No, a loose-tube cable does not have the proper insulation thickness (900micron buffer) to install a connector. A breakout cable needs to be used. ( Breakout cables are hollow 900micron tubes that individual loose-tube fibers are fed into.)

 

Yes, Audio, video, data, and other signals can be transmitted over a single fiber optic cable. The limiting factor is the hardware equipment that is connected to the fiber optic cable.

 

West Penn Wire has a number of different testing devices for fiber optics.

Power meters/light sources
OTDRs
and others

 

There are many ways to splice a fiber optic cable. Fusion Splicing is the best for overall performance, but is extremely expensive. The most popular splicing technique and product would be a Mechanical Splice. The mechanical splice takes approximately less than 2 minutes to complete a splice.

 

It is no more difficult than connectorizing BNC or RCA type connectors. With West Penn Wire's Optimax installation kit, an ST, SC, or LC connector can be connectorized within minutes.

 

It depends on the installation. The ST connector is a bayonet style connector that is very popular in the security industry. The SC connector is more popular in the Telecommunication industry, and the LC connector is more popular in the A/V industry. All 3 of these connectors have similar associated losses, and are equally easy to install.

 

The first number listed ( 8, 50, 62.5) is associated to the size of the core of the glass. The core is where the light is guided from one end of the optical fiber to the other. The second number listed (125) is associated to the overall size of the optical fiber. Both sizes are measured in microns.