New Tech Bulletin On Fiber Optic Network Restoration Fiber Optics Goes Fast - In Racing Cars! FOA To Offer Two Courses At IBEW/NECA NJATC National Training Institute FOA Co-Sponsors POF2008 Need A Rugged LC Connector? Molex Has It! Worth Reading: How To Tap Fiber, Active FO Cables, Who is George Glider?
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CFOT
Training In Bagdad The FOA recently helped a group of Marines in Bagdad set up a fiber optic training program. We worked with them on the setup and provided them with a FOA Starter Kit for curriculum. Our contact, Sgt. Garcia, was experienced and an enthusiastic instructor. After his first class, he sent us these photos to show the training classes in Badgad. We're proud of these guys for their great job and welcome our new CFOTs! More photos. FOA Creates New Reference Guide To Support Certification For “Fiber Optic Network Design” You will want to read it even if you are not in a certification class! The FOA has published another "Tech Bulletin" on the FOA Tech Topics Website that covers fiber optic network design. It's a comprehensive overview of the design process, breaking it into 16 individual topics that total 30 pages of mostly text. The organization of this document has been chosen to cover topics in order of the actual design process, from getting started - like deciding if you want to use fiber - through selecting routes, choosing equipment and components, choosing contractors and installers, managing the job, documentation and maintenance. We suggest you download and print a copy for reference. And give us feedback on how to make it even better! Download "Designing Fiber Optic Networks" now. (1.3 MB PDF file) Many FOA-approved schools intend to offer Design courses. Read more. Why we need a design cert! (Direct quote from a CFOT installing cable) "I'm at the end of an install. One last thing to finish. Pull a 6 fiber cable from a closet to a manhole 115 ft away. Of course when the builder laid the 4" duct I can only conclude they got lost! They came out of the building 60 ft. Instead of a 45 degree and straight from there to the vault they put in a 90. 130 feet later they must have figured out they were headed in the wrong direction because they put in an other 90 and then went about 150 feet to the vault. Total duct length was 330 to 400 feet!! No pull boxes or access points. And best of all - no pull string." New Tech Bulletin On Fiber Optic Network Restoration We've also just added to the FOA Tech Topics Website a Tech Bulletin on "Fiber Optic Restoration." Fiber optic restoration is more than fixing a cut cable in a panic mode - it starts with the network design stage where one plans for an eventual emergency restoration, creates a plan and documentation, stores supplies and has people trained and ready to respond. Using fiber optics? Download and read this now! Download Guide To Fiber Optic Network Restoration now. (88 kB PDF file) Coming Soon: New FOA Certification on Premises Cabling  Fiber Optics Goes Fast - In Racing Cars! At the recent SAE 2008 World Congress, the most exciting application of optical fiber was in racing cars by Menard Engines where data loggers were connected to a controller using connectorless POF links. A weight savings of 10-12 pounds was realized and substantial reduction in the cost of the wiring harness. in addition to the weight and cost savings, the ability to terminate in the field and flexibility of installation were also important benefits pointed out by the design engineer. FOA To Offer Two Technical Courses At IBEW/NECA NJATC National Training Institute The FOA will participate in this summer's National Training Institute of the IBEW/NECA NJATC. FOA President Jim Hayes will teach a course on how to teach a course for the new FOA Design certification, Fiber Optic Communication Network Design, (T146) and FOA board member Tom Collins of Gateway Community and Technical College in Cincinnati will present Fiber Optic Installation - Hands-On Training for Instructors (T241). Attendance is limited to IBEW/NECA members. For more information, see the NJATC NTI website. Worth Reading: How To Tap Fiber and How To Detect Tapping We get an occasional call of how to tap fiber or detect tapping. A google search turns up this government document that tells you how to do it! http://www.ncs.gov/library/tech_bulletins/2000/tib_00-7.pdf Active Optic Cables Allow Legacy Systems To Use Fiber (Lightwave) Put the E/O/E converters in the connector and use fiber cable - connect systems that use copper with fiber for all the usual reasons (distance, security, etc.) Who is George Glider and Why Is He Important In The Fiber Optic Business? (MIT Technology Review) "Gilder argued that just as the microprocessor had introduced previously unimaginable processing power, so the fiber-optic construction boom would usher in a world of instantaneous communication and infinite bandwidth: the telecosm. He predicted that it would make "the CPU ... peripheral, the network central," and that it would enable anyone to launch a product, company, or political movement." Glider got blamed for both the telecom boom and the bursting of the bubble. More than $500 billion was lost in just a few years and between 2001 and 2004, 216 telecommunications companies went bankrupt. Like it or not, Glider