Course Goals & Prerequisites

OTDRs are one of the most powerful tools for fiber optic testing but are also one of the most complicated and, based on the questions we get at The Fiber Optic Academy, misunderstood and misused. There are two issues, 1) understanding how to use the instrument itself with all the controls needed to operate it and 2) understanding how OTDRs make measurements and how to interpret the results. Manufacturers tend to focus on teaching you how to use the instrument or often tell you the instrument is smarter than you and just use the "auto test" button, instructions that have proven to cause expensive problems. This course is designed to focus on #2 - understanding how the OTDR works and how to interpret the OTDR data.

What You Will Learn In This 2-Day Fundamentals Course

• What is an OTDR - optical time domain reflectometer?
• How is it used in testing optical fiber and cable?
• What information is in the OTDR trace?
• How does an OTDR work differently from a light source and power meter or OLTS (optical loss test set)?
• How do you make measurements of fiber length and attenuation or splice/connector loss and reflectance?
• How does one set OTDR test parameters correctly?
• What is the measurement uncertainty of the OTDR test?
• What are "gainers" and "ghosts"?
• Practice analyzing traces with an actual cable network.

Learning More and Developing Skills

If you are just getting started, you should consider attending an FOA-Approved school where you will be trained in hands-on labs to develop the skills needed to be successful in fiber optics. If you are already a CFOT with field experience, you should consider working toward the FOA CFOS/T specialist certification in fiber optic testing.

Completion

Once the student has demonstrated proficiency via hands-on and written exams, a Certificate of Completion will be issued by The Fiber Optic Academy.  We encourage all of our students to further their fiber optic networking skills by attending our FOA Certified Fiber Optics Specialist in Testing course CFOS/T.