February 2021

Sections

In This Issue

Note we have changed the format to place articles in sections on one topic and all articles are dated so you know if we repeat one - whcih we often do when we think it's very important!

Features

Newsletter Sections

FOA Certifications: 

See FOA Jobs Web Page and FOA on 

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

 

  

Fiber Optic Safety Poster to download and print

FOA Videos on

The Archives: Past Issues.

Use these links to read past issues or use FOA's  Custom Search to look for specific topics on our website.

Time To Renew Your FOA Certifications?

You can now renew with PayPal or a credit card

 

   

 

FOA Newsletter - Features

Why Fiber Optic Techs Need Training (And maybe an IQ test)

Photos and comments (edited to protect the guilty parties) provided from the subscriber about an installation in front of their home in the Midwestern US. 

Attached are several pics of a brand new XXXXX fiber optic junction ‘box’ installed on the utility pole across the street from my residence here in ZZZZZ.  Allow me to describe:  Clever XXXXX Technicians saw fit to locate this box on the utility pole 2 feet or so off the ground with plenty of excess wire lengths to provide handholds for intoxicated YYYYY University college students to grab onto as they stagger down the street.  This fiber-optic junction box is solidly secured to the utility pole with a roll of common electrical tape for a sound, solid, long lasting and secure mating of the device. 



In addition, the XXXXX technicians wrapped the excessive length around the utility pole ‘barber pole’ style rather than re-terminate several fiber-optic connections.



By mounting a ‘weather-proof’ splice closure upside down, this allowed rain water to seep thru the seals at the wire entry points and fill the box with water.  Later, sub freezing temperatures froze the intruded moisture which expanded (as water tends to do when frozen) and separated the fiber-optic connections inside.  This resulted in at least 3 local customers, who went out on a limb to give the new ISP a shot, losing their service.  This was Monday Feb. 15, 2021.  XXXXX's customer service informed us that the problem would be repaired by Friday Feb 19th.  A solid 4 day outage.  You can thank your intrepid highly trained installation staff for their expert craftsmanship, skill,  and foresight. 

Thanks to our reader who shared these photos and comments which were a perfect critique of this mess.If you recognize your work here, we can suggest some free online training at Fiber U to start.

FTTH Relic

This is an original FiOS drop point in the alley behind the building where we work for FOA in Santa Monica, CA It was installed around 200809 by Verizon who subsequently sold the system to Frontier. The thing to notice is the preterminated drop box.No, not the messy pole! The drop box has 12 ports but only 3 subscribers are connected. That was not good for the economics of the original system. Perhaps people just did not understand the advantages of fiber a decade ago. There is no longer a possibility of getting a fiber drop - we've tried.

How To Get AT&T "Fiber To The Home" At Your Home

Mr. Epstein had been calling AT&T regularly for some time. During the pandemic, he started calling them weekly.

Frustrated by the lack of response from AT&T, Mr. Epstein placed two ads in the Wall Street Journal (below) in the Dallas (AT&T HQ) and New York editions asking why AT&T was treating its customers in North Hollywood so shabbily.



The ad was not cheap; it cost Mr. Epstein $10,000, but it got fast results, including a call from Mr. Stankey the morning the ad ran. The next day, two AT&T techs showed up to start installing his fiber optic connection.

AT&T said that a network upgrade was planned as part of an effort to bring AT&T fiber to an additional 2 million locations this year.

But it seems if you want AT&T's attention, you need to spend some money.

Lots of stories in the press on this: Washington Post, The Hill,  ArsTechnica

How Fiber Works - New Fiber U MiniCourse

Another of the mysteries of fiber optics, like dB, is how optical fiber actually guides light in the core of the fiber and transmits it with low loss. FOA has several pages in the FOA Guide on how fiber works with animated graphics that illustrate the different ways step index multimode, graded index multimode and singlemode fiber work. We also have YouTube video showing live demonstrations with a large plastic rod simulating the core of an optical fiber.



When we decides this was a good topic for a Fiber U MiniCourse. we decided to create a new video lecture on how fiber works. The lecture uses our usual lecture format but with videos that animate the process of total internal reflection and guided rays (modes) in the cores of the three types of optical fiber.

Like all Fiber U MiniCourses, it will take you less than an hour to complete the course and you can get a Fiber U Certificate of Completion at the end.

How Optical Fiber Works - Fiber U MiniCourse  

If you just want to watch the video, here is the FOA Lecture #60 - How Fiber Works

Worth Reading: This is a MUST READ for managers in telecom or any industry!

"Who Lost Lucent?: The Decline of America's Telecom Equipment Industry"

Tired Of Hearing About 5G - Well You Can Read About 6G Instead

What? What is 6G? Why are people talking about 6G when 5G is still in its infancy?

