OTDRs tackle dead zones, reach 30-dB dynamic range: HP techniques preserve resolution over distance. (optical time-domain reflectometers; includes related articles on OTDR specifications and applications)

EDN, August, 1989 by Wiegand, Jim

OTDRs tackle dead zones, reach 30-dB dynamic range Recent innovations in optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDRs) have dramatically extended the dynamic range of the instruments, from as low as 10 dB little more than a year ago to figures reaching 30 dB today. Manufacturers have also taken steps to ameliorate problems introduced by "dead zones," and one--Hewlett-Packard--claims to have eliminated the range-resolution tradeoff.

For many applications requiring a check of the integrity of fiber-optic links, OTDRs are increasingly the instrument of choice. The basic principle of operation of an OTDR is simple: Launch a pulse of light into the fiber and measure the power level of the light reflected back from scattering centers in the fiber to determine losses....

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