[HamWAN PSDR] CAT5 cable tester

[Aaron Spangler]

BTW I learned a long time ago the reason why tdrs are so expensive is
because of the cost of certification of each device. (think human hours)

On Fri, May 29, 2020, 1:34 PM Aaron Spangler <aaron777 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I made a simple one the other day. It can do LF/MF(not UHF+)  style TDF if
> you push it in code. That's how I found the wires were continuous but
> paired wrong in one cable. See
> http://www.kg7bhp.org/2020/05/simple-tdr.html
>
> One could expand on that. I just threw it together after a bit. There are
> some mods we could do to test the shielding for common mode currents. But
> it the package would need to be cleaned up rather than in breadboard form.
>
> On Fri, May 29, 2020, 1:21 PM Steve <stevewa206 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Also, when I had to use shielded cable....buying tested pre terminated is
>> also a good way to go if you know the distance  and have the weather proof
>> shells that can accommodate it.....   sometimes can’t be done.
>>
>> Steve
>>
>> On Fri, May 29, 2020 at 1:18 PM Darcy Buskermolen <darcyb at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Correct, STP = Shielded Twisted Pair, vs UTP un-shielded twisted pair,
>>> which is what you normally see in everyday ethernet cable.
>>>
>>> On Fri, May 29, 2020 at 1:15 PM Kenny Richards <richark at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Darcy - For those of us not in the know, what does "STP" stand for?
>>>> I'm guessing it has todo with testing the shield termination?  (Google
>>>> failed me trying to look it up)
>>>>
>>>> Thanks
>>>> Kenny
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, May 29, 2020 at 1:07 PM Darcy Buskermolen <darcyb at gmail.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Yes such a device does exist,  they are going to be $$, a fluke or
>>>>> lantech unit will be well north of $1000.00 per test setup. STP make the
>>>>> options less readily available.  You certainly want something more involved
>>>>> than a simple cable map function.
>>>>>
>>>>> If STP can be removed from the must-have list, then
>>>>> https://pockethernet.com/ is a decent value proposition
>>>>>
>>>>> On Fri, May 29, 2020 at 12:51 PM Steve <stevewa206 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>> Maybe get Fluke to donate?  Anybody have connections or work for them?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Just a thought.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Steve N0FPF
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On Fri, May 29, 2020 at 12:37 PM Bart Kus <me at bartk.us> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> HamWAN is in the business of deploying lots of long CAT5 cables,
>>>>>>> terminated by amateurs, in remote locations.  We often have a hard
>>>>>>> time
>>>>>>> getting the terminations right.  In the worst cases, the problems
>>>>>>> are
>>>>>>> only discovered once the cables are installed on a tower, and need
>>>>>>> to be
>>>>>>> re-terminated up there.  A method of testing the cables before
>>>>>>> installing them would save us headaches and speed up deploys.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Can someone volunteer to lead an effort to research the market and
>>>>>>> select an appropriate cable tester?  HamWAN would then purchase at
>>>>>>> least
>>>>>>> 2 of these, and keep them with folks who are doing site deploys.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Here are some requirements I'd like the tester to meet:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> 0) The tester is a reliable quality device.
>>>>>>> 1) Ability to detect proper shield termination, since we use
>>>>>>> shielded
>>>>>>> CAT5 to keep RFI down.
>>>>>>> 2) Ability to report performance characteristics of the cable,
>>>>>>> beyond a
>>>>>>> simple pass/fail LED.
>>>>>>> 3) Ability to operate in rainy conditions.
>>>>>>> 4) Battery powered, preferably rechargeable.
>>>>>>> 5) UI friendly to color-blind people.  :)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Additional requirement suggestions welcome.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --Bart
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> PSDR mailing list
>>>>>>> PSDR at hamwan.org
>>>>>>> http://mail.hamwan.net/mailman/listinfo/psdr
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> --
>>>>>> Pardon the brevity, sent from a mobile device. So there.
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>>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> PSDR mailing list
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>>>>> http://mail.hamwan.net/mailman/listinfo/psdr
>>>>>
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>>>>
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>>>
>> --
>> Pardon the brevity, sent from a mobile device. So there.
>> _______________________________________________
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>> http://mail.hamwan.net/mailman/listinfo/psdr
>>
>
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