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2020
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This Issue - (INDEX)
Training
Is Back - Made Safer
Remote Labs - DIY
Online Learning Update
Changing Times (Technology)
Role of Coops In Connecting Rural America
Aerial Cable Installation Done Right
The Right Hardware Makes It Better
FOA Loss Budget Calculator
The Cable Plant Project Deliverables
dB Is Still Confusing
FOA Helps Teachers Worldwide
Problems With Fiber Curl
Recognizing The FOA Founders
Newsletter
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News
Technical
Worth
Reading
Q&A
Training/FiberU
Resoures
Safety
About
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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
Where
Are The Jobs In Fiber Optics? FOA talks about all the
applications for fiber optics, what jobs involve and the
qualifications for the workers in the field in this YouTube
video.
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Trademarks:
The FOA CFOT® (Certified Fiber Optic Technician) and Fiber
U® (the FOA online self-study program) are registered
trademarks of the FOA.
Want
to know more about fiber optics? Study
for FOA certifications? Free
Self-Study Programs are on "Fiber
U®." Looking for specific information? Here's the
largest technical reference on the web: The
FOA Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide.
Free
online self-study programs on many fiber optics and cabling
topics are available at Fiber
U, FOA's online web-based training website.
FOA
Reference Books
Available Printed or eBooks
The
fiber book is available in Spanish and French
Lennie
and Uncle
Ted's Guides are now also available as free iBooks on
iTunes.
Click
on any of the books to learn more.
- Fiber
Optic Safety Poster to download and print
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Current Issue of FOA Newsletter
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Grupo
de La Asociación de Fibra Óptica FOA (Español)
|
FOA
Guide "Basics Of Fiber Optics" Now Available in Portuguese
FOA has
now translated the Basics of Fiber Optics textbook in our
Online Guide into Portuguese, joining Spanish and French
translations. For those speaking Portuguese, we have the
technical information and for schools we also have
curriculum available.
Here
is the FOA
Guide in Portuguese,
Spanish and
French
translations.
Training
Is Back - Made Safer
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 Fibre
Zone in Quebec, Canada 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 or
more information on their classes. Also ask about joining
their CFOT
Club for savings on products and training.
Fiber
Optic Training Online - Simulations and Do-It-Yourself
Hands-On Training
Over
the last few months, FOA has been very actively
working on ways to deliver fiber optic training and
perhaps even certification online. Along the way, we
have evaluated new tools and components from
non-traditional sources and made some interesting
discoveries.
Online activities are nothing new to FOA, we've been
online and a totally virtual organization since we
were founded in 1995. (Watch for the 25th Anniversary
coverage next month.)
Fiber U has been offering free online training based
on the FOA knowledge base since 2008 and online
Certificates of Completion tests for the courses since
2014. The challenge has been the hands-on labs. FOA
certifications are based on our KSAs
- the knowledge, skills and abilities defined as
requirements for FOA certifications.
Online courses generally focus on knowledge; learning
skills requires hands-on labs and that has been
difficult to do online. But the FOA has some very
creative instructors who have been actively working on
this challenge and experimenting with some possible
solutions. We've been evaluating these options
ourselves and are ready to offer an option for our
schools and Fiber U direct students.
Simulating Optical Loss Testing
FOA has been experimenting with simulations,
especially for testing since test equipment is
generally not inexpensive and requires a selection of
cables for reference test cables and cables to test.
We have had an OTDR Simulator based on the software
for an OTDR and a selection of traces for analysis.
Now we've created an optical loss simulator that uses
some web programming to allow stepping through the
process of setting up and testing a cable with a light
source and power meter.
The simulation provides virtual meter and source,
inspection microscope, cleaners and a selection of
cables needed for testing. In the animation above you
can see one of the user interactions - the student
must use the proper button to set the "0dB" reference.
The loss simulator also requires the student use the FOA
Loss Budget Calculator to calculate the expected
loss of a cable under test, compare it to the measured
loss and make a Go/NoGo decision.
We even provide two versions of the simulator -
singlemode and multimode. The singlemode version tests
an OSP cable and then has the student compare OTDR
traces to troubleshoot problems. The multimode version
shows the effects of modal conditioning on multimode
measurements.
At the end, we've even added a wrap-up of the
techniques of loss testing and a quiz.
We added the loss simulator in the new Fiber
U DIY Basic Skills Lab for a virtual hands-on
testing lab.
Check out the FOA
Insertion Loss Simulator here.
DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Labs
Several times in the FOA Newsletter we've discussed
the Fiber
U Basic Skills Lab. This online DIY lab course
assumes you have your own equipment to use for the
labs, but most novices, unless they work for a larger
company already in fiber optics, will not have
equipment. FOA instructors have found a solution:
purchase inexpensive equipment online. What they have
found are many low cost tools and components that are
perfectly suited to training.
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.
As with all the inexpensive cleavers offered online,
it's a copy of a well-known brand. What's really
surprising is how well they work. Here are two cleaves
made with this cleaver viewed in a fusion splicer.
