fiber Optic Training - open to everyone, covers fiber
optic technology and training topics
FOA
School Instructors - a closed group for instructors
and administrators at FOA-approved schools
FOA Reference Books (Printed or eBooks!)
The
FOA now has it's own reference books to be used for
training for FOA certifications and as reference books for
contractors, installers and end users. They are available
as printed books or ebooks on your iPad or Kindle at much
lower prices than most textbooks since we self-publish and
sell online, cutting out the middlemen. Click on the book
images for more information. The Reference Guide To Fiber
Optics is also available in Spanish and French.
- Getting Started Guides
These
two guides are simple introductions to the subjects. They
will explain the applications, jargon, components and
installation in a quick overview.
Lennie
Lightwave's Guide to Fiber Optics (online) and
available as a free
iBook on iTunes
- Uncle
Ted's Guide to Communications (Premises) Cabling
(online) and available as a free
iBook on iTunes
Lennie
and Uncle Ted are now available as free
iBooks on iTunes
- Looking
For "Hands-On" Fiber Optic Training?
- You
can find a list of FOA approved schools that offer CFOT®
certification here on the list
of FOA approved schools.
Our new sortable listing and Google Map make finding the
right school for you easier!
-
-
- Certification
Renewal
- Members
must renew each year to maintain your CFOT®
or CFOS certifications as current. Please make
sure we have your current address. Download
the renewal form, or
renew online.
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