
Is the sheave the right diameter?
Do you always use sheaves at least the diameter required by the manufacturer? Do you know that diameter off the top of your head? Does someone check the crews - at every pole or tower - to make sure they're complying? Never use a sheave smaller than that recommended in the cable manufacturer's procedures unless you have specific approval to do so from the vendors. Big sheaves are a real hassle, so line crews will sometimes try to take shortcuts and use smaller, lighter, easie

Is after-installation fiber damage acceptable?
Did you find any damaged fibers after your installation was complete? It is reasonable to install hundreds of miles of ADSS or OPGW without one damaged fiber (let alone broken fibers). These cables contain either Kevlar (ADSS) or steel (OPGW) and are very strong -- theoretically, you could tow a trailer with this stuff and never damage a fiber. We're defining "damaged" here as a step increase in attenuation of at least 0.1 dB. While a step increase of just 0.1 dB is an insign

Will your fiber survive the storm?
Do you still meet NESC clearance requirements at your worst case wind storms and ice storms? Would your fiber survive these storms? First, the code requires that you meet clearance requirements. Second, you can be sued if you don't meet code and there's a problem. Third, recent extensive research on ice storm historical data has indicated that in many areas, your fiber network may likely experience at least one ice storm exceeding NESC loading during the life of your fiber ne