Maricopa Community Colleges  TLT145   20032-20086 
Official Course Description: MCCCD Approval: 07/22/08
TLT145 20032-20086 L+L 2 Credit(s) 3 Period(s)
Corrective Plant Maintenance
Community Antenna Television (CATV) plant maintenance procedures. Emphasis on the identification and correction of CATV plant equipment malfunctions. Covers map usage, electrical systems, headend passive devices, common plant malfunctions, and radio frequency isolation information.
Prerequisites: None.
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MCCCD Official Course Competencies:
 
TLT145   20032-20086 Corrective Plant Maintenance
1. Describe the architecture of a Community Antenna Television (CATV) system. (I)
2. Calculate the effects of cable change on signal levels. (II)
3. Describe the operation of the trunk and optical link portions of a cable plant. (III)
4. Describe the Alternating Current (AC) operation of passive devices located within a CATV plant. (IV)
5. Explain system powering for the operation of devices located within a CATV plant. (V)
6. Describe the operation of a feeder portion of a CATV plant. (VI)
7. Use CATV plant maps for troubleshooting purposes. (VII)
8. Use voltage calculation procedures to isolate cable plant power malfunctions. (VIII)
9. Explain radio frequency identification and isolation techniques. (IX)
10. Demonstrate the ability to isolate specific ingress and egress malfunctions at a CATV plant. (X)
11. Demonstrate the procedures for isolating CATV plant source equipment. (XI)
12. Indicate the repair and maintenance considerations associated with CATV plants and systems. (XII)
13. Perform basic CATV plant technician troubleshooting techniques. (XIII)
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MCCCD Official Course Outline:
 
TLT145   20032-20086 Corrective Plant Maintenance
    I. Community Antenna Television (CATV) Overview
        A. Architecture
          1. Coaxial Distribution
          2. Tree and Branch
          3. Supertrunk
          4. Ring-In-Ring
        B. Amplitude Modulated Microwave Link
        C. Fiber Optics
        D. Signal Transmission
          1. Video
          2. Data
          3. Two-Way Communication
      II. Cable Typology
          A. Structural Differences
          B. Cable Loss Determination
          C. Decibel Calculation
          D. Impedance
          E. Return Loss
          F. Cable Faults
          G. Fiber Optic Principles
        III. CATV Trunk Line and Optical Link
            A. Optical Link Operation
            B. Trunk Amplifier Operation
              1. Reverse Amplifier Operation
              2. Amplifier Configurations
            C. Noise
              1. Noise Funneling Effects
              2. Effects on Trunk
            D. Direct Current Power Supply Operation
            E. Signal and Power Routing
          IV. Passive Device Alternating Current (AC) Operation
              A. Fuse Locations
              B. In-line Equalizers
                1. Radio Frequency (RF) Problems
                2. AC Problems
              C. AC Configurations
                1. Splitters
                2. Couplers
                3. Taps
              D. Terminator Signal Flow
                1. AC Flow
                2. RF Flow
            V. System Powering
                A. Power Distribution
                  1. Trunk Lines
                  2. Feeder Lines
                B. Power Supplies
                  1. Standard
                  2. Stand-by
                  3. Ferro-resonant Transformer
                C. Square Wave Effects
                D. Root Mean Square (RMS) Multimeter
              VI. CATV Feeder
                  A. Feeder Signals
                    1. Levels
                    2. Routing
                    3. Distortion
                  B. Amplifiers
                    1. Bridger Amplifiers
                    2. Line Extenders
                    3. Signal Distortion
                  C. Multiple Output Distribution Devices
                  D. Second and Third Order Distortion
                VII. Plant System Maps
                    A. Representation
                      1. Location
                      2. Symbols
                      3. Devices
                    B. Usage
                  VIII. Voltage Calculation
                      A. Multimeter Usage
                        1. Direct Current (DC) Tests
                        2. AC Tests
                      B. Ohmmeter Usage
                      C. Volt Meter Usage
                      D. Inductive Ammeter Usage
                      E. AC Power Supply Problems
                      F. Capacitive Coupling
                    IX. RF Problems
                        A. Identification
                        B. Isolation
                        C. Signal Level Meter Usage
                        D. Time Domain Reflectometer Usage
                      X. Ingress and Egress Problems
                          A. Ingress Isolation Tools
                          B. Leakage Detection
                          C. Leak Isolation
                          D. Triangulation
                        XI. CATV Source Equipment Malfunctions
                            A. Amplitude Modulated Link
                            B. Phase Lock Loss
                            C. Microwave Fading
                            D. Optical Time Domain Reflectometer (OTDR) Usage
                            E. Optical Transmitter
                          XII. Equipment Repair Considerations
                              A. Cable Repair
                              B. Amplifier Replacement
                              C. Passive Device Replacement
                              D. Power Supply Replacement
                            XIII. Troubleshooting Techniques
                                A. Trouble Shooting Rules
                                B. Common Problem Referencing
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