The justification for talking about 6G is that each generation of cell phone technology has had a decade-long gestation period, so 6G should be here sometime around 2030, (probably before 5G is working right so vendors can abandon it and move on to 6G?). What do we know about 6G other than it's the next iteration of cell technology? Not very much, it turns out, but that does not deter technocrats from starting the hype already: 1000 times faster than 5G, so fast that it will enable AI in the networks. Applications you can't dream of yet. Teleportation, maybe? That's what we reported someone suggested in last month's Newsletter.

Somebody has even created a logo:




Website: What Is 6G
 

Multimode or Singlemode Fiber?  Continued

FOA Newsletter Sections

News

Lots more news in Worth Reading below

The following is from the Google.X blog entry for January 21, 2021   https://blog.x.company/loons-final-flight-e9d699123a96

Loon’s final flight: After 9 years surfing the stratospheric winds, Loon’s journey is coming to an end.

Astro Teller

When we unveiled Loon in June 2013, we meant everything in its name. It was a way-out-there and risky venture. Not just fragile-balloons-on-the-edge-of-space risky, but risky at the core of the question it was asking. Could this be the radical idea that might finally bring abundant, affordable Internet access, not just to the next billion, but to the last billion? To the last unconnected communities and those least able to pay?

Google photo

Sadly, despite the team’s groundbreaking technical achievements over the last 9 years — doing many things previously thought impossible, like precisely navigating balloons in the stratosphere, creating a mesh network in the sky, or developing balloons that can withstand the harsh conditions of the stratosphere for more than a year — the road to commercial viability has proven much longer and riskier than hoped. So we’ve made the difficult decision to close down Loon. In the coming months, we’ll begin winding down operations and it will no longer be an Other Bet within Alphabet.

Things To Learn From A Town That Voted Down Fiber

• The network is based on 10G symmetrical GPON for most subscribers, 10G active Ethernet for business. Most towns have more than adequate service with regular GPON. Slide 8 in the city presentation. Part of the reason are their estimates of bandwidth needs of a typical home or business (page 12 in the proposal.)
• Extensive use of directional boring, about 3/4 of the installation, plus some regular trenching. Directional boring can be very expensive. When FOA interviewed a city representative, they were unfamiliar with how microtrenching was usually done and how it is being used elsewhere.
• Cost: total cost/mile of construction: ~$200,000, cost per building passed: ~$2350, average drop cost" ~$500.

• Consultants are expensive and may not provide lesser expensive options.
• You need to understand all the options in construction and equipment.
• GPON is fine. If you need 10G a few years from now, it runs on the same fiber, even as the old GPON system continues to run.
• Incumbents will try to stop you, often relying on FUD - fear, uncertainty and doubt.

Innovium Ships Over 1 Million 400G Data Center Ports in 2020

BringCom Completes Pan-African Fiber Ring Network

TIA-568 Revisions:  (Updated 02/2021 following TIA standards meeting)

• A splitter, as used in a passive OLAN, is officially designated as a "non-wavelength-selective passive optical branching component."
• "Optical fiber: Any filament made of dielectric materials that guides"

MPO Polarity Standards Expand To 38 Pages


The standard contains no less than 38 pages devoted to the MPO array connector, up from about 23 pages in earlier editions. There are also at least 34 drawings and even more tables. MPO is important, of course, but incredibly complex. The MPO is the de facto standard for array connectors used in prefabricated cabling systems and parallel optics for multimode links over 10G. The problem is that there are 3 variations of connector/fiber polarity which leads to multiple options for connecting various types of cables and breakouts to single fiber or duplex LC or SC connectors.

The Type-U breakout.

There is a new breakout configuration in TIA-568. Breakouts now come in 4 types, Types A, B, C, and now U. A is straight through, B is all fibers reversed, C is pair reversal and U connects even number fibers to one connector in a pair and odd number fibers into the other connector of the pair.

(See the FOA page here for an explanation of MPOs.)

Editorial Comment on MPOs
The whole MPO polarity thing is very confusing. It has taken up significant time at standards meetings for years and we have written a number of articles about it in the FOA Newsletter. With all the options included, there have been impassioned pleas to add another couple of options to fiber alignments, like the "Type-U". While I understand the desire to have something you can call “standard”, much of the MPO polarity info in TIA 568 seems unnecessary. 
 
It’s like the two configurations for UTP cable, TIA568A and TIA568B; created because AT&T said they would do what they always do not matter what the standard.
 
There is no real need for 3 different configurations of backbone cables. One can suffice because the adaptation to various configurations is dome in breakouts or modules. Version “A” perhaps makes the most sense because you know which color fiber is in which pin all the time. There is an argument for B which swaps direction on the fibers and would be used as a patchcord between two transceivers, but  “B” can also be done with keying in an adapter or breakouts. “C” is unnecessarily complex and should merely be done in breakout.
 
