Sinlge mode fiber and splicing issue?

[cajuntank]

My vendor ran me a 12 strand single mode fiber loop around one of my school campuses. Evidently he came up about 50ft short on the last run back to complete the loop. The fiber he was using had been special ordered (outdoor) and he said to get more would be another 4-6 weeks. He had some other single mode on a spool (probably indoor or indoor/outdoor) and was attempting to fusion splice one to the other and is having troubles. He now wants to do mechanical splices to get me up and going and complete the job. I know fusion splices are better but am I really going to take any hit in getting the mechanical?

I'm going to be initially running 10Gb and don't have any runs greater than about 1200' before going into switches. This will be my main fiber backbone for this large campus and I will upgrade bandwidth as standards and electronics become available (so 10Gb now, then 100Gb, 1Tb, etc...).

 

[wires]

If it is truly a loop you should be able to get up and going without the last segment. That will allow the contractor to get the cable to complete the job properly.

 

[resorttech12]

Wires is right. Building a loop is for redundancy. Definitely have him order the cable. Mechanicals are ok sometimes, but at times are only marginally better than a coupling.
Splice it and worry a lot less about it later.

Good Luck.

matt

 

[mikeydidit]

The mechanicals are better than they used to be but still no where close to a fusion splice. It may work for now, but with the ever growing need for speed, it might come back to haunt you later. I agree with the others and I would get the same fiber in and get it done right. That way unless a backhoe finds it, you will not have to mess with it again.

Hell, there are no rules here - we're trying to accomplish something.
Thomas A. Edison

For the best response to a question, read faq690-6594

 

[cajuntank]

Thanks guys, I talked to vendor and he's going to go ahead an get me up and going on the mechanical, order the other fiber (turned out that the outdoor and indoor glass had two different melting points and because of that could not be fusion spliced) and come back in the summer and re-run that 50' to fusion splice.