FIELD METERS MCT 080 / 081 / 082 / 085 USER MANUAL
p.
106
24.1.2 Connectors
Like for RF, connectors are very important and their selection has consequences on the quality of the
received signal.
With optical fibers, there are several kinds of connectors according to the type of fiber (single-mode or
multimode) and to the selected connection.
Thus, there are plastic SC connector for indoor uses and metal FC connectors for indoor and outdoor uses.
Similarly, there are various « polishings » of the fiber core:
- straight PC (Physical Contact) or SPC (Super Physical Contact) or UPC (Ultra Physical Contact)
- angled APC (Angled Physical Contact)
APC polishing generates advantageously less losses by reflection. APC connectors are recognizable
thanks to their green color.
If you plug an APC connector to a non-APC connector, in addition to an increased risk of
damaging the
fiber
, there will be
automatically
a
4dB
decrease of the optical level, which means
8dB
for RF. Thus, you
will have to take great care of the connections and the types of connectors for your installation.
On the measurement device, the connector is
FC APC, but a jumper cable is provided with the
appliance to switch from FC APC to FC PC, FC SPC or FC UPC.
Warning:
Before connecting a fiber, it is
compulsory
to clean both connectors with a
compressed air spray. Never use clothes, alcohol, water or any other liquid or solvent.
Warning:
The wavelengths inside the optical fibers are generated by lasers;
you cannot
see them
, but they are particularly
dangerous
for your eyes and may lead to
irreversible
damages
. Thus, you must be very careful when manipulating these fibers (i.e. do not
watch inside a connector to the LNB when linked to the live head).
The measurement device has no optical source: it does not emit any light.
