LANTEK User Manual - Ideal Industries

Chapter 5
Fiber Optics Cable Field Calibration and Testing
METHOD ‘A’
Calibration Setup
The Method ‘A’ calibration uses two launch cables and a set of couplers. This is the
recommended calibration procedure for FIBERTEK, as it does not require disconnecting
the launch cables from the modules.
Test Setup
Figure 5-3: Method 'A' Calibration Setup
The Method ‘A’ test setup is best used for long fiber links where the majority of the
attenuation is caused by the cable itself, not the connectors. With this configuration,
the calibration reference plane is at the patch panel and work area outlet.
The measurement taken will include the loss of the fiber optic cable (including inline
splices and couplers) and the individual connector at each end of the link (one pair).
Since there is only one pair of connectors included in this measurement, the overall
loss values may be lower than one would expect, particularly when this setup is used
to test very short cables.
When used on long links of over 1km (multimode) or 4km (single mode) the loss of
the connectors is small compared with the fiber, making this an acceptable setup for
longer links. Use this configuration when knowing the loss of the optical fiber is more
important than knowing the total link loss.
Figure 5-4: Method ‘A’ Test Setup
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