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Break Point Locator

Break Point Locator

The “Spatial Engineer 11” tutorial video introduces viewers to the Breakpoint Locator feature, a tool designed to help identify the location of potential breaks within a fiber network. The presenter walks through a practical scenario involving a fiber network with a splice at one end and a reported problem along the fiber line based on OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer) readings from a technician. The steps highlighted in the video are as follows:

  1. Accessing the Breakpoint Locator: The presenter begins by navigating to the feature pull-down menu and selecting the Breakpoint Locator, located seventh from the top of the list.
  2. Selecting the Start Point: The user is instructed to select a start point for the trace, which in this example is a splice. Following the selection of the splice, the next step involves choosing the connected entity, which is the fiber cable coming out of the splice, to determine the direction of the trace.
  3. Configuring the Locator: In the Breakpoint Locator dialogue, the presenter inputs a distance of 1150 feet where the break is suspected to be located. Additionally, a slack of 1% is added, with connection slack set to zero. The user can choose a color for the trace for better visibility, with yellow being the recommended option for its ease of visibility.
  4. Executing the Trace: Upon configuring the locator, the Trace button is selected to initiate the tracing process. The software then calculates and visually indicates the approximate location of the break on the map.
  5. Refining the Location with Background Images: To further refine the break’s location, the presenter suggests using background images of the area. By selecting the MST (Map Service Template) option, a background image is brought up, showing the break’s vicinity near the intersection of two driveways. This additional context can provide a technician with a clearer idea of where the break might have occurred.

This tutorial effectively demonstrates how Spatial Engineer 11’s Breakpoint Locator feature can be utilized to quickly and accurately pinpoint the location of breaks within a fiber network, aiding technicians in their repair efforts.

Keywords: Spatial Engineer 11, Breakpoint Locator, fiber network, splice, OTDR, trace, breakpoint location, tutorial, fiber optic repair.