Note the angles shown in the display.
We're not the first ones to discover these cleavers.
Most manufacturers offering prepolished/splice
connectors with mechanical splices have already
replaced the "stapler" or "beaver cleaver" in their
tool kits with these better versions.
Besides the cleaver, another really good tool for
learning or teaching is a visual fault locator. These
devices used to be very expensive, but now are
available online for $10-20.
Many online sellers offer sets of these tools in a kit
for very low cost.
With plenty of tools available online, the next things
you need are components to practice on. No problem
here either. You need a patchcord, some mechanical
splices and some prepolished/splice connectors. The
connectors and splices are available from online
sellers for ~$1 each, easy to afford plenty to
practice on.
FOA has used all these available parts together into a
do-it-yourself
hands-on lab as part of the Fiber U Basic Skills
Lab. You can do this yourself at a very low
cost. We
even provide directions on how to search for
suppliers of these tools and components.
Caution!
FOA has not exhaustively tested these tools or
components enough to recommend them for field use. The
work we did with them to create teaching labs shows
they are certainly good enough to use for teaching the
installation processes in a training lab. We suggest
read the buyers reviews and do some of your own
testing before using them for anything other than
training and practice.
Another
Thing We Learned From This Program - It's
ALL Singlemode.
Every component and tool we tested was using
singlemode fiber because that's what all these
components are designed for. Singlemode fiber is used
for virtually all networks today - OSP, FTTH, DAS,
PON, data centers, etc. - while multimode is limited
to a few premises applications. Singlemode fiber is
cheaper and has been for a long time because of the
higher volume of its use and simpler core/cladding
structure making manufacture cheaper. Multimode fiber
continues to be used in short premises links because
850nm VCSEL sources are cheap.
Aerial
Cable Installation Done Right 6/2020
Back in
the March FOA
Newsletter we showed you photos of a really messy span
of aerial cable in Santa Monica, CA. Recently we discovered
another installation going on that same span of cables, this
time by AT&T technicians installing new cable for small
cells. What a difference! The AT&T techs were working on
their own messenger just above the really messy ones in the
telecom space. They had two bucket trucks working together
to install a cable and splice it - this time in the air from
the bucket. When they finished, the work was indeed neat and
workmanlike. Very professional - thanks AT&T for showing
us that aerial can be done right.
In the photos below you can see the messes they had to work
around!
The
Right Hardware Makes It Easier 6/2020
To reduce the messiness of aerial cabling, you need some
proper hardware. Clearfield has just introduced the
StreetSmart Aerial FDH (fiber distribution hub) for the
feeder network through the optical passive splitter to the
distribution network. The StreetSmart Aerial FDH is
the complete solution for managing up to 288 port
distribution fibers for an outside plant FTTx PON
application.
Factory pre-terminated (1- 288 or 2– 144) fiber cables,
eliminates splicing at the terminal and allows the service
provider the ability to define and assign the feeder and
distribution ports, allowing them to customize each
individual deployment. The Aerial FDH has room to hold up to
9 individual compact ruggedized splitter modules, allowing
the service provider to add splitters as needed.
For more information, see
Clearfield. Clearfield is an FOA approved
training organization.
SPECIAL
OFFER - Save 1/3 On Your Certification Renewal Cost
In the
near future, there will be a requirement for continuing
education to renew your FOA certifications. We'll explain
why soon, but for now FOA is testing an option for renewals
where you take a short Fiber U online self-study course with
certificate of completion exam and pay for renewal when
taking the exam.
If you would like to help FOA test this option, you can save
1/3 the cost of your renewal. Go
here to take the Fiber U CFOT Renewal Course:
Looking
For A Job?
Did you
know that FOA has a lot of information on the website about
where the jobs are
in fiber optics and how to get one of them? One of the
topics is how
to use job search sites to find fiber optic jobs. We
just added a new site to the link, ZIPRECRUITER.COM,
that you should check out. They even have some good
information on what fiber optic jobs pay, based on their
listings.
|
News
|
FOA
Helps Teachers Create Courses - Worldwide 6/2020
FOA
offers all teachers at all grade levels resources to
create fiber optic courses for their students. We
usually start with sending them some samples of
plastic optical fiber (POF) and some connectors they
can use with a laser pointer to show how fiber works,
following the
instructions on the FOA website. We recently
sent a teacher's package to Alejandro Galan from
Guatemala, who teaches at Universidad Galileo.
Professor
Galan and his POF kit for teachers from FOA
For
those outside the US, we now have material in Spanish,
French and
Portuguese
to help them teach courses in their native languages.
Professor
Galan took the FOA materials and other materials
and created a YouTube Lecture on Fiber Optics in
Spanish.
Watch
Professor Galan's lecture on YouTube.
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 Teachers.
Recycling
Fiber Optic Cable - Contact:
Steve Maginnis
LD4Recycle/ CommuniCom Recycling
(Visit
website)
sm@LD4Recycle.com
803.371.5436 |
Technical
On
fiber optic technology, standards, equipment,
installation, etc.
