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[Dave Wallingford]

I could use some help specifying a fiber system for a CL5 - or at least some help checking my homework! I'm using Cisco SG300 switches, and I'm a complete noob with fiber.

I assume I need 2 fibers for each network connection - 1 Rx and 1 Tx. Correct?

Some of the big corporate AV companies I work with use fiber snakes with LC connectors, and the broadcast companies I work with seem to use ST connectors. The GBICs in the switches will have LC connectors, I believe. ST seems more robust, but it adds more connections - I'd probably have a rack panel with ST connectors, and ST to LC cables from there to the switch. WIth an LC snake, I can connect directly. Any opinions on which is preferable? Do I lose any sort of signal strength with the added connections with ST adapters?

The way I'm usually setup, I think I'd need 8 channels of fiber:
Rx/Tx Dante Primary
Rx/Tx Dante Secondary
Rx/Tx Control / Misc network
Rx/Tx Comms, with some sort of fiber to com interface  - this would be a rental item. Also looks like this may only require one channel of fiber, depending on the interface.

The fiber itself might end up being something I'd rent, but I'd like to be setup with all the pieces necessary for it other than the fiber itself. How robust are the fibers? If I need 8, should I get something with 10 or 12 channels of fiber?

I think I would look at something more robust like Neutrik's OpticalCon Quad, but that would mean I would need 2 of them, right?

Looks like the Cisco MGBLX1 Mini-GBIC is the one I should be getting. It supports gigabit, capable of driving 10km of fiber, and is single mode. They also have the MGBSX1, but it can only drive 550 meters of fiber and is multimode, and I think I would want to be prepared for longer distances. More than 1000' seems unlikely, but you never know. And it looks like I should probably stick with single mode.

Am I on the right track here? Any considerations that I've overlooked?

[Mac Kerr]

The way I'm usually setup, I think I'd need 8 channels of fiber:
Rx/Tx Dante Primary
Rx/Tx Dante Secondary
Rx/Tx Control / Misc network
Rx/Tx Comms, with some sort of fiber to com interface  - this would be a rental item. Also looks like this may only require one channel of fiber, depending on the interface.

You don't need that many fibers. Unless you are running a Dante system with 500 channels you will not use much of your 1GB bandwidth. A 100ch network will only be about 25% of your bandwidth, and it will be the biggest bandwidth hog you have. Whether you are looking at Green go, or Clear Com Helix for the comm over IP it will be under 100K bandwidth. Your control network will use almost no bandwidth.

I would run two 2 core tactical fibers with OpticalCon connectors to a rack panel at each end that connects to the switches.

Mac

[John J Saunders]

I would run two 2 core tactical fibers with OpticalCon connectors to a rack panel at each end that connects to the switches.

Mac

Very wise. And put your primary and secondary on separate fibers.

I really like opticon. Problem is if you need to replace or repair a connection.  With st it's pretty easy. Not so much with opticon. On the other hand ST is much more fragile and can get dirty fast. If you do get ST it is wise to have extra strands. Nice to have extra for stuff you didn't know you needed and if one breaks or is dirty.

Also make sure you look for single mode sfps. Haven't paid much attention to multimode since none of our gear uses it but I think that most tac 4 and 8 that you can rent (or buy?) is single mode.

If the patch cables are good you should not notice any loss using them. And I would much rather bring the patches out to a panel then plug right into gear. You don't want lc for the main fiber cable.

Fiber is really not to pricey I used to get ours from markertek till I started making our own in house.

We use occ tactical with st connectors and once you start ripping the stuff apart you realize how durable it actually is. It would really have to get sliced by a fork lift to get damaged.