We would advise anyone installing MPO backbones to only use A cables. Knowing how people work, it is likely the backbone configuration has been buried in documentation that no one knows where to find. Labelling on cassettes or patch panels should take care of identifying what fiber goes where. Patchcords take care of the rest. Having one standard would reduce confusion immensely.
 
BTW, no such standard exists for other backbone cables. A 12 fiber distribution cable terminated in a patch panel should be organized but no standard I know says how. “Polarity” is buried in the documentation of the actual cable plant.
 
But, as we know, undoing standards is well nigh impossible!

Mentioned during the last TIA meeting discussing TIA-568 was the consideration of APC (angled physical contact) MPO connectors for high speed Ethernet. A new Ethernet Standard, 400G-SR8 is considering the use of MPO APC connectors for the parallel optics needed for multiple 50G lanes. High reflectance is a problem in these links because the reflectance lets light bounce back and forth in the link to create multipath interference (MPI). Using MPO APC connectors for MM is just as effective as SM as the graphs below show.



Regular MPO connectors have a return loss of around 35dB

(reflectance -35dB) while MPO APC connectors are about 25dB lower (below).



The angle used for SM APC connectors, 8 degrees, seems to work well for MM too.



Data from: Angled Multimode Connectors and PAM4 Signaling
E. Parsons, CommScope J. Young, CommScope
IEEE 802.3db Ad Hoc Call 25 Jun 2020

MM APC connectors are, like SM, only supposed to be mated to another APC connector. TO identify APC connectors, green coloring on the connector body or strain relief is used to identify them.

New Automated Fiber Cleaver For Connector Assembly

Ripley/MIller MB06 Adjustable Slit & Ring Tool

Technical

On fiber optic technology, standards, equipment, installation, etc.

Multimode or Singlemode Fiber?  Continued

Media Converters For ~$10US?
Surely that can't be true! Although FTTH OLTs are reported to be costing about that much in some networks. But FOA has continued to search out inexpensive components and test them. We purchased this pair of 100Mb/s Ethernet media converters that operated bidirectionally over one fiber from Amazon for $23.63US. But there was a catch - no power modules. They cost another $16 for a pair. So for less than $40, we had a pair of 100Mb/s Ethernet media converters with a long range. 



We don't understand the specifications for range, but we tested these media converters with a 10dB attenuator (see arrow above; also purchased from Amazon for less than $10/pair). A link loss of 10dB corresponds to 20-25km range. That's not a bad deal if you have a spare fiber and need an Ethernet link on your metropolitan or utility network. Worried about reliability of these gadgets? It's cheap enough to have several spares available.

Using Legacy Multimode Fiber
There is lots of multimode (MM) fiber installed in buildings and campuses that has been around for decades but continues to provide reliable service. However, upgrading to faster networks can be a problem because of the limited bandwidth of early types of MM fiber. Distances on these older MM fibers are limited at higher speeds by bandwidth, so much so that OM1 and OM2 fibers were never specified above 10G and have been written out of the newer TIA-568/ISO/IEC 11802 standards. Newer OM3 and OM4 fibers have been specified for higher speed networks and OM5 is specified for CWDM (coarse wavelength division multiplexing) to get t0 100G and above.

But if you have OM1 (62.5/125 MM) or OM2 (50/125 MM) that old, updating it with MM fiber might not make sense; better to make the upgrade to SM fiber instead.

But is it possible to use that older fiber?

Offset Launch Method
When Gigabit Ethernet was introduced, a 1300nm option for MM fiber used 1310nm lasers with a singlemode launch, but offset from the center of the core of the fiber. The reason for the offset was the discovery that part of the bandwidth problem with MM fiber was the index profile abnormalities in the cores of many MM fibers. The index profile was a step-index approximation of the ideal profile and Incomplete fusing of the preform could cause a center dip in the index profile (see below in this drawing from a late 1990s paper on gigabit Ethernet in MM fiber).

Fiber manufacturers modified their processes to remove this problem, along with adding more layers to the core index profile and modifying the profile for higher bandwidth at 850nm, the wavelength of the inexpensive VCSELs uses as gigabit transmitters. Thus OM3 and OM4 fiber were created.

But using legacy fiber for gigabit transmission was also a problem because the bandwidth of earlier MMF was optimized for 850 and 1300nm LEDs, used in MM networks prior to gigabit Ethernet. While using 1310 lasers should provide more bandwidth, the center dip in the core of some fibers made that a problem, leading to a solution of using a singlemode fiber launch but offset from the center of the core. Different offsets are required for 50μm and 62.5μm multimode fibers. An offset of 17~23μm is used for 62.5μm multimode fiber-and an offset of 10~16μm is used for 50μm multimode fiber.

