TechTalk

Signal to the Set

Welcome to Tech Talk, Pico Macom's series of technical notes, featuring useful information and equipment tips. This installment of Tech Talk discusses Pico Macom's line of pole attachment hardware and service drop products.

Weathering the Elements

The goal of installing the final span from the multitap to the home and television is always to provide the customers with the best signal quality and the highest reliability possible. So let's look at these two factors and see the cause-and-effect relationship between them. We preach quality, quality, quality but why? Because the quality of the product used has a direct effect on the reliability. Outdoor equipment should be designed to withstand the elements of harsh weather. Sun, rain and salt are the main elements that will have an effect on the survival of the attachment equipment used.

Sun
The sun provides us with not only visible light but harmful ultraviolet rays. Many materials are damaged by ultraviolet rays from the sun. If they're not properly treated or constructed from UV-resistant materials, plastic, nylon, and rubber will become brittle, crack and break. For example, tie-wraps and cable clips are constructed of nylon. If these products fail, undesired stress on the cable could result, causing cable ends to "suck out" of the connector ends and producing intermittent or complete loss of signal.

Moisture and Salt
Metals exposed to humidity and rain can rust, compromising the strength of the connection. Over time the rust will eat through the metal of items such as P-hooks, J-hooks, and span clamps until there is not enough strength left to hold the tension of the cable, causing the same reliability issues mentioned previously. Using rust-resistant materials (such as aluminum), plating (such as zinc and nickel) and galvanized metals, the effects of moisture and salt are minimized and most times eliminated.

With the cost of a truck roll for repair at an all-time high, the requirement of reliable, high quality products has never been greater. Make Pico Macom's end-to-end solutions your source for installation products.
Installing The Final Leg

For the highest level of reliability, use the following products and techniques to install the final leg to the home:

  1. The A-22 tap standoff bracket places needed space between the strand and the attachment bolts of TSHP-series hardline passive equipment. This space protects fiber-optic and other hardline cables
    • Connect the bracket to the THSP-series equipment.
    • Loosely connect the A-22 to the strand, and splice hardline cables to THSP-series equipment.
    • Tighten the A-22 top clamp to strand.
  2. The A-1 O-Span clamp provides a secure fixture at the strand to tie the steel messenger of Pico Macom's RG6-127M coaxial drop cable. The A-1 is ideal for direct drops and pole mid-span applications.
    • Tighten the A-1 to the strand following the guidelines respecting the required distance from the pole.
    • Strip back the steel messenger of the RG6-127M cable to allow for a cable loop 4-6 inches (tech loop) in diameter and an extra 4-6 inches (drip loop) below the tap port connection.
    • Wrap the messenger around the hook portion of the A-1 and then around the cable.
    • Terminate the end of the cable and dress the cable using CT-series cable tie-wraps.
    • Cut the excess portion of the CT-series tie-wrap.
  3. Pole mid-span applications require that an additional A-1 clamp be placed on the strand between poles.
    • Make the connections at the first A-1 clamp as described above.
    • Secure with a wrench but do not fully tighten the additional A-1 clamp to the strand.
    • Pull the cable taut to the clamp.
    • Separate a 10-inch section of messenger from the cable. (DO NOT CUT MESSENGER!)
    • Wrap the messenger three times around the hook portion of the A-1.
    • With a hammer, tap the side of the A-1 to take up the slack in the span of cable and fully tighten the A-1 bolt.
    • Secure the messenger to the cable at the two points of separation using the CT-series tie-wrap.
    • Cut off the excess portion of the CT-series tie-wrap.
  4. When the end of a poleline is reached, it may become necessary to attach directly to the pole. The A-6 is designed to be hammered directly into the pole. Follow the same guidelines as described for the A-1.
  5. The attachment at the home is simple using the A-10 P-hook.
    • Screw the A-10 into any substantial wood structure.
    • Strip back the steel messenger of the RG6-127M cable to allow for the cable to reach the GRB-series grounding block.
    • Wrap the messenger around the hook portion of the A-10 and then around the cable.
    • Terminate the end of the cable and dress the cable to the GRB-series ground block using CC-7B Cable Clips.