The
FOA Update Page
covers all the new technology and applications we covered
in this newsletter recently. Now you can review all that
new tech at once.
|
The
Times They Are A Changin' (fiber optics, that is) 6/2020
(With
kudos to Bob Dylan who is releasing
a new album this month at the young age of 79!)
What we mean by that title is that in technology things
change. In recent times we've seen a lot of change in fiber
optics and recent standards meetings and discussions with
some of the FOA technical advisors have amplified some of
these changes, as we report here, such as the issue of
mulimode vs singlemode fiber above and the topics below.
Connectors: Nobody ever wanted to polish fiber optic
connectors in the field - ever - and that only worked with
multimode fiber anyway - singlemode polishing was too
critical to be done in the field. Long ago, factory made
terminations with a mechanical splice in the back of the
ferrule became available. We called them prepolished/splice
connectors. But they were tricky. The secret to a good
termination was a good cleave and good cleavers were
expensive.
Over time, better termination kits made the connectors lower
loss and easier to install. Now the inexpensive cleavers
reviewed above make these connectors work better, but the
combination of a connector and a mechanical splice mean they
are still expensive. And mechanical splices generally work
better with multimode fiber than singlemode fiber.
More recently, fusion splice-on connectors (SOCs) have
become available. Instead of a connector plus mechanical
splice, you have a connector with a pigtail that you fusion
splice on to a fiber to terminate it. Eliminating the
mechanical splice reduces the cost considerably. The fusion
splicer has also become much less expensive also, making
this a very popular choice for singlemode fiber where you
must have a fusion splicer anyway. They are available for
multimode and singlemode, but the big price advantage is
with singlemode.
Testing Multimode Fiber and Bend-Insensitive Fiber: A
decade ago when bend-insensitive multimode fiber (BI MMF)
first became available, it was not well understood. Since
this was the era of the adoption of "encircled flux" as a
new method of specifying mode control for MM testing, the
unknown effects of BI fiber on modes was not well
understood. As a result, BI MMF was prohibited for use
in reference test cables when testing, even if testing BI
MMF in most standards for testing. That prohibition made
little sense since no fibers were marked as BI or non-BI and
since most MM fiber was BI, finding non-BI fiber for test
cables was problematic. And nobody really knew about this
issue anyway.
FOA has been asking questions about this issue regularly in
standards committees. At a TIA meeting held online recently,
Fluke presented data that showed only minor differences
between tests made with reference test cables with regular
(non-BI) and BI MMF. This realization is making its
way through standards committees now, so this issue is going
away.
OLTS vs OTDR Testing: This is a bit of a bigger issue
than the one above and the subject of many discussions and
articles over the years. In recent discussions with Eric
Pearson and some other FOA advisors covering the OLTS/OTDR
issue as well as the issue of loss budgets, the consensus
was this should not be a issue, either OLTS or OTDR data
should be acceptable if the testing is done properly.
"Done properly" means OTDR testing uses both a launch and a
receive reference cable, meaning it is not a single-ended
test.
Understanding the combined measurement uncertainty has made
this a non-issue. For multimode fiber, the total loss of a
typical link is only 2-3dB since premises cabling networks
are short and multimode fiber loss is lower than in the past
- nearer 2dB/km than 3dB/km on modern fibers. The
uncertainty of such low loss measurement with either
instrument is small enough that either measurement will give
a good indication of the quality of the fiber. The same is
true for premises SM fiber in a data center or passive
optical LAN.
The same is true for OSP singlemode fiber where the OTDR
loss measurement is going to be made anyway to verify
splices on concatenated cables. Longer cables are probably
be tested for fiber characterization also, so lots of data
will be available for judging the condition of individual
fibers.
Eric Pearson makes another good point. His experience is
that fibers are either good or bad, usually really bad, not
just slightly so. If the tech doing the testing has good
cleaning discipline, the connectors are cleaned and
inspected, so a failure might be a poorly installed
prepolished/splice connector, and that's likely to be quite
bad. If the connectors are field-polished on multimode
fiber, careful inspection is extremely important to insure
connectors were installed properly.
We'll finish with Eric's conclusion: And if reasonable care
is taken, both LSPM/OLTS and OTDR tests will give “useful"
results. The purpose of measurements is to accept or reject
the installed products. With that understanding, the
explanations of the subtleties are not critical to the
installers, for whom I write. That being said, the key
qualifier is 'if reasonable care'
Conclusion: Technology changes but one thing does
not. With all the topics above, the results are all
dependent on the knowledge and skill of the technician.
Experienced technicians need to stay up to date and novices
need to be trained correctly. That's the focus of the FOA.
When founded almost 25 years ago - next month is our
anniversary - the charter was to "Promote professionalism in
fiber optics through education, certification and
standards." Still is.