Mode conditioning patchcords are available for using 1000base-LX SM transmitters on legacy fiber. A similar offset mode conditioning patchcord method is used in 10Gbase-LRM. However, unlike singlemode fiber where test equipment is available to test older SM fibers for CD/PMD/SA - called fiber characterization -  there does not exist similar test equipment and procedures for MM fiber. So the only way to know if this technique works is to try it.

Space Division Multiplexing
Another technique used to expand the bandwidth of MM fiber is called space division multiplexing. The "space" here is the core of the multimode fiber and the multiplexing uses separate modes to send different signals. It's like WDM where you have several signals at different wavelengths, but here it's separate modes. Considering the complexity of some multiplexing technologies in use today, this sounds simple.

One company, Cailabs in France, has developed this technology to a state they claim they can multiplex 45 signals in MM fiber and they offer products that have gained some customers. They have some very high profile customers so one assumes the technology works as described. But in an article in CI&M recently, they say they can use their technology to expand the bandwidth of MM fiber by transmitting a "singlemode" signal down the center of a legacy fiber. They say "A central-launch mode adapter can elicit from a multimode fiber a propagation similar to that of a singlemode fiber." But have they encountered legacy fibers with the central index dip that causes so many problems with the early applications of gigabit Ethernet?

A similar technique was used to send 1petabit/s data over multimode fiber using space-division multiplexing. Read the article in SciTechDaily.

SM to MM And Vice Versa
In a similar application, Panduit has introduced "OneMode-Link," a box that allows singlemode transceivers to use multimode fiber at higher speeds over longer distances. According to Panduit, "OneMode-Link is a passive media converter allowing the deployment of 10 Gbps, and greater, using existing multimode fibers, by eliminating modal dispersion."


The problem with mixing MM and SM fiber has always been the high loss of mismatched fibers. There is no problem with SM>MM, it's like aiming a hose (SM) into a bucket (MM.) But generally going from MM to SM causes up to  ~17dB loss because of the difference in core diameters. If the single mode launched into a MM fiber remains a single mode near the center of the core, the MM to SM connection would not be so high in loss.

So the Panduit unit, which sounds like it uses similar technology to that described by Cailabs in the CI&M article, could be a way to utilize installed MM fiber with singlemode equipment.

The real question is whether it is cost effective to use a passive converter like this or to just install new SM fiber. It depends on the application.

New Data On Using BI MM Fiber For Test Reference Cables

New Patent On Fiber Optic Sensor For Electrical Safety

A new patent has been granted to Glen Payne for a fiber optic cable assembly used as a sensor in electrical cabinets to detect "arc flash" and trigger shutdown of the electrical system. Arc flash refers to the explosive arc that occurs when high voltage electrical circuits get shorted out. It can be extremely dangerous or deadly for personnel working near the circuits.

See Getting Electrocuted In VR Is Scary Too  

The detection method used to detect the bright arc flash involves a bare optical fiber that captures enough light to transmit it to the end of the fiber and trigger a relay to shut down the power. This is an innovative way of detecting the bright light since it is very sensitive and immune to electromagnetic interference which is caused by the arc itself.

Fiber Optic Sources For Transmitters

Midspan Access - Simplifying Installation Of Drops

Try The FOA's Online Loss Budget Calculator

Splice-On Connector Manufacturers and Tradenames   7/2020

Worth Reading

Each month we read hundreds of newsletters and online articles. These are the ones we think you will find "worth reading."

Worth Reading: 02/2021

Over 1 Million 400G Data Center Ports Shipped in 2020, CI&M. And that is from one company, Innovium, only, maker of Teralynx switches for data centers.

HyperOne Australian fiber backbone network planned Lightwave “HyperOne will be a new generation of hyperscaled network, capable of carrying over 10,000 Tbps – more traffic than every other national backbone built in Australia’s history combined,” according to the company's founder.

ViaSat drops more hints about super-capacity satellite – Urgent Comms - and VIASAT generally delivers on its promises. And doesn't mess up the skies with thousands of limited capacity low-earth orbit sattelites.

Recently in ILSR's Community Networks Weekly Newsletter - lots of interesting reading about communities and broadband.  Week of 2/8/2021, 2/1/2021 1/25,2021

Statistics on US Labor In Telecom

01/2021

Telcos’ tipping point: 10G Fiber and Software-Defined Access, Dell'Oro Group/Adtran.  The need to provision and deliver new services in a matter of hours, as opposed to weeks or months, holds just as much priority as the ability to deliver up to 10Gbps of PON capacity.

12/2020

Dilbert's Company Rolls Out 5G - DON"T MISS THIS!

