BlogBlog:2012-01-31T18:28:56ZCopyright (c) 2012, AdminExpressionEnginetag:,2012:01:31Put Her Out to Pasturetag:,2012:/5.1392012-01-31T17:25:55Z2012-01-31T18:28:56ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.com
It’s not what you think. I’m actually talking about my CAR! I finally gave up my 2005 Honda Accord. 500,000 miles and many memories, but it was time for a change. It was only a matter of time before I’d have to start putting some money into her. It was only a matter of time before she would cost me more money than what she was bringing in.
Those of you that are still running your network over copper should also consider that inevitable change. Fiber networks without question give you the opportunity to offer far more services, faster data speeds and lower maintenance costs. Yes, you have an upfront investment. But just like my new car, it is inevitable and will be worth it in the long run.
]]>Hub Collapse Cabinetstag:,2012:/5.1362012-01-09T19:32:48Z2012-01-10T16:56:50ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.com
Many of Clearfield’s MSO customers have considered collapsing certain hub locations. The applications vary but the reason is the same. They want to save money. Electronics manufacturers have miniaturized the EDFA’s, transceivers, Power Supplies and Transponders to a point that they no longer need a physical building to house them. They can now reside in a small node case. This allows the MSO to eliminate the headaches and costs of maintaining a hut or building in the field. They can “collapse” the hub and install a small node case in its place.
Examples of Hub Collapse Electronics solutions:
A concern with some customers has been fiber protection and management inside these devices. In conventional Head End buildings, a fiber frame would accommodate fiber termination panels, slack management equipment and optical components. To replicate all those functions in an OSP environment Clearfield developed the Hub Collapse Cabinet (HCC). The cabinet is a 16x16x32” pole or pad mount.
The HCC cabinet provides much needed:
• Patch/splice location for service cable(s) and OSP fiber
• Room for up to 32 LGX modules
• Jumper slack management
]]>Distribution Networkstag:,2012:/5.1352012-01-04T18:59:10Z2012-01-04T20:36:11ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.com
When building a FTTH network, there are two basic architectures that you can choose from for your distribution segment:
1. Open architecture
2. Modular architecture
In an open architecture, the fiber cable is opened up to expose the individual fibers, either in a buffer tube or ribbon. These will be left in a splice tray in some type of enclosure such as a splice case, pedestal or terminal. This is a very inexpensive way to deploy fiber in a network; however, with the fibers exposed they’re vulnerable to breakage. This is especially true during the installation process of hooking up a customer. This method requires an expensive fusion machine and a skilled technician to install the fiber drop.
The above picture is a good example of an open architecture deployment. As you can see, there is a fiber drop installed on the left hand side of the pedestal. This drop is then fused directly to the assigned distribution fiber.
In the modular architecture, fibers are opened to the buffer tube or ribbon and are then fusion spliced into a hardened closure. This offers excellent protection to the fibers but is very heavy in capital outlay. The modular network is also often termed as a plug-n-play solution. This is because the only thing a technician needs to do to hook a customer up to the network is plug in a preterminated drop cable. No fusion machine is required. This operation can also be done by a lower skill set of technician. The drawback to this type of architecture is that the individual fibers are difficult, or sometimes impossible, to get to which results in a dedicated plant.
What if you could have the best of both worlds? Clearfield offers such a solution with our Clearview Cassette and xPAK - the building blocks of our FieldSmart and CraftSmart product lines.
The Clearview Cassette and xPAK give you a connector interface but also give you the ability to access individual fibers if needed. The Cassette is a 12 fiber termination and the xPAK is 6.
Both products are the basic building blocks to our entire product line and will fit into any network element…from the CO/head-end to the customer premises.
For more information on distribution networks, watch our recorded seminar on the topic.
]]>Pit Bulltag:,2011:/5.1322011-12-23T13:40:31Z2011-12-23T14:44:32ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.com
The first stop was not in the best neighborhood in this city and I was greeted at the cabinet by a barking Pit Bull. Yipes, I thought, I have no one to watch my back and I have a dog not very happy with my intrusion. I grabbed my tools and carefully exited my car. Once the Pit Bull saw that I wasn’t going to steal his dog food and I wasn’t a threat, he calmed down. In fact, after a few minutes while I was doing my prep-work, he came over, sat down and watched me work. Cool, I did have someone to watch my back after all! When I was done with my work, I thanked him for his help, and he came over to me and rolled over on his back. I guess he wanted me to scratch his belly. With a certain amount of apprehension, I did. Trust is a two-way street.
