Test Boxes/Launch Boxes
Whether they are called a launch box, pulse suppressor, or launch cable they all do the same thing. When technicians conduct a quality test to look for fiber optic cable breaks and light loss in your installed network you need to eliminate what is called the "Dead Zone". It is a blind spot that can make it so that you do not see an event that is causing attenuation in the cable you are testing. This "Dead Zone" occurs because the light is so strong when it initially leaves the OTDR. When testing fiber optic cable with an Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR), these launch boxes eliminate the "Dead Zone". Without a launch box it is difficult to measure the relative loss at the near end and far end of the patch panel connections. During a test, the launch box is placed between the OTDR and the near end of a patch panel. This allows the "Dead Zone" to occur in the launch box and allows the pulse of light to “settle down” so the first connector reflections are included in the test results. This greatly improves your test results. In simple terms, the launch box is a coil of fiber which is placed between the OTDR test equipment and the line being tested. It allows the OTDR test results to include the first connector. The right tools always help provide technicians the correct way to test the quality of their fiber cable systems.