Passive Optical LAN shines in Cost Comparison - Lightwave

US FCCs Rural Digital Opportunity Fund made awards of >$9BUS to ISPs to deliver Internet. There was jubilation and consternation. Reading these show what we mean:

• FCC announces billions of dollars in awards to provide rural areas with broadband access - Washington Post Includes Space X satellites for rural broadband
• Listing of RDOF's $9B Recipients - Liight Reading
• RDOF Auction Ends but Confusion and Corruption May Just Be Beginning - ILSR
  

Case Studies - Next Century Cities - state of broadband in some US cities.

Fiber Resource Shortages - Doug Dawson, President of CCG Consulting sees shortages of labor and components in 2021

Terminating an eposy/polish ST connector - Linden Photonics shows how to make a reliable termination (excellent visuals show how it's done)

AFL Splice Closure For High Density Cables - up to 3456 fibers (video)

Can one of the architects of AT&T’s woes turn it around?  

Uncool can beat flashy tech - NY Times. Balloon Internet project by Google's parent Alphabet hits snags, remote areas wonder why it's needed - they have Internet on old-tech mobile phones

Power Delivery over Single-Pair Ethernet - TIA Webinar recorded earlier.

Biden, top Democrats lay groundwork for multibillion-dollar push to boost U.S. broadband  

Residents Form Broadband Coop - “Electric cooperatives worked, why can’t we do the same thing for broadband?”

Worth Reading: 11/20

The pandemic makes clear it’s time to treat the internet as a utility - David Lazarus, Business, LA Times

10 Tips For Installing Fiber Optic Cable - Multilink

Why the 5G pushiness? Because $$$. Shira Ovide, NYTimes

1995-2020 - FOA's 25th Anniversary!

Worth Reading - News Summary - Past Links Worth Repeating

If you are interested in restoration - aren't we all? - you should also read this article in dpPro magazine by FOA President Jim Hayes: Damage Protection Requies Looking Overheas As Well As Underground - dpPRO Magazine - about the problems with aerial cables. His previous article for the magazine was New Techniques for Fiber Optic Installation.

How much fiber optic cable is manufactured each year? CRU Reports - unsurprisingly China is by far the largest market today

The Institute for Local Self-Reliance weekly newsletter has lots of interesting articles and links.

The Open Technology Institute at New America just published “The Cost of Connectivity 2020,”

US Ignite and Altman Solon issued “Broadband Models for Unserved and Underserved Communities”

Universal access to broadband is a cornerstone to a strong economy, Achieving universal access will require community partnerships. by Alfreda B. Norman, Sr. VP,  Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas

FIBER TO THE FARM: The co-ops that electrified Depression-era farms are now building rural internet. Be sure to check out the high-tech equine installation equipment.

Next Century Cities Newsletter - News from cities around the US including Detroit and New York plus small

Infrastructure Get Some Respect, NY TImes "On Tech"   "The magic of the internet requires a lot of very boring stuff behind the scenes. "

Pentagon official: FCC decision on 5G threatens GPS, national security

Internet Statistics and Facts, 2020: Interesting, easy to get lost here!

Want a White-Collar Career Without College Debt? Become an Apprentice (NYTimes)
Apprenticeships probably began with the first jobs, where young people work under experienced craftspeople to learn a trade. In the last century, they became more organized under labor unions like the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, one of the FOA's oldest and biggest approved school systems. Today, apprenticeships are expanding as young people look at viable alternatives to loading themselves with debt while attending college.

The job market is hot. So why are half of U.S. grads missing out?  

VIAVI Books On Fiber Optic Testing (2 volumes) - They're back!

Another Source Of Articles On Fiber

Q&A

Tech Questions/Comments From FOA Newsletter Readers Worth Repeating

The FOA Fiber FAQs Page (FAQs = frequently asked questions) gathers up questions readers have asked us (which first ran in this newsletter) and adds tech topics of general interest.

Good Question!

The FOA Fiber FAQs Page (FAQ s = frequently asked questions) gathers up questions readers have asked us and adds tech topics of general interest.

Installation of a 6912 fiber cable

Q: For this post, "Tight Fit: 6912 Fiber Cable Pulled in 1.25 inch Conduit”, he asks if they can see one end completely terminated?
A: It takes about 2 full racks of patch panels or one rack of splice trays. Sumitomo shows the splicing rack here https://global-sei.com/data-center-solutions/splicing-rack.html. Most systems using these cables will buy fully populated patch panel racks with a splice rack for the cable to splice to 6912 fibers terminated in the rack.

Q: And a second question:: How long does it take to terminate? And over how many panels?
A: A very experienced tech can splice one of these cables in ~75-100 hours using ribbon splicing.