was certainly partially responsible for the fiber optic industry we know today. POF News  FOA Co-Sponsors POF 2008The 17th International Conference on Plastic Optical Fibers will be held from Monday, August 25th, to Thursday , August 28th, at the Santa Clara Convention Center, Santa Clara, California. The conference will be combined with POFWORLD 2008, thus guaranteeing a larger attendance compared to the last two POF Conferences. In addition, the organizers, Information Gatekeepers Inc. (IGI) and the International Cooperative of Plastic Optical Fiber (ICPOF), plans to promote the event as holiday venue for attendees because of the large number of cultural and family oriented locations in the silicon valley and surrounding areas. The main conference program will be held from Tuesday, August 26th, to Thursday , August 28th, with exhibits open during the conference. Tutorials will be organized covering a wide range of POF topics on Monday, August 25th. "East Meets West" - a POF design workshop - will be held the week before POF2008, August 20-22 in the same location. Read more: http://pof2008.com/ The SAE 2008 World Congress was held at COBO Hall April 14-17, 2008. for the second year in a row, POFTO has organized a session aimed at the U.S. OEMs and their suppliers. The POFTO session was on Monday morning. Topics and Speakers included: 1. "State of POF Technology and Applications", Paul Polishuk, POFTO and Information Gatekeepers inc. 2. " MOST up to Date", Henry Muyshondt, MOST COOPERATION Technical Liaison and SMSC 3. " POF MOST Connectors and Associated Equipment", Paul Mulligan POFTO and FibrFin 4. " Challenge for High Temperature Resistant POF Cable for Future MOST Systems", Ken Eben, POFTO and Mitsubishi International and Kazuki Nakamura, Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd. Paul Polishuk reviewed recent developments in POF technology including fibers, sources, connectors, modulation schemes, and new products with special emphasis on automotive applications. Recent research results over the past year were covered including 40Gbps over 100 meters at 1550nm by researchers at Georgia Tech, modulation of LEDs up to 1 Gbps, transmission of 1 Gbps over step index PMMA fiber by Olaf Ziemann of POFAC and S. Randel of Siemens, 10Gbps over 300 meters of PF GI POF, and 100 Mbps over 275 meters of SI POF by the POF-ALL group in Europe.. Recent applications were described for IPTV in Europe where POF Do-It-Yourself kits are provided to consumers by Deutsch Telekom and Swisscom to guarantee Quality of Service from the broadband termination on the side of the house or apartment and the set top box. Henry Muyshondt, the MOST Cooperation Technical Liaison and SMSC, described the present status of MOST in automobiles. Here are a few of the highlights of his presentation: 1. There are now 58 models of cars with MOST that use POF. This equates to 55 million optical nodes which are increasing at a rate of 12-13 million a year. 2. Three new Korean auto manufacturers introduced MOST using POF in 2008. These included Hyundai, KIA, and San Yong 3. Toyota introduced MOST using copper in 2008 4. The next generation of MOST will be 150 Mbps starting in the 2012 model year and the speed will be adequate for the next 5-10 years. The 150 Mbps systems will use the same optical infrastructure as used at 25 Mbps. To make this point, Muyshondt referred to a MOST demo at CES 2008 in which 18 standard TVs, 3 HDTVs, and ethernet were transmitted over a 150 Mbps system. Copies of the presentations are available to POFTO members free of charge. All other can purchase copied from POFTO.
Verizon to invest $86 million to expand FiOS TV in Rhode Island (Lightwave) The $86-million investment will extend Verizon's FiOS TV service to an additional 10 communities and expand its Providence-based Fiber Solutions Center, where at least 50 more union-represented technicians and customer service representatives will be hired, say Verizon representatives. Fiber To The Home Connections Jump To Nearly Three Million, Nearly Double Year Last Year RVA Market Research (www.rvallc.com), says that as of Spring, 2008, there are now 2.91 million homes connected via end-to-end fiber, compared to 1.48 million connections as of April 2007, for an annual growth rate of 97 percent - indicating that the number of FTTH connections continues to almost double annually. The study also shows fiber to the home networks now passing 11.8 million North American homes, up from 8 million a year ago, and that the overall "take rate" - the percentage of those offered FTTH service who decide to subscribe - went up for the fourth straight six-month period. In addition, the number of households receiving video services over their FTTH connections continues to increase sharply, with more than 1.6 million homes using video-enabled FTTH. The study showed that Verizon, having committed more than $20 billion to deploying its FiOS FTTH service, continues to set the pace in the number of connections, with more than 70 percent of the North American total. However, the study also showed growth in the number of subscribers reported by other FTTH service providers, including small and medium sized telephone companies, municipal governments, developers of planned residential communities and cable television companies.
