[HamWAN PSDR] CAT5 cable tester

[Aaron Spangler]

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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>>>>> 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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>
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