OWL FIBER TESTING BASICS VIDEOS
OVERALL FIBER TESTING CONCEPTS
Q: What is the value of being well-versed in fiber optics knowledge?
Q: Why is testing optical fibers is so important?
Q: What are the different levels of testing an optical fiber?
Q: Which types of test are valid, and which ones are not valid?
Q: What are the basic components and configuration of a properly designed fiber link?
Q: What is the basic procedure for properly testing a fiber link?
Q: How do I determine if a link is good or not?		 Video #: C1001
 
MANDRELS
Q: What is a mandrel?
Q: Why do I need a mandrel?
Q: Do I need a mandrel for each common multimode core size?
Q: How do I wrap a multimode cable around a mandrel?
Q: How is a mandrel used during optical loss measurement?		 Video #: C1002
 
UNIVERSAL PORTS
Q: What is a universal port?
Q: Why are they called "universal" ports?
Q: Universal ports do not "latch in" like standard connector ports.  Will this affect my test results?		 Video #: C1003
 
FIBER OPTICS CLEANING AND INSPECTION
Q: Why is cleaning and inspection important?
Q: Why do technicians frequently avoid cleaning and inspection?
Q: What are the different components that require cleaning and inspection?		 Video #: C1004
 
 
OPTICAL POWER / LOSS OVERVIEW
Q: How can I determine if my link is "good or not" (i.e. PASS/FAIL)?
Q: What is the difference between optical power and optical loss?
Q: What is a "link budget"?
Q: How do I calculate a link budget, and how is it used to show PASS/FAIL?
 Video #: C1005
 
OPTICAL REFERENCES (A.K.A. "ZEROING")
Q: What is a "reference"?
Q: Why is setting a reference called "zeroing"?
Q: What is the purpose of setting a reference?
Q: How do I set a reference?
Q: What do I need to set a reference?
Q: Why is my reference value negative?
Q: Why are there different reference methods?
Q: How do I determine which reference method is best?
Q: Why is the 1-jumper reference preferred by cabling standards?		 Video #: C1006
 
OTDR DEAD ZONE
Q: What is an OTDR dead zone?
Q: What is the difference between "event dead zone" and "attenuation dead zone"?
Q: How do I counter the effect of OTDR dead zones?
Q: What is a dead-zone box/fiber ring/pulse suppressor box?
Q: What happens if I don't use a dead-zone box?		 Video #: C1007
 
INTERCHANGEABLE OPTICAL PORTS
Q: Why is it okay to have interchangeable ports on power meters, but not okay for light sources?
Q: Why are interchangeable ports a bad idea for light sources?
Q: Why is it poor cabling practice to connect optical fiber links directly to equipment?
Q: Why is it impossible to measure insertion loss while connecting a fiber link directly to test equipment?
Q: Does the patch panel port need to be the same as the port on my test equipment?		 Video #: C1008
 
QUALIFICATION TESTING
Q: What is qualification testing?
Q: How is certification better than qualification?
Q: Why should I avoid qualification for determining PASS/FAIL for fiber links?
Q: How do qualification testers fall short for determining the quality of fiber links?		 Video #: C1009
 
CABLING STANDARDS
Q: What is a cabling standard?
Q: What are cabling stanards used for?
Q: Who makes cabling standards?
Q: What is the difference between generic and application standards?
Q: What is the most popular cabling standard?
Q: What is the best standard to use?		 Video #: C1010
 
PATCH CABLES
Q: What is a patch cable?
Q: Why are patch cables required for testing?
Q: Is there anything special about patch cables used for testing versus patch cables that connect active equipment to a link?
Q: What about "reference grade" patch cables?
Q: What happens if the port on my test equipment does not match the port in the patch panel?
Q: How do I choose the right patch cable?
Q: What about testing OM3 and OM4 50/125 fiber links?
Q: How many patch cables do I need for testing?
Q: What is a mandrel wrap and how does it benefit testing?
Q: What happens if I don't use a mandrel?
Q: I need to perform Encircled Flux-compliant testing.  Can I use regular patch cables for this?		 Video #: C1011
 
OPTICAL LENGTH MEASUREMENT
Q: How do I measure the length of optical fibers?
Q: What is the difference between reflective and "round robin" length measurement?		 Video #: T1052
 
NIST
Q: What is NIST?
Q: What is NIST Traceability?
Q: Why is NIST Traceability important?		 Video #: I1002