But then, another mystery shows up: Eric
Pearson brought up a new issue with standards. This
concerns the use of a singlemode mode filter; a small loop
to remove higher order modes from singlemode fiber for
testing. When a laser source launches into a
singlemode fiber, the fiber may carry more than one mode for
a short distance, say up to 100m. To prevent this affecting
measurements, standards have generally specified a mode
filter in the launch cable created with a small loop in the
fiber, around 30mm.
Back in the 90s, the standards had a 2” loop and referenced
FOTP-77. FOTP-77 was allowed to expire in 2003 and sometime
later the loop became 30mm/1.3”. Now it seems to have
disappeared from some international standards (Eric says IEC
61280-4-2 has no requirement for the loop) but remains in
some US standards like FOTP-171, sec 3.3. Phil Irwin of
Panduit, head of the TIA TR42.11 standards committee, noted
that FOTP-34, the standard for measuring components loss,
e.g. connectors, and FOTP-171B (patchcords) include this
mode filter before and after the component under test.
Another topic for another time. We will continue
investigating this.
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
dB
Is Still Confusing 4/2020
The
second most missed question on FOA/Fiber U online tests
concerns dB, that strange logarithmic method we use to
measure power in fiber optics (and radio and electronics
and acoustics and more...). We've covered the topic
several times in our Newsletter but there still seems to
be confusion. So we're going to give you a clue to the
answers and hopefully help you understand dB better.
These are all correct statements with the
percentage of test takers who know the answer is correct.
The most answered correctly: dBm is absolute power
relative to 1mw of power (78.8% correct. Does "absolute"
confuse people? It's just "power" but absolute in
contrast to "relative power" which is loss or gain
measured in dB.)
This one is answered correctly less than half the time: dBm
is absolute power like the output of a transmitter.
(41.5% correct, see comment above.)
This one does often get answered correctly: The
difference between 2 measurements in dBm is expressed in
dB. (23.8% correct)
Read a more
comprehensive explanation of dB here in the FOA
Guide.
Problems
With Fiber Curl 6/2020
From Eric Pearson, a fiber pigtail that had so much curl it
was difficult to fit in the box.
|
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: The Role Of Cooperatives
In Connecting Rural America 6/2020
“For
nearly 100 years, cooperatives have been the most successful
model for connecting rural Americans to the utilities they
need to keep their homes, businesses, farms and schools
running,” said Christopher Mitchell, Director of the
Community Broadband Networks initiative at the Institute for
Local Self-Reliance (ILSR).
From Cooperatives
Essential to Bringing High-Quality Fiber Internet Access
to Rural America
Read the ILSR report on coops here:
Cooperatives
Fiberize Rural America: A Trusted Model For The Internet
Era
A few important takeaways:
- More
than 210 cooperatives across the country offer gigabit
Internet access to residents and businesses.
- 82%
of North Dakota and 53% of South Dakota landmass is
served by fiber from cooperatives, and residents enjoy
some of the fastest Internet access speeds in the
nation.
- Since
2017, some states have eased restrictions on cooperative
broadband networks, while others have gone even further
by enacting legislation to facilitate the deployment of
cooperative broadband networks.
- A
series of local stories highlights how broadband has
changed lives by improving access to education,
healthcare, and economic opportunities.
- Cooperatives
have proven that this is a model that works. With
increased support from federal and state governments,
they will continue to connect Americans in rural areas
to economic and educational opportunities otherwise
denied to them.
Read
the full report here.
Look at the ILSR
Newsletter too - it covers rural broadband projects
well.
Worth
Reading - News Summary
Next
Generation PoE (Nexans) The New Power over
Ethernet Standards Deliver More Power, Speed, and
Efficiency
Demystifying
5G (Corning): Do you know 5G’s 3 major
benefits, 8 technical goals that deliver those benefits,
and 4 technology building blocks that meet the technical
goals?
Pentagon
official: FCC decision on 5G threatens GPS, national
security
Smithville
Communications and SCI REMC have begun
building a fiber-optic project that will deliver
high-speed broadband Internet to residents and businesses
in Monroe, and Owen Counties, Ind. The first phase of the
project will be completed in 2023 and will serve 3,400
residents and businesses in the region. “This joint
project will help both companies move forward in closing
the digital divide in rural areas by providing high-speed,
highly reliable fiber-based Internet connectivity,” said
Darby McCarty, Chairman and CEO of Smithville.
Alabama
Governor Kay Ivey has awarded $5.1 million to improve
high-speed Internet access in 15 areas throughout the
state. The grant money comes from the Alabama
Broadband Accessibility Fund, which was created to help
broadband providers extend service into unserved areas of
the state.
3
Good Articles This Month in CI&M - Cabling
for Wireless and POE
Internet
Statistics and Facts, 2020: Interesting, easy
to get lost here!
Understanding
The True State Of Connectivity In America - 65% of US
counties receive broadband speeds below industry
reports.
Why
Businesses Need Fiber Connectivity, from
Spectrum CATV. Yes, it's a sales pitch, but they make good
points and it indicates they are serious.
