STA 4+00 Act 3 of 3 · Deliver
Splice & Test
Prove the light gets through, and keep the evidence.
Splice to the matrix, then test: OTDR traces for events, a light source and power meter for end-to-end loss, connector inspection, and PON levels at the terminal.
The checklist and Watch Out items are typical practice. Owner specifications, permits and the governing rules decide what applies.
Splice & Test Checklist
Saved on this device
Watch Out
- A one-direction OTDR reading can show a gainer. Average both directions for the true splice loss.
- Dirty connectors are a leading cause of high loss. Inspect before you connect.
- Test after the closures are sealed, or plan to test twice.
- The splicer's loss estimate is not an acceptance test.
- Cutting a live express fiber is an outage. Confirm the fiber ID first.
Why This Stage Matters
Fiber that is placed but not spliced and tested is not a network. Testing proves every fiber meets the owner’s acceptance criteria, and the test files are what the owner pays for and what the next technician uses to find a fault.
What Good Looks Like
- Splicers start with job preparation and splicing safety, prepare cables to the closure instructions, and identify every fiber with the
ANSI/TIA-598sequence and the Fiber Color Locator. - Splices are made, protected and stored in matrix order, then the closure is sealed and grounded to the manufacturer’s instructions and a closure qualified to
Telcordia GR-771. - Testing and acceptance uses launch and receive cables, traces from both ends averaged with the OTDR Splice Average tool, and end-to-end loss compared with the loss budget.
- Testers read traces with Reading OTDR Traces at hand, so gainers, bends and ghosts are recognized before an event is passed or failed.
- Acceptance values such as splice loss, reflectance and wavelengths come from the owner, read against
ANSI/TIA-568.3where the owner cites it.
Hand-Off to the Next Stage
Close Out takes the splice reports, OTDR files and light source and power meter results, organized by fiber ID. After turn-up, a cable cut goes through emergency restoration.