Sometimes customers can be Pit Bulls, both good and bad.
I am thankful today these two trusted me.
]]>A Little Shakytag:,2011:/5.1272011-12-14T14:35:07Z2011-12-14T15:39:08ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.com
I’ve learned to adapt, adjust, and really don’t even notice it myself.
I’m sure there are many Independent Telephone companies that are feeling a “little shaky” right now about the changes proposed to the Universal Service Fund (USF) and the Inter-Carrier Compensation plans. They are being torn apart and reassembled in to the Connect America Fund (CAF). Many small, rural Independents have relied heavily on these plans to compensate them for their high cost, rural customers. In some cases they get +70% of their total yearly revenue from these plans. Nothing moves very fast when government is involved. This overhaul has been in the works for years and with that uncertainty, many telcos were apprehensive about investing in their networks not knowing how the new plan would affect their bottom line. This is a scary proposition for many, but now that the rules are out, Telcos will have some time to digest them and formulate a plan to minimize the effect. The CAF will “encourage” broadband expansion in rural and needy areas. It has provisions for broadband (4M down, 1 M up) and mobile broadband as well. Many telcos that have been waiting for the rules will now jump off the fence and start to build. Fiber-to-the-Home and Mobile Broadband in rural areas will spur economic growth and will allow increased educational opportunities.
With change comes uncertainty. That change has “shaken” our telecommunication industry. But Telcos will adapt and make adjustments to “live with” and thrive in the new plan.
So next time I stop by to have a cup of coffee with you, maybe you should make it decaf.
]]>Clearfield - Straight Up, No Spin.tag:,2011:/5.1252011-11-11T18:23:33Z2011-11-11T19:31:34ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.comTelecom Trail—Simply Amazingtag:,2011:/5.1242011-10-31T16:09:35Z2011-10-31T19:17:36ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.com
Well, my fellow industry colleagues, I trust you’re all still enjoying your telecom journey and I hope to see you all along the TELECOM TRAIL once again in the near future!
]]>Pull the Triggertag:,2011:/5.1232011-10-26T18:17:07Z2011-10-26T19:25:08ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.com
If you need a fiber vault for your network, take a look at our HDPE (High Density Poly-Ethylene) Thermoplastic line. They have a straight wall, I-beam design with waffled walls for strength and to hold them in the ground tight, and a simple can wrench locking lid. They are lightweight so one person can handle them alone. You can drop them out of a truck and they won’t break. Try that with a Polymer-Concrete vault.
Don’t make the same mistake many experts did in the 1980s with Glock “Plastic” frames. HDPE Thermoplastics – don’t scoff.
Pull the trigger and see for yourself.
]]>Ruggedized Fiber and Extreme Duty Microducttag:,2011:/5.1222011-10-18T19:12:04Z2011-10-24T18:59:05ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.com
Sometimes the basics are what affect the outcome of an installation the most.
Here are some quick basic tips to use when installing pushable fiber into the ruggedized microduct, whether pre-connectorized or not. These techniques have been used to install single fiber, connectorized fiber and multi-fiber assemblies at distances in excess of 800 feet.
While the ruggedized fiber can be pushed in some instances, it typically can be pulled faster. With that being said, there are a couple of items that need to be addressed prior to pulling so the fiber can be installed without damage to the fiber or the connector.
1. Use either a series of half-hitch knots to tie the pull string on the fiber, stopping just short of the connector. (Figure 1-3) This keeps the pressure on any one point of the fiber to a minimum.
2. Never tie onto the fiber connector. This will cause damage to or pull the connector off.
3. Never use tape over the string. The coating on the outside of the fiber is slippery enough that tape usually comes off and clogs up the microduct.
4. Never….I repeat NEVER remove the protective plastic cover from the connectorized fiber before you place it in the microduct. If you do this, the connector acts as a sort of "cheese grater" down the length of the microduct. It will shave off the inner liner and then those particles bind around the fiber. In some cases, this causes the fiber to become stuck and usually results in a broken fiber.
5. When using a push/pull technique, make sure to maintain the same rate of feed/pull on both ends. When pulling faster than pushing, you create the same effect that climbers use when rappelling. The fiber actually rubs on all the bends and in effect creates friction to the point where the fiber cannot move. The most common thing that happens here is that the pulling end feels the need to pull harder and the string breaks. Additionally, when you push faster than you pull, the fiber outruns the pull string and binds in the microduct. The effect is the same as pulling too hard, and usually results in a fiber being stuck in the microduct or the string breaking.
