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uniqs
1991
prairiesky
join:2008-12-08
canada

prairiesky

Member

otdr insight

So i just picked up a budget otdr to help diagnose a problem i'm having.

I have an underground cable that isn't functioning. Put a light source on one end and a meter on the other and the meter reads -50 (nothing).

Markings on the cable show that I have 1492 feet end to end give or take a few feet.

Stick OTDR on one end, get a reading of 1256.2 feet to a reflective result.

Put it on the other end, nothing, no reading.

If I just have a 16 meter cable on the otdr, it reads 16 meters.

If I then attach that 16 meters into my cable (trying to eliminate a dead zone), it comes back with nothing.

Who has any idea of what's goin on!

fiberdannad
@windomnet.com

fiberdannad

Anon

Sounds like you are not getting any launch power into the fiber. Sounds like a close in termination issue bad connector or pig tails splice. Get a cheap red light and look for bad terminations. What do you have for patch panel?
prairiesky
join:2008-12-08
canada

prairiesky

Member

Thanks for the reply.

I'm using the AFL fast connectors, SC, they go into a coupler that then goes off to the next split.

I'm just playing with ftth gear at this point. The weirdest part was it was working, and all of a sudden, just stopped.

It's a corning armored 24 strand cable. 2 tubes, 12 strands per tube. I've only put connectors on a few of the other strands, but they seem to have gone dead too.

fiberdannad
@184.94.233.x

fiberdannad

Anon

Reread the post you are on track with a 16 meter jumper. watch the trace when you pulg in the jumper if it will do an active trace. You may have so much attenuation that it drops off the screen
fiberdannad

fiberdannad to prairiesky

Anon

to prairiesky
Your OTDR may have a dead spot out a hundred feet or so. Hook a long jumper to the OTDR then try and shoot the fiber. You should see the connectors Also try and bend the jumper when you are otdr to palce some attenuation into the OTDR watch the screen you may see a trace.
prairiesky
join:2008-12-08
canada

prairiesky

Member

It's a very basic otdr, one that doesn't have a graphic display, so it only has numbers.

When I test it on my 16, 122 and 153 meter factory cables, it works quite well.

The difference though is the cable i think. They are both single mode, but one is thicker than the next. I also changed the connector on the device so now i can plug in directly instead of having to use a jumper.

Is this the sign of a bad connector?

thanks!