atcomsystems.ca/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Outside Plant OSP Construction buried splices-xaga etc

Jeff,

The old RA (Ready Access) terminals / splice closures were easy to mess up and not get back together so they were a mess.

Terminals were cut in within 18 inches of the pole (or 24 inches of the gain bolt) but construction splices were normally 36-48 inches from the pole (bigger the cable the further out due to bend radius).

GTE in some regions used to require 5 feet from the pole as a way of keeping installers out of the cable! Then only splicers with a cable ladder (later bucket trucks) could reach it and not destroy the splice.

As far as using cable ladders on strand --- no big deal IF it is equipped with cable hooks. Some have a cable sling to hold the ladder under the cable and you could attach a "diving board" onto the ladder to stand or sit on while you worked. If the equipment is properly equipped and secured it is about as safe as sitting in your local bar.

Seeing as you brought up safety, ALL telephone work is hazardous in some way or the other. Heights, overhead power, confined spaces (manholes), pulling in contorted positions, up ladders, using power tools, yes, work can be hazardous. Find an old outside plant man without hemroids, who didn't ever smoke, never drank coffee, never burnt a pole, and never dropped a tool from a pole, ---- well ---- either he's the luckest person alive or a good liar.

There is an old saying "There is no such thing as an OLD dumb lineman". If you aren't smart enough to be aware of the dangers, you won't live long enough to get old. Lots of old time lineman can vouch for that --- just check for the missing pinkie finger that the winch line squeezed off. that was their warning.

Have a great evening,

KLD

Ed, you type faster than me --- 5/16th inch strand was considered strain rated at 30M pounds of stress by most companies.

I wish I had back all the time I worked on a cable ladder --- I'd barely be able to vote!

:toothy:

KLD

And you were suppose to test the strand before you used the ladder. Also the aerial access terminal location was the working distance off hooks. In the good old days the boss would actually go up and measure all the dimensions to see if you did it right. I had a boss who could look up and tell you within an inch what the distance was and if the first spacer was right or not. He'd gig ya for anything more than an inch out. Never got gigged cause I always measured, that's just the way we did it. I never saw him go up a pole, ever.

Most observations about suspension strand are correct. I will add that threr are basically three sizes used in bell outside plant. They are called, 6m, 10m, and 16m. The "m" being thousand pound tension. Math people out there will be confused by this, as they learn to "k" for the thousand multiplier, but that's the bell way. There are two more sizes, 2m(called peanut strand), and 32m. Peanut strand is mainly used between buildings, and 32m only as a head guy for 16m strand. Just a little old time lineman trivia. Let me know if anyone has come across anything different in outside plant suspension strand.

I am VERY VERY new to this whole process, and by all means am no splicer at all. But I can vouch that SWB and ATT HEAVILY use buried Xaga-Splice Closures.

infact its my job to come in and dig up the splice for you splicers to come do your work.

From what I understand im with an established telecom company and they are new to the splice pit digging, seeing as I have only a supervisor and 3 other employees besides myself.

besides that, Im eager to learn, and move up out of the pit digging into whatever i can do.

I figured its worth it for me to sign up here and poke around!

any other dallas area telecom workers?

Hi, Ry1400!

Welcome. We are happy to assist you in moving to the more technical side of this industry, but you need to understand that it's not learned overnight. There are some moderators here with over 40 years' experience who still don't have an answer for everything.

I have never been a big fan of the XAGA closures you mentioned; way too much work for such a simple procedure. The fact that you are digging them up raises another question, but I guess it's already answered.

Hang around here, you will pick up on a lot of things. There are a bunch of Texans here.

thanks alot ED!

the XAGAS are just being dug up to cut pairs dead, north, south, east and or west of whichever particular pedestal. from what i understand of it all.

i realized today that my company has the finances but the high ups have no knowledge of how to run it(outside plant construction anyway) We have opened 21 pits of a 27 pit job, and i found out today that my company hasn't called for any locates(gas,electric,cable,water....) they seem to think that since they are hand dug pits, that it isn't necessary. thank god the splicer brought it to my attention, they have a lot of things to work on.

I feel as if i could run it better, and to make matters worse... my supervisor called it quits today....

I love the field of work, but are all these kinks in our operations common? we have a CRAP locater its a "cable hound" or something, and all it does is beep.

ive seen the ones that give you depths and all that before you dig, wheres the love boss? haha.

i am gonna poke around this site for a bit.

thanks for the warm welcome!

-Ryan

Ryan, all I can tell you is that it's against the law to put a shovel in the ground without having the utilities located in most (if not all) states. In VA, there's a $10,000.00 fine assessed to any contractor caught doing so.

You cannot and should not rely upon a cable hound to perform locating. So much piping, especially gas, is plastic and some was installed before metallic tracer wires were included in the trench.

Sorry to hear about your supervisor. Maybe he has just been having the same feelings that you are but a bit longer. I don't know what to tell you about upper management since I know nothing about your company, but you have to be concerned for your safety and those around you.

That is exactly what my buddy/roommate/coworker told me, he was pissed. It made us look bad, and honestly embarrassed.

The high ups in this company seem to think that they know best, they were constantly coming out and "mirco-managing" and changing what the on-site supervisor had set.

I do know that I am interested in this field enough to want to keep doing it. I am a fresh 20 years old, and eager to get the ball rolling, If I found the right opportunity I would even relocate.

Splicing seems interesting as well. Although Ive only seen the XAGA closures.

This is my second week in this field, and the company has driven away our supervisor... IN 2 WEEKS!

Im starting to get that gut feeling that something may not be right here, but I am clueless as what to do.

of the 21 pits that are open, me and my roommate have dug 13 of them.

do you know of a site that lists the laws dealing with the utility locates and also that of pedestals and the radius of the easement around it?