DIRT
Report On Damage To Utilities
Common Ground Alliance (CGA) annual DIRT report provides a
summary and analysis of the events submitted into CGA’s
Damage Information Reporting Tool (DIRT) for the year
2018. The complete report is available for download
here. In addition, there is an interactive
dashboard that allows users to filter the data
more by factors contributing to damages.
Structured
Cabling News - a website and weekly
newsletter about cabling.
The
Internet Master Plan for New York City.
The New York City Internet Master Plan is a
comprehensive framework for the infrastructure and
services that provide connectivity to New York City
residents and businesses. This Master Plan will guide
City actions and public-private partnerships to
transform New Yorkers’ access to this essential
infrastructure for generations to come.
Corning
Has Removed The "Dust" from "Dust Caps."
Corning "CleanAdvantage(tm) Edge cables have factory
cleaned connectors and caps to keep them clean.
Fiber
Trivia From Corning.
Why
understanding PoE now is crucial for electricians
- To ring in the new decade, IDEAL Networks is urging
today's electricians to master new skills and equipment to
cope with the growing use of PoE in intelligent lighting
applications.
Smart
City Projects: Smart city initiatives are
underway across the country. But they face funding and
technology challenges. Many cities want to upgrade
infrastructure to improve resident experience, safety and to
generate revenue.
The
Future Of Work Is Skills - So Stop Worrying About
Degrees - The
reality is the future of work is about skills, not just
degrees. (FOA Newsletter Feb 2020)
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!
Besides
the FOA reference materials, two JDSU/VIAVI textbooks,
Reference Guide to Fiber Optic Testing, Volumes 1 and
2, were used as references for some of the FOA courses
and are recommended for instructors and students. The books
are available from VIAVI as eBooks and the everyone should
download them and recommend them to others.Download yours
now. Volume
1. Volume
2. Viavi Books
50th
Anniversary of The Development of Low Loss Fibers
A history of the development of low loss fiber, a
fascinating story by Jeff Hecht on the OSA (Optical Society
of America) website.
How
OFS Makes Fiber
Interesting YouTube video on how fiber is made. Perhaps a
little too much "show biz" but fascinating. If you have ever
seen fiber manufacture, look at this video. You will be
amazed at how big preforms have become!
How
Nexans Makes Copper Cables - compare the process
to fiber - don't most of the machines look similar?
The
True Cost of Telco Damages (what backhoe fade or
target practice can cost)
Rural
Electric Cooperatives: Pole Attachment Policies and
Issues, June 2019.
Ckearfield-FOA
Certification Training Clearfield is now
offering their customers an FOA
CERTIFICATION course. This course provides
a basic understanding of fiber optic technology, as well
as Clearfield product knowledge and how Clearfield’s
integrated product systems work together in a fiber
network.
Substandard
Contractors - Fiber Optic Knowledge Doesn't Always
Trickle Down (EC Mag)
Another
Source Of Articles On Fiber
FOA
President and editor of this newsletter Jim Hayes has also
been writing a column in Electrical
Contractor Magazine for almost 20 years now.
Electrical contractors do lots of fiber work and this column
has covered some topics they are interested in including
installation processes, network design, fiber applications
and a lengthy series on dark fiber - what it is, how's its
used and how it benefits the growth of communication. A
recent web site redesign makes it easier to browse all these
articles - just go to http://www.ecmag.com/contributing-authors/jim-hayes
and you can see all of them. |
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.
Questions
From FOA Newsletter Readers
June 2020
Multiplexing
Signals
Q: If a network has 4 10gig lines...how could they or
can these be "bundled" into 40 gig??
A: You multiplex the signals - send one source of
data as a packet in a time slot, then the next 3 in order.
At the other end, you separate them into the original
packets and send diverse ways. Of course, multiplexing the
10G signals into 40G requires speeding up the clock 4 times.
Installation Costs
Q: Do you have any information regarding the cost of
installing the fiber underground?
A: There is no one answer to your question. The cost
of underground construction is a complex function of:
Geography: costs are like salaries, they vary depending on
the locale, NY is much higher than Cordelle, GA for
example), it’s cheaper where the ground is soft dirt vs
rocky, not near wetlands, etc. Urban, suburban and rural
areas are vastly different.
In addition, the cost of all the permits, getting “call
before you dig” assistance and even police details during
construction will be determined by the locale and can vary
widely.
Installation type: trenching and burying conduit or ducts,
trenching and direct burial, microtrenching with microducts
and blowing in cable, directional boring or just pulling
cable into existing ducts.
If the property owner or permit issuer requires “dig once”
where the contractor installs a number of ducts (a very
smart idea), the first installation costs more but later
installs cost much less.
Then there is the cost of the cable, a function of cable
construction, fiber type and number of fibers, number of
splices or drops, etc.
The SOW (scope of work) should call for documentation and
testing. If the SOW requires GIS data and comprehensive
testing - and it should - the cost will reflect that.
So underground installation can cost perhaps as little as
$15-20/ft to as much as $100-200/ft or more. Or as Google
Fiber found in Nashville, underground is not possible when a
town sits on bedrock.