Q: I assume that's smaller fiber like 80 micron cladding
A: All the fibers in the high fiber count cables are made with regular singlemode fiber - 9/125micron. TO make the cables smaller, the buffer coating diameter is reduced to ~200microns to make the fibers smaller.

Q: How was it prepared with the splice tray and ODF? It might require a dedicated panel and splice tray.
A: It takes about 2 full racks of patch panels or one rack of splice trays. Most systems using these cables will buy fully populated patch panel racks with a splice rack for the cable to splice to 6912 fibers terminated in the rack.

Q: Is this an actual photo or was the cable installed in a different type conduit.
A: We were told that is the actual size of the cable and conduit although not of the actual installation discussed.

Q: What is the minimum bend radius of that cable? What procedures did they use to maintain that bend radius through those 90 degree curves?
A: The minimum bend radius is 15X the cable diameter for that cable (diameter 1.14” or 29mm), about  17” or 435mm. The conduit bends had to be controlled to be larger than that radius.

Jobs In The Movie Industry
Q: Does anyone know if there are job positions in the film industry that involve fiber optics? I started out working in film with audio work with some camera as well. I eventually transitioned into fiber optics installation and testing. I've been trying to find out if there's a way to find work that combines the two.
A: There are certainly jobs for fiber techs at the film studios. We worked with a group 20 years ago to find dark fiber in LA to connect studios to sound stages and other facilities. Every studio now has fiber connections everywhere, like this one at Paramount (below). I don’t know where to look for jobs, but I’d guess it would be through the unions - who represents the techs for the cameras, monitors, etc.?



Preparing Cable For Splicing
Q: Is there any standard on the preparation length of strip jacket upto the splice tray. Ideally its better to have a loop of buffer before getting into the tray if ever the closure has enough space for slack.. its also nice to put some hose to the buffer to add on protection. So far, i don't see any standard and can't support the remarks on what to follow. The practice was to take note on macrobend and have enough length of fiber to reach the machine.
A: There is a lot of variation in the size, shape and design of splice closures, so the length varies according to the closure and trays. For loose tube cable, the length of buffer tube from the entrance to the splice tray and the length of fiber needed in the tray are given in the directions for that splice tray. Similarly for ribbon cable, but the variations in ribbon cable designs often requires special handling and sleeving for the ribbons. Most manufacturers have specs available online.

Fusion Splice-On Connectors (SOCs) (From an FOA Instructor)
Q: A question came up from one of our students regarding splice on connectors.  Is there a TIA or other standards body that addresses this issue? We are used to the 0.75 dB loss for a mated pair, however, when this mated pair has two fusion splices that terminate the connector, is there a recommendation? 
One could make the argument that it does not make any difference as the other alternative is splicing a pigtail for termination of a cable.  This pigtail splice is normally included in the link loss budget calculation.   So similarly, with a splice on connector it is the same as splicing on a pigtail.
A: There are no specific TIA or IEC specs that address these splice-on connectors or pigtails. If you used TIA numbers and included the splice and connector it would be 1.05dB - 0.75dB for the connection and 0.3dB for the splice, that’s mated to a factory adhesive/polish connector.   Or if it were two similar connectors, 1.35dB. 
Everybody, including the people in TIA standards groups, know those numbers are too high for most single ferrule connectors. They keep them at 0.75dB for prepolished/splice connectors (w/ mechanical splices) and array connectors (MPOs) which have somewhat unpredictable performance. Internationally, IEC has created grades of connectors from ~0.3 to over 1dB. The newer mechanical splice connector kits now use the Chinese copied cleavers which are super - at least the few we have tested - and the connectors are now much lower loss and consistent.
SOCs (fusion splice-on connectors) are spec’ed as the total termination and are generally just as good as the typical adhesive polish connector - 0.5dB is plenty of margin for a those mated to a factory adhesive/polish connector.
Spliced on pigtails are generally considered a termination and the splice is not broken out - like a long SOC. But I cannot guarantee everybody thinks that way. But a fusion splice is typically <0.1dB anyway.
 

ANSI/NECA/FOA-301 is available free from FOA.



Download your free copy of

More New Free Fiber U MiniCourses

Another of the mysteries of fiber optics, like dB, is how optical fiber actually guides light in the core of the fiber and transmits it with low loss. FOA has several pages in the FOA Guide on how fiber works with animated graphics that illustrate the different ways step index multimode, graded index multimode and singlemode fiber work. We also have YouTUbe video showing live demonstrations with a large plastic rod simulating the core of an optical fiber.



When we decides this was a good topic for a Fiber U MiniCourse. we decided to create a new video lecture on how fiber works. The lecture uses our usual lecture format but with videos that animate the process of total internal reflection and guided rays (modes) in the cores of the three types of optical fiber.

