Asia-Pacific Broadcasting (APB) December 2016 Volume 33, Issue 11 | Page 21

DISTRIBUTION December 2016 ❝In the near future, aside from some legacy coaxial cabling, broadcast infrastructure and truck cabling will be primarily made up of fibre for the transportation of video and audio, and of copper twisted pair for the delivery of IP and control signals.❞ 21 Fischer Connectors’ FibreOptic Series is available in two versions: A rugged fibreoptic connector with two or four fibres; and a rugged hybrid connector with two fibre channels and two electrical contacts. — Josh Simons, Technical Director, Argosy However, while these may work to reduce the impact of damage during de-rigging operations, it also increases deployment costs and time. As an alternative, Simons suggests employing pre-terminated solutions to accelerate the process of rigging and de-rigging operations, which reduces costs and errors. He concludes: “Cabling is often seen as a necessity that bolts on to the active equipment rentout part of an event. It may not bring in direct revenue but a careful choice of cabling does offer some ROI, when one considers that cheaper cable has a lower operational life expectancy and that could jeopardise the entire production, as the cost of cable has a direct impact on quality.” Another supplier of connectors and cable assembly solutions, Fischer Connectors, combined miniaturisation and robustness into the design and performance of its products to fulfil broadcasters’ needs for higher data transmission rates over long distances Designed for the broadcast and touring industries, Argosy’s tactical fibre assembly and pulling sock solution comes along with Argosy’s tactical breakout, and is available in four to 24 channels. while reducing space by means of rugged miniature solutions. Its Fischer FibreOptic Series is available in two versions: A rugged fibre-optic connector with two or four fibres; and a rugged hybrid connector with two fibre channels and two electrical contacts. Earlier this year, the latest addition to the Fischer FibreOptic Series saw the introduction of a single fibre-optic connector (FO1). Available either in preconfigured reels or integrated into custom assemblies, the FO1 connector features the push-pull locking system for “quick and easy” connections and disconnections, and the removable sleeve holder is designed to ensure that end-faces can be cleaned easily, thus keeping the connector in top condition. Says Christopher Martin, FibreOptic product manager at Fischer Connectors: “The product line’s main benefits — high optical stability in harsh environments, robustness, and ease-of-use, cleaning and maintenance — remain the same. But we’ve designed this smaller product to be even lighter and more flexible so that it’s easy to integrate into our existing solutions, saving time and money for our customers.” Also tailored for outdoor appli- cations, Lemo’s T Series connectors include an inner sleeve and extra sealing to prevent penetration of solids and liquids. Essentially, the T Series range is a small waterproof, push-pull multi-pole connector featuring Mechanical key (FGG) with multiple keys to avoid cross-mating. But when it comes to fibre installations, Lemo’s Buechli shares two important tips that technicians should take note of. First, the fibre cables cannot be bent at strong radius; and secondly, technicians need to be aware of fibre cleanliness during the installation. He elabo