May 2020
Lashing
Aerial Cable With Cable Ties?
Q: I am considering an electrical job installing
fiber optic aerially on a messenger cable.
I have seen the cable tie method of lashing the fiber to the
messenger. Would you recommend this method considering the
cost of a lashing machine for a single project and if so
what would be a good distance between ties for the proper
support of the fiber to the cable.
A: The normal way to attach an aerial cable to a
messenger is lashing the cable with stainless steel wire. If
you use cable ties, you would need ensure the cable doesn’t
droop and the cable ties are designed for outdoor use in the
sun over a long time (stainless steel ones are available).
How long is the span? If it’s more than 100 feet, I think I
would go with lashing. If you don’t have a lasher, you can
rent one. You will need a bucket truck anyway.
Power Budget For PON
Q: Do you have any information on guidelines for
avoiding over saturation in a PON network? Our ONTs have a
power window of between -8dBm and -27dBm. OLT
transceivers transmit at around 4dBm. So our designers
budget for no more than 28dB of loss. However, some ignore
the -8dBm maximum power spec. With a short run from
OLT to ONT and a small splitter, installers are sometimes
seeing light levels at the ONT at around -6 to -7dBm. What
would you recommend as a minimum loss budget in this
case? Do we need margin?
A: The GPON spec does have a max power at the ONT
generally expressed as a minimum loss in the cable plant -
13dB for GPON. There is a graph about halfway down this page
(https://foa.org/tech/ref/appln/datalink.html) that shows a
graph of BER vs Receiver power. To have a link work
properly, it must have sufficient power to be above the
minimum S/N - signal to noise - ratio for the link but not
so much power that it saturates the receiver.
This is a very common situation in telco networks where
links are designed for relatively long distances but may be
used on short ones - e.g. a 40km link being used over 10km
in a city. Their solution is simple - add an attenuator
(https://foa.org/tech/ref/appln/attenuators.html). Lots of
these links use attenuators.
In a PON, there are several ways to go. 1) Brute force -
test each ONT and add attenuators as needed. Techs could
carry a selection of 5dB or 10dB attenuators to get at least
to the 13dB minimum needed. 2) Rather than require testing
at each ONT, have the designer do a loss budget based on the
link length and specify a minimum splitter in the link (8:1
would probably work well) which would probably be cheaper
than testing and adding lots of attenuators.
Midspan
Drop Cables
Q: I
am working on a project that has 5 sections, consisting of 5
miles each section, CCTV, detectors, DMS connected by 192
count fiber. We were directed to use the consultants
plans from the first section as a guide for uniformity for
the remaining contracts. The attached fiber detail
shows a 4 fiber drop cable going to the ITS device. I
was thinking to take all 12 fibers to the device and back
for redundancy? Also, if we did use the 4 fiber drop
cable, I didn’t understand why they would splice the other
10 thru cables and instead leave them intact? Is there a
preferred method for a drop cable to a device or just
preferences?
A: We are not sure why they do it the way they do.
Perhaps the designer was not familiar with midspan access
which would preclude having to make the other splices. Using
a 12 fiber drop cable would be more expensive and perhaps
unnecessary unless the device being connected is in a
location where a small cell site might be located. They may
also have uses for those other fibers that require a
connection through the drop point. We”d suggest to the
designer that midspan access might allow saving the 10
splices at each drop.
The
word on the "Dig Once" program is getting out - FOA is
getting calls from cities asking us for information and
advice. Here are some links:
The DoT page on the administration’s Executive Order: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/otps/exeorder.cfm
From the Council of State governments: http://www.csg.org/pubs/capitolideas/enews/cs41_1.aspx
From the city of San Francisco: http://sfgov.org/dt/dig-once
An article about Dakota County, MN: https://muninetworks.org/tags/tags/dig-once
And
the one to download and hand out:
A “How To” Guide from The Global Connect Initiative: https://share.america.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/6.-GCI-Dig-Once.pdf
Fiber Optic Cable Plant - The Finished Product 4/2020
In
April, FOA received inquiries from several sources that all
deal with the same subject - what is involved in the
specification and acceptance of a cable plant at the end of
a installation project. And what are reasonable
specifications for a cable plant.
FOA has a lot of documentation on a project involving
designing and installing a cable plant in the
FOA Online Guide and our Textbooks, but the acceptance
process has usually been relegated to a few paragraphs. We
decided to add a page
on project "Deliverables" in the FOA Guide that covers
this topic in more depth. This page looks at a project, goes
into some depth on loss budgets and includes links to FOA
tech documents to help you investigate further.
Correction: In the article, the original list of fiber
specs for G.652 was wrong. It should be 0.4dB/km @ 1310nm.
Deliverables
in the FOA Guide
Is
There A Standard For Fiber Optic Installation?