How Optical Fiber Works - Fiber U MiniCourse  

Midspan Access
As promised last month in our tech article on midspan access, we took the new material created about Midspan Access in fiber optic cable installation and made that into a minicourse. This technique is fairly widely used because it saves much time and cost in adding drops to a fiber optic cable, but we've been surprised how many techs are not familiar with it. The MiniCourse takes only a little time, about right for a coffee break.




That makes 10 Fiber U MiniCourses, 5 Basics courses, 4 Skills courses, 1 Design course and 6 Applications courses - 26 free online self-study courses for everyone. And we have lots more planned for the near future.

More New Fiber U MiniCourses

Got An Hour Or Less? Learn Something New About Fiber Optics.

New FOA Schools

Welcome School 386 Peabody HS (program in conjunction with RCN)

What Fiber Techs Don't Know -

What We Learn From FOA Certification Tests

FOA "Work-To-Cert" Program

Experience Plus Online Study At Fiber U = FOA Certification

Options For Training Classes  - 

Social Distancing and Masks

Outdoors (11/2020)

New Approach To Fiber Optic Labs - Sharing Test Equipment (10/2020)

, a FOA approved school, has taken a new approach in how we provide lab training. Fifteen years ago, we developed a hybrid training model had the participants complete online (remote) lessons with face to face labs. Over the past 12 years trade organizations, colleges, vocational, vendor training, and trade apprenticeships have adopted this model. At the beginning of the pandemic we spent a lot of time, energy, and money developing remote labs. We have incorporated lessons learned from that process to restart safe face to face labs.

First, we provide disposable materials and PPE’s for all learning. Every student has their own work space with 8-9 feet of separation and their own set of hand tools only used by the student. All of the classroom information is accessed online or with USB drives. Our biggest challenge was how to safely share testing equipment so every student could have the practical hands on experience.

We believe we have found that solution with the help of “ezremote”.  The ezremote allows a multitude of students to have practical exposure and experience with using a video microscope, OLTS and OTDR testers. Every student can access the remote via their own iPad or their smart phone, see below picture and movie.


The VeEX OTDR set up for remote access in class

Recently, we contacted PCS, Inc. which is a premiere manufacturer’s representative firm serving the Southeastern US since 1974.  Headquartered in Roswell, GA, Marc Wright  a sales representative spent a lot of time and energy helping Techtricians to purchase the VeEX  FX150+ device.  It is a full featured Mini OTDR with high resolution sampling and intelligent link mapping for Metro, Access and FTTx networks remote application. The compact, lightweight platform incorporates built in WiFi, power meter, light source, fiber inspection probe and VFL test options which add exceptional versatility to the unit.

 
The remote OTDR displayed on an iPad (L) and on 4 smartphones and 2 laptops

In September we completed our first trial in a face to face lab session in Lake Mary, Florida. The OTDR unit uses a WIFI connection. The students went to the VeEX website with their iPad or their smart phone and connected the to the base unit. The lab module used one OTDR setup for the entire class for testing the cable plant.


The instructor's laptop is connected to the OTDR and projecting the display for everyone to see

The students when logged-in had control over the OTDR. Each student saw the same screen which made the various events much easier to explain. The module is very safe as the OTDR is not touched by any student. The feedback we received from the students was very positive. They provided suggestions for future training modules. Even after the pandemic is over, we will continue to use this new training method. Our best teachers are our students and our hats are off to all of our students.

For more information, contact Tom or Donna Collins at Techtricians.

FOA School BDI Datalynk is offering classroom training with Covid precautions and  remote classes over most of the US.

FOA Master Instructor Eric Pearson of Pearson Technologiesis now offering classroom training with Covid precautions - 9/2020

Contact Eric for details on his classes.

Classroom Training Is Adapting To The Pandemic 8/2020

Training Is Back - Made Safer (6/2020)

FOA schools are starting to offer classes at their facilities again to provide the personal interaction with an instructor and hands-on labs, but some things have changed to provide social distancing. Serge Rodrigue at Fibre Zone in Quebec, Canada sent photos of his new lab setup that includes individual lab stations with plexiglass barriers.



Students are following safe working protocols - masks and gloves - to make classes safe and meet local government requirements for social distancing.



Contact

 for more information on their classes.

FiberNext in New Hampshire has also rearranged classrooms for safer classes and has begun training in their facilities in Concord, NH.



Contact FiberNext in Concord, NH, USA

If you do not have tools or equipment and want to purchase them, there is a new Fiber U DIY Basic Skills Lab lesson with directions on how to purchase inexpensive tools online and use them to learn basic fiber optic skills. Those tools and components are what we describe here.

