SPL Splicing SPL-12 Step 12 of 13
Documentation and Handoff
Deliver splice reports, standard .sor OTDR files, photos and an updated matrix the owner can use for years.
Crew
- Lead Splicer
- Test Technician
- Project Manager
Hazards
- Lost or Misnamed Test Files
Purpose
Hand the owner records they can use for years. Every future repair, move and upgrade starts with these files. A good splice with bad records is a problem waiting for the next outage.
When to Do It
- As soon as testing and acceptance are complete (SPL-11), while the details are fresh.
- Before the crew demobilizes from the area, in case photos or readings need to be redone.
- Previous step: SPL-11 Testing and Acceptance. Next step: SPL-13 Emergency Restoration, when a cut is reported, or back to the splicing hub.
Roles
- Lead splicer: completes the splice report, photos and matrix updates.
- Test technician: exports and names the OTDR and power meter files.
- Project manager: checks the package against the owner’s closeout list and delivers it.
Equipment and Materials
- Laptop or tablet with the OTDR vendor’s software for exporting files.
- Camera or phone with GPS enabled.
- The working splice matrix and prints with field redlines.
- The owner’s report templates and file-naming convention.
Safety
Not applicable: this step is office and data work. If you return to a closure to retake photos, follow the controls in SPL-02.
Procedure
- Produce splice reports per fiber.
- Show the bidirectional average loss for every splice, from SPL-11. The OTDR Splice Average tool can produce the averages.
- Mark re-spliced events and their final results.
- Deliver the OTDR files in the standard SR-4731 format (.sor), and in the OTDR’s native vendor format where the owner asks for it.
- Telcordia SR-4731 defines the standard OTDR data exchange format (.sor). Any compliant viewer can open it.
- The OTDR’s native format is the vendor’s own file type. It can hold data the .sor file does not, such as several wavelengths in one file. Check the owner’s closeout list for which formats it wants, so you do not have to resubmit.
- Name every file by fiber id per the owner’s convention.
- Deliver light source and power meter results.
- Include the reference method used and the wavelengths tested.
- Organize the photos.
- Open trays, the sealed closure and the labels, named by closure id.
- Update the splice diagram or matrix with any field changes.
- Mark every change from the issued design, so the as-builts match the field.
- Record the closure location.
- Capture GPS coordinates for each closure and add them to the records.
- Deliver the package per the owner’s closeout list and keep a copy per the employer’s retention policy.
Hold Points
Records to Keep
- Splice reports per fiber with bidirectional average loss.
- OTDR files in the standard SR-4731 format (.sor) for both directions, named by fiber id, plus native vendor files where the owner asks for them.
- Light source and power meter results.
- Photos: open trays, sealed closure and labels.
- Updated splice matrix or diagram, and the closure GPS location.
Print the blank punch list for the final walk and the closeout package checklist to gather these records for the owner.
Common Mistakes
- Files not named by fiber id. Hundreds of traces with default names are useless. Rename at export.
- Matrix not updated. The next splicer works from a matrix that does not match the closure. Update it before handoff.
- Missing photos. Owners often hold payment for missing tray and closure photos. Take them before you seal.
Standards and References
Telcordia SR-4731for the standard OTDR data format.ANSI/TIA-568.3for loss measurement methods reported with power meter results.- Owner closeout, naming and documentation requirements.
- Reading OTDR Traces for how splices, connectors, gainers, bends, ghosts and breaks look on a trace.
On the Map
- Aerial Splice Closure: document its location, labels and sealed condition.
- Underground Splice Closure: document its location in the handhole or vault, labels and sealed condition.
Related Tools
- OTDR Splice Average: produce the bidirectional averages for the splice report.
SPL-12 · Field Checklist
Checklist
0/8items ticked
Tick each procedure step and hold point as the crew completes it. Ticks stay on this device only. They are a personal aid, not a hold-point release or a project record; follow the owner’s sign-off process.
OSP Map · Route Profile
On the Map
- Aerial Splice ClosureSealed closure on the strand where fibers are spliced and stored.
- Underground Splice ClosureSealed splice closure mounted on a bracket in a handhole or vault, with slack to lift it out.Drawn in the handhole detail