What Loss Should You Get When Testing Cables?
While it is difficult to generalise, here are some guidelines:
-For each connector, figure 0.5 dB loss (0.7 max)
-For each splice, figure 0.2 dB
-For multimode Fibre, the loss is about 3 dB per km for 850 nm sources, 1 dB per km for 1300 nm. This roughly translates into a loss of 0.1 dB per 100 feet for 850 nm, 0.1 dB per 300 feet for 1300 nm.
-For singlemode Fibre, the loss is about 0.5 dB per km for 1300 nm sources, 0.4 dB per km for 1550 nm. This roughly translates into a loss of 0.1 dB per 600 feet for 1300 nm, 0.1 dB per 750 feet for 1300 nm.
So for the loss of a cable plant, calculate the approximate loss as:
(0.5 dB x number of connectors) + (0.2 dB x number of splices) + Fibre loss on the total length of cable