ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Voice - Data - Video Discussion outside Cat 5

A desperate situation to me might be something like a temporary connection to keep someone going until a voice line could be replaced. I have to say that I never had to do this either. It is common to find some IT's and DIY's guilty of this though. They can't seem to stand those 2 pair going to waste.

-Hal

I would probably do it myself in my own office or home if I was out of pairs but I certainly wouldn't sell it to someone else.

Siemon and Leviton both produce Cat5e rated 66 blocks. The pin spacing differs from the Cat5 rated blocks, but otherwise they are identical. Not sure I see a real need, though.

As to the topic, I'll use a short length of CMR/CMX Cat5E to bring in multiple lines from the NID, in the case of a small business or residence that has 2-8 POTS lines. Immediately dump to a 66 once inside. The PVC jacket on "regular" Cat5e eventually becomes brittle and falls away when exposed to the elements.

[This message has been edited by slorch (edited 11-02-2005).]

Since this has come up a couple of times it looks like some clarification is in order.

CMR/CMX listed cable is not necessarily intended for outdoor use or resistant to sunlight.

CMR is communications riser and CMX is communications limited use within dwelings. The "X" does NOT mean exterior or outdoor.

A listed cable for use outdoors may say "outdoor" on it but usually it's only described for such use in the manufacturers literature. The CMR/CMX printed on it means nothing in this respect.

There is no UL or NEC requirement that any LV communications cable be specifically listed for outdoor use nor is any LV communications cable prohibited from being used outdoors.

-Hal

Now that I look closely at my Siemon catalog I see that they make an M series M66 block that is rated cat 5e and is said to be ok for voice and data, they also make a B series s66 block that is rated cat 5 and is said to be ok for use with only voice. Still I have a hard time finding a need for cat 5 or 5e on a 66 block.

As for the outdoor cable I saw outdoor cat 5e in Homey D that was not flooded, I also took a look at the Commscope website and saw a flooded outdoor cat 5e. As for what it was marked it did not specify. Another detail that I did not see is anything about UV resistance.

I remember a time a couple of years ago that I left a box of cat 5e in a van overnight on a cold winter day. The next day I grabbed one of the boxes and the jacket on the cable was so brittle that it cracked. It also says right on a box of Mohawk cable that it should not be installed below 32 degrees F.

For UV resistance all I have to do is remember when I worked for the cable companies.

Where white coax was previously used on the outside of a house such that it received direct sunlight exposure it was only a year or two before the white PVC jacket became brittle, cracked and the cable had to be replaced.

Where black coax was used it would last for many, many years thus we had a policy of using only black cable on the outside, much to some homeowner's irritation.

The same holds true for ty-raps, we always use black outside, the natural colored ones will deteriorate in sunlight also.

None of these cables or ty-raps were labeled "sunlight resistant" however it is common knowledge that black will not allow UV to penetrate like white. Colors will have a lifespan somewhere between black and white depending on their UV absorption but it is not advisable to use them outdoors at least where they are exposed to sunlight.

Problem is find some black CAT5. Unless it is I doubt it will be permanent where exposed to direct sunlight. I have a sample of a 2 pair CAT3 cable that is available in black and I believe 4 pair also. Verizon uses it to go from the outdoor demarc into the house.

You make a good point about low temperatures also. There are cables available that are made for "low temperature handling". The cables that I have seen this problem with seem only to be UTP. If you are going to install it in unheated space or even if you store it in your truck in the cold you don't want one that will crack on you.

I think you have to go out of your way to find a "cold weather" UTP cable because most is installed inside. You don't have this situation with coax and I have never had a problem with cold weather being a problem with it.

I had this problem when I brought a reel of cable inside from the truck one cold day. I was stapling it and with each staple the jacket cracked like an egg shell. So, this is not the kind of cable you would want to use outside unless it is Florida.

Whenever you see a flooded cable it is usually intended for burial applications and as such wouldn't be exposed to sunlight. So flooded isn't necessarily an outdoor cable either.

-Hal





[This message has been edited by hbiss (edited 11-02-2005).]

Here is the Commscope Cat 5e outdoor flooded that comes in only black : http://websvr.commscope.com/CommSco...066976693852569810059cbe4/$FILE/5EF4.pdf

I tried looking for a Cat 3 because after all it is just for frigging POTS lines but came up empty handed for information with Commscope but Superior Essex has something that looks like it will do the job: http://www.superioressex.com/products/osp/spec-sheet/universal.pdf

Both of these cables are rated for exposure to sunlight and have jackets that help block out moisture.
So after all of this it looks like there is more to just stapling it and making it look neat and there are concerns with mother nature and there is specific cable addressing these issues with running to the outdoor demarc.




[This message has been edited by mkoloj (edited 11-03-2005).]

That Commscope 5e looks like it will do the job. The Superior Essex is the usual aerial drop wire with fiberglass strength members for going from the pole to house. Not really suited for anything else.

The sample I have here is made by General Cable #110417E3. It is a 2 pair CAT3 and is marked "CMX-OUTDOOR-CMR" This one happens to be a light beige in color but I have also seen it in black. It has a really nice thick outer jacket. I suspect that it is a custom for the telcos since I haven't seen it listed on their site.

-Hal

That cable you have is definitely telco special as I have seen numerous times a 2 pair in black used by Verizon in NYC.
It has Verizaon printed on the jacket.

I love the way I have seen it put in a couple of times, one guy is on the floor they need to install a new line on, he stands at the window with the box of cable and grabs the loose end, he then proceeds to drop the box out the window to his partner on the sidewalk, they fasten it at the top and bottom as far as they can reach without a ladder then penetrate thru a hole drilled in the window sill, and staple away to the location.

They learned that technique from us when we were wiring Yonkers in the 80's.

-Hal