6. Pull with a constant pressure and speed. This helps overcome the initial friction and allows for a smoother installation. You will probably notice as more fiber enters the microduct, the easier the pull becomes. This is because the fiber has a lower coefficient of friction than the pull string.
Follow these basic steps and you will successfully install the ruggedized fiber into the extreme duty microduct.
]]>The Blunt Tooltag:,2011:/5.1212011-10-17T12:26:56Z2011-10-26T19:25:57ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.comGood Oncetag:,2011:/5.1202011-09-28T22:34:53Z2011-09-28T13:39:54ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.comWouldn’t It Be Nice?tag:,2011:/5.1192011-08-17T20:12:28Z2011-08-17T16:14:29ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.comSole Survivortag:,2011:/5.1182011-06-13T18:45:52Z2011-06-13T09:47:53ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.com
I had a meeting with one of my customers today and they told me about one of their telco clients that has some major flooding in one of their exchanges.
The Missouri River has swallowed up a whole lot of land including some of their PON cabinets. Some techs were going out to pull one off a handhole that only had 4 inches sticking out above the water. All but one home that cabinet was serving were also underwater. While checking with that single customer that was on a bluff overlooking the swollen river, high above any danger of being flooded, they discovered he still had service.
One single customer out of a possible 288 served by that cabinet was high and dry. The cabinet was nearly completely submerged and service was still up and working. The techs decided to leave it.
Our cabinets are built to withstand wind-driven rain, shotgun blasts, a grass fire and other environmental hazards, but not submersion. I can’t guarantee how long service will stay up for that one customer. But it does make me happy to know the unexpected can still happen. And proud to know our 288 PON cabinet is still serving that one Sole Survivor. - Jim Pilgrim
]]>Telecom Codetag:,2011:/5.1172011-06-02T12:52:31Z2011-10-26T19:26:32ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.com
(Blue-Orange-Green, Brown, Slate, White, Red, Black, Yellow, Violet, Rose, Aqua)
We sure do have our own secret language, don’t we? (SC, LC, APC, UPC)
Talk to our friends or family about what we do in Telecom Code and you may get some eyes that cross. (End-face geometry, Insertion & Return Loss)
I was giving a tour of our manufacturing area a few days ago where my oldest daughter works. She was putting together some 288 count fiber panels. The fiber assembly had already been end-face checked and tested for IL and RL. While loading the terminated fiber cables into the panels, she was taking one last look at the end-faces. She found one small scratch and proceeded to hand polish and clean it.
Every time I’m in the office, which isn’t very often given my travel schedule, I go back into the production area to see what she is working on and for what customer. In this case she was assembling a large order of 288 patch panels for one of our Telephone Company customers in Iowa.
I am always impressed with the amount of craftsmanship and attention to detail I see back in production. If any of you reading this are ever in the Minneapolis-St Paul area I would love to give you a tour.
I will introduce you to my daughter (Jamie). We can all talk in Telecom Code and maybe show you a pit, scratch, or epoxy ring in the mode-field of a fiber end-face; and of course how we fix it.- Jim Pilgrim
]]>Buyer Bewaretag:,2011:/5.1152011-05-31T23:54:33Z2011-05-31T14:57:34ZAdminryan.mcgrew@sierra-bravo.com
I have to tell you this feels pretty strange. Ensuring that our products at Clearfield are “Listed” has been a big part of my job over the past 6 years. This was such an essential accomplishment for our product line in order to serve our Independent Telco customers. Where do we go from here?
New sheriffs in many towns across the country will be picking up the responsibility to protect their customers. Engineering Consultants will now be responsible to clearly state the specifications and requirements of products. I believe the legacy of the “List” will live on. Engineering firms are not going to risk the integrity of their customer’s networks and their own reputation by putting in sub-par equipment to save a buck. I am happy to see the “Buy American” clause will still be in effect and enforced by RUS.
I will miss going to third-party testing labs to shoot our PON cabinet with a shotgun, drop it out of a truck and try to start in on fire.
There is a new sheriff in town. It’s my honor to know many of them personally, all of them professionals. Our network quality will still be in good hands. - Jim Pilgrim
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