Another
question we get often is "Is there a standard for fiber
optic installation." The answer is yes, but not from the
usual standards groups you might expect. Over 20 years ago,
the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) asked
FOA to help create a standard for installation. That
standard, ANSI/NECA/FOA-301 has been updated three times
already and is about ready for another update.
Unlike most of those groups who charge you a fortune for
standards, FOA covers the cost so ANSI/NECA/FOA-301
is available free from FOA.
Download
your free copy of ANSI/NECA/FOA-301
here (PDF)
Older
questions are now available here.
|
Training /
FiberU
News and resources to help you learn more and stay
updated.
Find
a listing of all the FOA-Approved schools here.
Free online
training at Fiber U
The
FOA has >100 videos on |
Time
To Learn - Online - (Update 4/5/6 2020)
Schools
have generally been closed during the pandemic lock-downs,
so FOA has been working with some of them to create new
online learning experiences that can in some cases lead to
certification online. FOA certifications are still based on
the KSAs - knowledge from the classroom, skills from the
labs and abilities judged by instructors or proven by actual
experience.
ZOOMing
Much of what we're doing benefits from the capabilities of
"Zoom." Others have created videoconferencing apps, but none
work so well, especially with limited bandwidth. We've seen
remote labs that have an instructor showing students how to
use the tools they were sent then watching them duplicate
their actions. We have worked out methods to use Zoom to
proctor FOA's online certification exams.
Blended
Learning
While most FOA schools have suspended in-person training
during this period, some are offering a "blended
learning" option. That means that students sign up for a
FOA certification course, take the classroom sessions on
Fiber U with the assistance of a FOA certified
instructor. Now online instruction can include reviewing
the labs using the Fiber
U Basic Skills Labs, then when it's possible to attend
classes at the school, complete the hands-on labs and
take the FOA certification exam.
Online Remote Labs
Alternatively, some schools are experimenting with
"remote labs," where the students get sent tool kits
and components and labs are conducted by
videoconferencing. Before the labs, the students may
watch demos by their instructor on videoconferencing
and/or review the relevant "virtual hands-on" lessons
in the Fiber U Fiber
Optics Basic
Skills Labs so they will already know
the steps in the exercises. 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
Online
Certification Testing
FOA has all its certification tests available
online, both for use by our schools and by our
direct "Work
to Cert" applicants. All FOA certification
tests require a proctor to oversee the applicant
taking the exam. In this time of social
distancing, getting a proctor can be difficult, so
FOA now has procedures for online proctors
administering the exam. Contact
the FOA for more information.
OJT - On-The-Job-Training
Many novices get a job and learn on the job. They
usually have an experienced tech who helps them gain the
knowledge and learn the skills they need to
perform their job. Thinking about this in relation to
the
FOA KSAs, the knowledge, skills and
abilities needed by a fiber optic tech, the tech
will learn skills but not the basic knowledge that helps
them understand the processes involved. FOA can offer
help here, using our Fiber
U online self-study programs. While the tech
learns on the job, they become a Fiber
U trainee, getting the knowledge they need,
while working under their "mentor" at work. This is
particularly good for contracting companies who need
techs but do not have the usual training courses
available. Interested in OJT programs? Contact FOA
for more information.
Can
You Learn Hands-On Skills Online?
Knowledge is easy to learn online, but learning skills
requires "hands-on" practice and that requires tools and
components to practice with. Here at FOA, we've been working
on an online course that could help many techs learn new
skills or improve others using an online self-study course
and their own equipment. Recently,
we have updated the materials in the Fiber
U Fiber Optics Basic
Skills Labs which includes cable preparation,
splicing, termination and testing. And we have created a
Basic
Skills Labs - Copper Premises Cabling to cover
UTP (Cat 5) and coax copper cable processes. As with
all Fiber U courses, these are free.
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.
Find
a listing of all the FOA-Approved schools here.
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
|
Publications /
Resources
|
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:
10GPON
on PON Protocols in the FOA Guide.
Coherent
Communications Systems in the FOA Guide.
Updated
(and more illustrations): Basic
Fiber Optic Jargon, OSP
Fiber
Optic Jargon and Fiber
Optic Jargon for managers.
Fiber
Optic Network Restoration
Fiber
Characterization goes in to more depth, why fiber
characterization is important and how to interpret results.
Fiber
Optic Network Management for managers
FOA
has created a section on OSP
Construction and a Fiber
U course based on it.
FOA
Guide section on inspecting and cleaning connectors.
Go
to The
FOA Online Fiber Optic Reference Guide.
FOA Reference Books
Available Printed or Kindle Books
The
fiber book is available in Spanish and French (printed) and
Portuguese (online). The design book is available in Spanish
(online)
FOA has
reprinted "Lennie
Lightwave's Guide" on its 25th anniversary in
a special print edition.
Lennie
and Uncle
Ted's Guides are online or as free iBooks on iTunes.
Click
on any of the books to learn more.
- Fiber
Optic Safety Poster to download and print
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 Teachers.
|
Safety
|
On
Safety
FOA
considers safety an integral part of all our programs,
curriculum materials and technical materials. We start all
our textbooks and their online versions with a section on
safety in the first chapter, like this: Before
we get started - Safety First!
