Comtest

Each new development in fiber network technology triggers an explosion of test and measurement requirements. To keep up, companies accumulate a multitude of instruments and modules that perform specific tests and measurements on each aspect of the network as new fiber, equipment, elements, and services are integrated. The result: today’s technicians are overloaded, forced to haul many different pieces of equipment and modules into the field. And managers are overwhelmed with tracking large, unwieldy equipment inventories in addition to spending too much money and time finding and correcting mistakes and waiting for results.

Built on a flexible, scalable platform, the JDSU (formerly Acterna) MTS-8000 tester combines the best in photonic and physical test functionality, lifting it above the crowd of standalone testers and single-function modules. This single instrument can be used for fiber installation, network turnup, and system maintenance and upgrades, and it generates test results in seconds, which means that more fibers can be tested in less time.

With individual modules that easily plug into the unit, a single MTS-8000 can test the physical fiber and DWDM system and fiber applications and technologies. This scalability provides companies with the flexibility they need to meet changing network testing requirements while gaining greater control over network performance. As technologies converge, this one instrument enables service providers to efficiently validate and continually ensure that all network elements, systems, and applications operate properly.

The advantages of high-performance measurement combined with unprecedented levels of scalability add up to the MTS-8000—a complete, highly cost-effective, multilayer field test platform. The MTS-8000’s stackable design allows it to hold either one or all of the following modules:

• Optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) with over 17 different plug-in modules covering all configurations from short-haul to ultra-long haul networks.
• Chromatic dispersion (CD) based on a single ended method requiring only one technician to perform the test.
• Polarization mode dispersion (PMD) for qualifying the fiber plant before installing high-speed transmission technologies and avoiding costly service disruptions and/or rework.
• Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) for channel testing and measuring spectral attenuation in the C and L bands.
• Optical spectrum analyzer (OSA) for high-performance, full-spectrum DWDM analysis with a unique option for 10.7G channel isolation.

Because of its advanced architecture and design, standard fiber test devices are easily integrated into the MTS-8000’s compact base unit, which saves space and weight. And with the built-in talk set option, users can communicate over the fiber in areas where there are no other means possible and transfer measurement references and data files between units located at both ends of the link.

Power meter and visual fault locator options integrated into the base unit for rapid troubleshooting of fiber patch cords and optical distribution frames and a video microscope option that ensures the cleanliness and quality of optical connectors make the MTS-8000 a complete fiber connector test solution for the field.

Comtest’s precision measurement sales manager, Hilton Preston, says, "We’re confident that this solution will prove invaluable to the fixed line operators who have optical fibre installed as well as the manufacturers of fibre optic cables."

Comtest (Pty) Limited is the sole southern African representative for Acterna, recently acquired by JDS Uniphase.