From the Philly.com web journal. http://www.philly.com/philly/business/15917457.html
The Fiber Optic Association User's Guide To Fiber Optic System Design and Installation
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Digging Safely 
The old story (not a joke!) about the most likely fiber optic communications system failure being caused by "backhoe fade" reminds us that digging safely is vitally important. The risk is not just interrupting communications, but the life-threatening risk of digging up high voltage or gas lines. There is a website called "Common Ground Alliance" that focuses directly on this issue. Here is how they describe themselves:
Of special interest is their "Best Practices" Manual, available for downloading. If you do OSP installs, please get yourself a copy and read it. http://www.commongroundalliance.com/ There is a new toll-free "call before you dig" number: 811 See www.call811.com for more information National Fiber Optic Protection Summit: By the "811" group. March, 2008 in Vegas.
Home
Tech - Needed To Take Advantage of FTTH Once a home has a broadband connection, which we hope is fiber to the home, but could be DSL or Cable Modem, the usage of all that bandwidth depends on distribution within the home. The in-home connections can be UTP or Coax copper, wireless or fiber. But architects and home builders must learn how to build homes to take advantage of broadband connections. The FOA, in conjunction with the Structured Cabling Association, have started working with home builders to bring them up to speed. You can see the first tutorial we have jointly developed at the SCA website. FOA & SCA Helps California Homebuilders Understand High Tech Homes
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Process Engineer (MTS), Undersea Optical Cables The candidate for this position will lead and assume responsibilities of Assembly and Process engineering for a product line in undersea repeater sub-systems manufacturing. RESPONSIBILITIES Support TICS and Tyco Telecom EH&S Policies. Maintain Strong Process Understanding in the Area of Responsibility: Complex parts, assembly and fixture drawings. Electro-Optic, fiber-optic, and electronic assembly processes (Fiber handling, Splicing, and Soldering). Shop Control and Quality Systems. Environmental, ESD and clean room requirements. Training/Certification/qualification Requirements. High quality/high reliability manufacturing. Process Development, Implementation and Control: Design work flow, assembly stations, and associated equipment. Estimate process yields and intervals and provide support to achieve goals. Define process capacity and capability. Identify, procure, and install required equipment, jigs, and fixtures. Set-up, Prove In, and Transfer Equipment and Fixtures to Shop Control. Facility planning, shop floor process flow and capacity analysis. Write process work instructions and inspection check lists. Develop BOMS and ROUTES. Develop Training and qualification criteria including supplies & equipment. Train the trainer and/or conduct training. Develop and Document Certification Criteria. Identify Critical Process Parameters. Establish quality measures. Define process for collection of defect data. Specify and/or perform defect analysis and CA process. Analyze product and process quality data and take preventive and corrective action as required to reduce cost, interval, process variation, increase process yield, and quality. Supports cost reduction initiatives through design modifications or process improvements. Develop new mfg. processes and methodology to improve production quality, production and performance. Provide cost estimates of tools and schedules. Analyze various mfg. problems, perform FMA, and recommend solutions. Provide technical assistance necessary to solve production problems and track yields. Respond to corrective actions and insure implementation into production. Actively participates in RFD/MRB activities. Has experience with newer mfg. methods, materials and process. Provide solutions utilizing latest state of the art engineering developments and philosophies available. Provides other related duties as assigned. · Interface with: All Tyco Telecommunications Newington functional organizations, Tyco Telecom. Design & Reliability team and External Suppliers. · Support Non-conforming Product Disposition. New Product Introduction. Production Support. Qualification of Design Changes. Support Repair and Returns. Continuous Process Improvement. DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS: Education: BS/MS in Mechanical, Industrial, or Electrical Engineering (Emphasis on fiber/fiber optics preferred). Experience: Minimum 3-5 Years of experience in Electronic, Electro-Optic and/or Fiber Optic manufacturing. Skills Required: Knowledge and/or experience in manufacturing of electro-optic assemblies, shop aids and work instructions, fixtures, engineering change control, quality control, process improvement, and workmanship standards. High quality and high reliability manufacturing. Knowledge of fiber, splicing, Data Base, data analysis, shop control system (Oracle). Excellent knowledge of