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[Riley Casey]

Just a bit of pedantry on fibre connectors.  Much as the Ethercons are simply a robust shell around an otherwise standard RJ connector the Opticalcons are a very robust housing for an otherwise standard LC connector. So much so in fact that the panel mounts simply accept an LC patch cable that connects to the fibre convertor on the switch.  The Opticalcons also have a bit of complexity in their mating face shields.  Theses are essentially spring loaded doors that are pushed aside as the connectors mate but as with any moving parts they can fail in the face of rough service sort of like that encountered in pulling  hundred or two to three meters of cable down hallways, up aisles and across truss.  We have some 100 meter tac cable ( the Whirlwind built i suspect is simply direct burial fibre, the Nuetrik made is a much more robust cable  ) fitted with opticalcon and a couple of plain jane 150 meter LC cables and after a year of service the opcons have actually screwed up more than the LCs.  YMMV

[John J Saunders]

Just a bit of pedantry on fibre connectors.  Much as the Ethercons are simply a robust shell around an otherwise standard RJ connector the Opticalcons are a very robust housing for an otherwise standard LC connector. So much so in fact that the panel mounts simply accept an LC patch cable that connects to the fibre convertor on the switch.  The Opticalcons also have a bit of complexity in their mating face shields.  Theses are essentially spring loaded doors that are pushed aside as the connectors mate but as with any moving parts they can fail in the face of rough service sort of like that encountered in pulling  hundred or two to three meters of cable down hallways, up aisles and across truss.  We have some 100 meter tac cable ( the Whirlwind built i suspect is simply direct burial fibre, the Nuetrik made is a much more robust cable  ) fitted with opticalcon and a couple of plain jane 150 meter LC cables and after a year of service the opcons have actually screwed up more than the LCs.  YMMV

While this is kinda true in regards to the opticons being just lc connectors in a shell (the opticon mtp is not) you cannot simply replace the shell of the inline connector if it fails. You can't even buy the connectors or repair kit without taking the neutrik training and investing in the very expensive termination kit.

Most of my work is broadcast so maybe it's different for pro audio but I haven't seen tac cable with lc connectors. But I have seen all connectors fails so I guess you just have to pick your poison.

One tip that I wish someone had told me about before I bought my first fiber cables is to have snake skin (what we call it. I guess it's real name is expandable tubing) that is shrunk to the end of main cable. It can be covering the connectors when pulling and laying out the cable and pulled back to reveal the connectors when plugging it in. Would imagine it would also provide a little bit of protection for an opticon also.


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[Tim McCulloch]

One tip that I wish someone had told me about before I bought my first fiber cables is to have snake skin (what we call it. I guess it's real name is expandable tubing) that is shrunk to the end of main cable. It can be covering the connectors when pulling and laying out the cable and pulled back to reveal the connectors when plugging it in. Would imagine it would also provide a little bit of protection for an opticon also.


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The guys from Game Creek Video do the snake skin thing (done a bit of video utility for them).  It certainly helps keep things contained.  We have 3" conduit runs in our downtown arena and I like the extra peace of mind the snake skin gives when pulling through those small, bendy tubes.

[Josh Millward]

One tip that I wish someone had told me about before I bought my first fiber cables is to have snake skin (what we call it. I guess it's real name is expandable tubing) that is shrunk to the end of main cable. It can be covering the connectors when pulling and laying out the cable and pulled back to reveal the connectors when plugging it in. Would imagine it would also provide a little bit of protection for an opticon also.

I have seen this same sort of thing done with the quad BNC snakes for the AVID Profile rigs. It does a nice job of keeping the BNC connectors from banging against one another and other things as the cable is drug around. It is sort of like a pig bag that folds back up the snake instead of being pulled off the end.

[joejiorle]

Is there an industry preference of single mode vs multimode?

[Riley Casey]

The current IT industry preference is for single mode because it carries more data longer distances. Of course those people aren't coiling their cables up every night.  I use multimode because its a thicker piece of fiber ( hey for portable service a few extra microns can't hurt right? ) and more importantly the regional 800 lbs gorilla rental house has a good supply of multimode tac fiber in stock with Opticalcons installed.  I have no idea if multimode really is more robust than single mode for portable service but  I do know that I have no need to build my inventory around the very occasional need to run more than half a kilometer.  When that happens I expect I'll be hopping onto someone else's infrastructure and I'll build the price of the conversion into the job.

Is there an industry preference of single mode vs multimode?

[John J Saunders]

In broadcast it's almost exclusively singlemode.

[ProSoundWeb Community]