There are pages on the FOA Guide on Safety
procedures Including Eye Safety and. Digging
Safely
And a YouTube lecture: FOA
Lecture 2: Safety When Working With Fiber Optics
In our OSP Construction Section, these pages cover many
safety issues including those related to the construction of
the cable plant: Project
Preparation And Guidelines, Underground
Cable Construction, Underground
Cable Installation and Aerial
Cable Installation.
There is even a safety poster for the fiber activities: PDF
Safety Rules For Fiber Optics
The FOA is concerned about 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.
2020
Conference On Damage Prevention Cancelled But Goes Online
You can
watch FOA's presentation "New
Construction Techniques In Fiber Optics" on YouTube.
Next
Conference On Damage Prevention Scheduled for 2021
Global
Excavation Safety Conference & Expo, the
premiere international event in the damage prevention
industry, was supposed to be March 24-26 but was
cancelled due to the pandemic. 2021's program will be in
Tampa.
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.
Best
Practices Guide For Underground Construction
We
assume you are familiar with the "One Call" and "Call
Before You Dig" (811) program, but are you also
familiar "Click
Before You Dig.com" and with the people behind
it - the Common Ground Alliance and their Best Practices
website?
Officially
formed in 2000, the CGA represents a continuation of the
damage prevention efforts embodied by the Common
Ground Study.
Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation and
completed in 1999, this Study represents the collaborative
work of 160 industry professionals who identified best
practices relating to damage prevention. Any
best practice or program endorsed by the CGA comes with
consensus support from experts representing the
following stakeholder groups: Excavators, Locators, Road
Builders, Electric, Telecommunications, Oil, Gas
Distribution, Gas Transmission, Railroad, One Call,
Public Works, Equipment Manufacturing, State Regulators,
Insurance, Emergency Services and Engineering/Design.
Read
the CGA Best Practices Guide here.
Here
are all the CGA resources for damage prevention.
The
US Department of Transportation has a website called "National
Pipeline Mapping System" that allows one to search
for buried pipelines. |
FOA/About
About
The FOA
- Contact
Us: http://www.foa.org
or email <info@foa.org>
FOA
has a company page and four LinkedIn Groups
FOA
- official company page on LinkedIn
FOA
- covers FOA, technology and jobs in the fiber optic
marketplace
FOA
Fiber Optic Training - open to all, covers fiber optic
technology and training topics
Grupo
de La Asociación de Fibra Óptica FOA (Español)
|
What is The FOA?
The FOA is a, international non-profit educational
association chartered to promote professionalism in fiber
optics through education, certification and standards.
Founded in 1995 by a dozen prominent fiber optics trainers
and leaders from education, industry
and government as
a professional society for fiber optics and a source of
independent certification, the FOA has grown to now being
involved in numerous activities to educate the world about
fiber optics and certify the workers who design, build and
operate the world's fiber optic networks.
FOA
will be 25 years old in July - watch for more articles on
FOA history
Learn
More About FOA's History.
Recognize
Anybody Here? This
is the FOA Board of Advisors 20 years ago, meeting to work
on FOA certifications.
Tom Collins
Tom Collins joined the FOA while a teacher at Gateway
Community and Technical College near Cincinnati, OH. Tom has
about 40 years of experience in the electrical and voice and
data fields. He is a master electrician, voice and
data technician, fiber optic technician, contractor, and a
technical instructor. His experience as an electrician and
apprenticeships has proven invaluable for FOA as Tom has
become FOA's liaison to the IBEW apprenticeship program and
has trained numerous IBEW apprenticeship instructors
at their National Training Institute (Tom's at NTI 2016
above).
Tom became a FOA Director almost 20 years ago and we've
benefited greatly from his experience. He and John Highhouse
(FOA Newsletter
March 2020) created the FOA Train-The-Trainer program
and FOA's unique in the industry instructor certification
program. He's helped us understand technical training
issues, online training and testing and a lot of other
educational topics.
Tom has a training partner too, his wife Donna, a FOA CFOS/I
instructor herself. Together they have been instrumental in
helping the FOA develop and manage its certification
programs.
Learn More
About FOA's History.
FOA
will be 25 years old in July - watch for more articles on
FOA history.
|
-
Contact
Us
The Fiber Optic Association Inc.
http://www.foa.org or email
<info@foa.org>
The
FOA Home Page
(C)1999-2020,
The Fiber Optic Association, Inc.
|
FOA
Logo Merchandise
New
FOA Swag! Shirts, Caps, Stickers, Cups, etc.
The FOA
has created a store on Zazzle.com offering lots of new logo
merchandise. It has lots of versions of shirts and other
merchandise with "FOA," "Fiber U," "Lennie Lightwave"
designs and more so you should find something just for you!
See FOA
on Zazzle.
-
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!
Contact
FOA at info@thefoa.org to get logos in file format for your
use.
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.
|