For example, you need a fiber cleaver for splices and prepolished/splice connectors. A good cleave is essential for a good splice or termination with a splice-type connection. Good cleavers are now available online at prices in the US starting at $20US. 

 

FOA Guide "Basics Of Fiber Optics" Now Available Online in Portuguese (6/2020)

Here is the FOA Guide in Portuguese, Spanish and French translations.

Time To Learn - Online - (Update 4/5/6/8 2020)

And Fiber U has the new Fiber U DIY Basic Skills Lab lesson with directions on how to purchase inexpensive tools online and use them to learn basic fiber optic skills. Videoconferencing allows the instructor to remotely monitor their work and provide help as needed. Contact the FOA for more information.


FOA Zoom Exam Proctoring

FOA offers free online self-study programs at Fiber U. Many users are preparing for FOA certification programs - taking courses at our schools or using the "Work-to-Cert" program. Some of our schools are requiring Fiber U programs as prerequisites for their classroom courses so they can spend more time on hands-on activities.

New FOA Approved School: Central Electrical Training Center, FOA School #656.

FOA School Offers Toolkit With Online Training

Slayton Solutions (FOA Approved School #156) is offering a simple fiber optic tool kit that includes a 29-piece set of fiber optic tools and a power meter along with training videos and online instruction for only $499. 29 Piece Kit includes all tools and devices a technician needs to install fiber optic connectors and test optical power.  Information on the kit is available on YouTube. You can contact them for more information at  slaytonsolutions@sbcglobal.net or https://www.fiberopticsinstitute.com

More New FOA Video Lectures On YouTube

FOA Loss Budget Calculator On A Web Page 5/2020

FOA has written many articles about loss budgets, something everyone involved in fiber optics needs to know and needs to know how to calculate. We recently discovered how to get a spreadsheet ported to a Web page, so we created this web page that calculates loss budgets. We have an iOS loss budget app, but with this web page, you can calculate loss budgets from any device, smart phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer that has web browsing capability.

 

Bookmark this page (especially on your smartphone): FOA Loss Budget Calculator Online

We are continually updating the Online Reference Guide to keep up with changes in the industry and adding lots of new pages of technical information. When you go to the FOA Guide Table of Contents to see the latest updates - look for .

Recent updates:

 

  

Fiber Optic Safety Poster to download and print

On Safety

There is a toll-free "call before you dig" number in the USA: Dial 811

See www.call811.com for more information

The Common Ground Alliance has an excellent "Best Practices Guide" online

The US Department of Transportation has a website called "National Pipeline Mapping System" that allows one to search for buried pipelines.   

Why We Warn You To Be Careful About Fiber Shards

Photo courtesy  Brian Brandstetter,  Mississauga Training Consultantcy

Safety Leader Magazine

Safety Leader, a new quarterly magazine, informs and educates electrical contractors on safety from various angles—electrical, workplace, PPE, regulations, leadership, line work, NFPA 70E, and more. Safety Leader is bundled with ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR in February, May, August and November. To receive Safety Leader subscribe to ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR magazine here or subscribe to the ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR newsletter here.

2021 Global Excavation Safety Conference VIRTUAL, taking place April 6-8, 2021
More information in an article in the dp-PRO announcing the Global Locate Masters:
Website:   www.GlobalLocateMasters.com


 


The magazine, dp-Pro, sponsor of the conference, has also published it's latest issue with an article by FOA on "New Construction Techniques in Fiber Optics" and a overview of the FOA. You can read the magazine here.

Contact Us:  http://www.foa.org or email <info@foa.org>

FOA is 25 years old this July - read about FOA's history in this newsletter above.

Learn More About FOA's History.

Contact Us
The Fiber Optic Association Inc.
http://www.foa.org or email <info@foa.org>

Phone: 1-760-451-3655

       

 FOA Logo Merchandise

New FOA Swag! Shirts, Caps, Stickers, Cups, etc.

Your Name, CFOT® - It pays to advertise!

The FOA encourages CFOTs to use the logo on their business cards, letterhead, truck or van, etc. and provides logo files for that purpose. But we are also asked about how to use the CFOT or CFOS certifications. Easy, you can refer to yourself as "Your Name, CFOT" or "Your Name, CFOS/T" for example.

Feel free to use the logo and designations to promote your achievements and professionalism!

Privacy Policy (for the EU GDPR): The FOA does not use cookies or any other web tricks to gather information on visitors to our website, nor do we allow commercial advertising. Our website hosts may gather traffic statistics for the visitors to our website and our online testing service, ClassMarker, maintains statistics of test results. We do not release or misuse any information on any of our members except we will confirm FOA certifications and Fiber U certificates of completion when requested by appropriate persons such as employers or personnel services.
Read the complete FOA Privacy Policy here.