The same people that cheaped out on a $200 handhole also went cheap and only did a 48ct cable. They are now drilling new cables right on top that are 144ct.
Why try to save 10% on materials when your cost/mile is 80% labor? You're going from $100 to $98. On Tue, Aug 19, 2025 at 2:08 PM Carl Peterson <[email protected]> wrote: > The cost isn't the cable. The cost is the handhole to store the slack > in. > > On Tue, Aug 19, 2025 at 11:21 AM Adam Moffett <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I'm aware of another company that has the 6ft slack philosophy. They >> justify it as saving 20% on cable costs. People doing that are nuts. The >> cable is practically free compared to the cost of getting it placed. >> >> -Adam >> >> ------------------------------ >> *From:* AF <[email protected]> on behalf of Carl Peterson < >> [email protected]> >> *Sent:* Monday, August 18, 2025 6:18 PM >> *To:* AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] how is underground FTTH done? >> >> Port Networks is in MD and FL but I live in MN. Fidium is Consolidated >> Communications. They do a cheap half assed underground plant overbuild >> with no slack or handholes. They do a combined ped with the old copper and >> a splice tray in it and just do about a 6' loop of fiber which they >> terminate kneeling on the ground next to the ped. Hopefully it never needs >> to be serviced in the winter but it sure is a fast / cheap way to do it. >> >> On Mon, Aug 18, 2025 at 4:09 PM Adam Moffett <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> Carl, >> >> I haven't heard of Fidium. Are you located in Maryland, or is that a >> figment of my imagination? >> >> Thanks, >> Adam >> >> ------------------------------ >> *From:* AF <[email protected]> on behalf of Carl Peterson < >> [email protected]> >> *Sent:* Monday, August 18, 2025 3:17 PM >> *To:* AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] how is underground FTTH done? >> >> This might now work in NY where I seem to remember Adam operates, but >> Fidium did an interesting half assed fiber deployment in my neighborhood >> where they installed secondary drop ducts in the right of way and just left >> them stubbed up underground. So say 1 ped which feeds the properties on >> either side + tw drop ducts in either direction each which stubs up between >> the next two houses so ~ 8-10 subs per ped. When they need to install, >> they just hook up a compressor to the sub duct and it blows the dirt up in >> the air exposing the drop duct. >> >> On Mon, Aug 18, 2025 at 12:07 PM Adam Moffett <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> Well, you can't trespass with your service drop cable. If it crosses >> someone else's property it needs an easement. I think most commonly you >> place a handhole at the property line so you can hit two houses from one. >> One box per house might be necessary in some cases, and there might be >> cases where you can hit more than two from one box, but not every time. >> >> They might not have a splitter in that box. It might just provide a >> pulling point to get the service drop from there down the street to another >> box where the splitter is. It depends on the density and whether they'd >> rather load all the costs up front or push more of the costs into the >> installation phase. >> >> When we were small-fries we would push the cost to the installation so >> we're not spending money on customers we never sell. I'm at a bigger >> outfit now, and they'll make sure there's a splitter port near every >> customer, and each one gets documented as to which house it's for. They'll >> send info to the drop contractor telling them exactly which splitter >> location to send the drop cable to, and what path it should take. The >> light budget is set so you could add a 1x4 at the house.....a problem we >> run into is houses divided into multiple rentals are not always obvious up >> front, and you find out about them only when the installer is on site. >> >> As someone said, there are a zillion ways to do it, and someone does it >> every which way you can imagine. >> >> -Adam >> >> >> ------------------------------ >> *From:* AF <[email protected]> on behalf of Ken Hohhof < >> [email protected]> >> *Sent:* Monday, August 18, 2025 12:13 PM >> *To:* 'AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group' <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] how is underground FTTH done? >> >> >> OK, that helps. I assume MST avoids every installer having the equipment >> and training to do fusion splices. >> >> >> >> But I’m still not understanding in an underground scenario, with a >> handhole at every passing, what do you splice the drop cable to, and >> where? Is there a pre installed fiber stub in every