equipment preventive maintenance procedures. FMA analysis. Strong communication skills, team leadership skills and ability to provide technical leadership. Strong ability to work with Design, suppliers, Manufacturing engineers and shop employees. Experience in new product introduction. Highly self motivated, organized, with excellent attention to details especially in documentation, and data analysis. Knowledge of Pro-E and/or AutoCAD, Documentation control software (DOCS OPEN). REPLY TO: Abdallah Alhamdan ENG. MANAGER 603-373-4206 aalhamdan@tycotelecom.com SALES REPRESENTATIVE / SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE The client is a leader in Fiber Optics product manufacturing. They are well established, profitable and experiencing significant growth. They are dedicated to providing total manufacturing solutions for fiber optic cabling systems to the telecommunications industry that requires Telcordia standards. They are in need of an experienced and successful Sales Representative from the Fiber Optics market who is looking for THE right career move. The company is currently enjoying significant growth. If you are looking for a great opportunity and have the skills to help drive growth and success, you should explore this opportunity. For more information, please contact: al@bratlandcareers.com or terri@bratlandcareers.com. Or, send a resume / cover letter to: resumes@bratlandcareers.com. APPLY ONLINE directly here. CERTIFIED NETWORK INSTALLERS, STRUCTURED CABLING Looking for two individuals or two staff from a private firm for inside premise (ISP) install of CAT6 and Fiber Optic cables. The primary site is a large data center with adjacent offices, all currently under construction. Desire individuals with BICSI or FOA certifications, industry certifications or equivalent experience. Experience with testing CAT5/6 and Fiber desired. This will be a six-month assignment in a safe and friendly foreign country with living conditions equal to the US. All travel and relocation expenses paid. Housing in two-bedroom furnished townhouse close to work site. Cell phone, Internet, cable TV, utilities, medical insurance and vehicle provided. Salary in US dollars with a bonus at completion of project. Employer is a large multinational design and build firm. Desire US installation and NEC code experience. Please send contact information along with resume or qualifications to: Kevin Love, <mailto:admin@aasda.com>admin@aasda.com Two Regional Sales Manager positions, East and West Coast Job #: pjk04012008B Industry: Structured Cable Base salary begins: $50,000 (negotiable depending upon experience) An organization in the wire and cable industry will be launching a new branch in the summer and they are currently seeking a Regional Sales Manager to cover the western territories and one to cover the eastern territories. The Regional Sales Manager for the Western region will need to be based in Los Angeles County (or thereabouts). The location for the Regional Sales Manager for the Eastern Region is open. Due to the heavy amount of travel, however, living within reasonable driving distance to a major airport is preferred. Those with extensive experience selling structured cable are preferred. A minimum of three-to-five years in electrical or mechanical commercial products thru distribution channels. A Bachelors degree in Business or Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience IF FULLY QUALIFIED, please respond to: Patrick J. Kerrison Phone Nos.: 800-979-8701 x1169 or 503-287-8701 x1169 or my direct line: 503-290-1169 E-Mail: pkerrison@mrportland.com Please visit my company’s website at: http://www.mrportland.com
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Your Name, CFOT - It pays to advertise! The FOA encourages CFOTs to use the logo on their business cards, letterhead, truck or van, etc. and provides logo files on this site for that purpose. But we are also asked about how to use the CFOT or CFOS certifications. Easy, you can refer to yourself as "Your Name, CFOT" or "Your Name, CFOS/T" for example. Feel free to use the logo and designations to promote your achievements and professionalism! |
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Remember To Renew Your Certification ! Remember to renew your FOA certification. All current CFOTs have a ID Card with their certification data and we keep a database of current CFOTs to answer inquiries regarding your qualifications if needed. You must be a current FOA member and CFOT to participate in our online database of installers, contractors, technicians and consultants. If you forgot to renew, use the online application form to renew NOW! |
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JDSU offers a free download of
their Testing Guide from the Lightwave website. This is one great book
which explains some basic fiber technology, but the real value is the
last half which deals with OTDR testing. Not only does it give the
usual info, but it covers important topics like measurement
uncertainties and anomolies like ghosts and gainers. 
Now In Spanish: FOA Textbook
& Text For FOA Advanced Certifications 
FOA Logo Merchandise