handhole for that >> customer, going back to a splitter at another handhole down the street? >> >> >> >> *From:* AF <[email protected]> *On Behalf Of *Josh Luthman >> *Sent:* Monday, August 18, 2025 10:40 AM >> *To:* AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] how is underground FTTH done? >> >> >> >> Splitters are waaay small. Smaller than a standard house key. >> >> >> >> What you are looking at is an MST terminal, looks like 8 ports. There >> can be a splitter inside of that yes. You can have the MST with 8 fibers >> splice to another 8 fibers or you can have what is in your picture have 1 >> fiber in, split 1x8, and then have 8 ports out for the installers to simply >> plug in to. >> >> >> >> If that MST is a 1x8, you can have a 1x4 before it, between the MST and >> OLT. That makes for OLT -> 1x4 splitter -> 1x8 splitter/MST. That is >> still a 1x32 split. >> >> >> >> On Mon, Aug 18, 2025 at 11:34 AM Ken Hohhof <*[email protected] >> <[email protected]>*> wrote: >> >> I thought PON used like 16:1 or 32:1 splitters, and in this photo, I >> assumed that’s what the black boxes were. >> >> >> >> *From:* AF <*[email protected] <[email protected]>*> *On >> Behalf Of *Josh Luthman >> *Sent:* Monday, August 18, 2025 10:16 AM >> *To:* AnimalFarm Microwave Users Group <*[email protected] >> <[email protected]>*> >> *Subject:* Re: [AFMUG] how is underground FTTH done? >> >> >> >> Don't assume that about aerial. That's not how it works. Don't think >> about it in terms of taps. >> >> >> >> Generally speaking, installations are PON. What we do is design the >> fiber so we can hook up 100% of homes. We assign a color to every house. >> >> >> >> The first thing to think about is that you have to access the individual >> strand out of the cable, be it 12/24/48/144/etc. That is done with a >> SpliceCase or you splice on an MST for an ez mode plug. At Imagine we only >> splice - no connectors, no MST, no plugs, etc. >> >> >> Second thing is that when there's a cable up and down the road, you just >> need access to it through the case/MST from the house. This can be from >> the house to the handhole (concrete box in the ground) or you can run it >> from the house to the handhole through some 1.25" duct to the next handhole >> where there is one case. >> >> >> >> I can show you what it looks like if you don't get it yet. >> >> >> >> On Mon, Aug 18, 2025 at 11:11 AM Ken Hohhof <*[email protected] >> <[email protected]>*> wrote: >> >> The fiber train left without me, so maybe someone here can help me >> understand how the physical installation is typically done. >> >> >> >> I’ve seen aerial fiber and it’s pretty straightforward, I see splitters >> up on poles maybe at each intersection, and to hook up a customer, they run >> a drop wire from the nearest splitter to the house. If take rate is better >> than expected or a new house is built, worst case I assume they just add a >> splitter. >> >> >> >> But I also see FTTH deployments going in where they are boring for duct >> in the ROW and putting a little handhole in front of every house. How does >> this work? Are they using taps instead of splitters? If not, when they >> get a customer install order, do they pull his drop cable through all the >> handholes to a splitter? That doesn’t seem feasible. Are they dedicating >> a strand to each house and pulling the main cable out each time and >> splicing to that strand? And what if they estimate the take rate wrong, or >> a new house is built? >> >> >> >> There’s probably a simple explanation and once someone enlightens me it >> will be a Duh! moment. >> >> -- >> AF mailing list >> *[email protected] <[email protected]>* >> *http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >> <http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com>* >> >> -- >> AF mailing list >> *[email protected] <[email protected]>* >> *http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >> <http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com>* >> >> -- >> AF mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Carl Peterson >> >> *PORT NETWORKS* >> >> 401 E Pratt St, Ste 2553 >> >> Baltimore, MD 21202 >> >> (410) 637-3707 >> -- >> AF mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >> >> >> >> -- >> >> Carl Peterson >> >> *PORT NETWORKS* >> >> 401 E Pratt St, Ste 2553 >> >> Baltimore, MD 21202 >> >> (410) 637-3707 >> -- >> AF mailing list >> [email protected] >> http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >> > > > -- > > Carl Peterson > > *PORT NETWORKS* > > 401 E Pratt St, Ste 2553 > > Baltimore, MD 21202 > > (410) 637-3707 > -- > AF mailing list > [email protected] > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >
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