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Author Topic: What is this?  (Read 3957 times)

GigabitEthernet

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What is this?
« on: August 27, 2014, 04:48:54 PM »

Hello all,

There were two Openreach engineers working next to the telephone pole, outside my house, this afternoon.

They appear to have been working on this:



(Sorry for the somewhat poor image. I will try and obtain a better one later on.)

But what is this?
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burakkucat

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Re: What is this?
« Reply #1 on: August 27, 2014, 08:37:42 PM »

It looks, to me, as if that is a connection post which contains gel-crimps joining two sections of cable together. The fact that it is adjacent to the base of the pole makes me think that it is just a joint enclosure in the D-side cable, before it then proceeds up the pole to the pole-top DP.

Many years ago, just post WW2, the GPO started to install PCPs. In the area of SE London (where b*cat was born), almost every telephone pole had an asbestos-cement tertiary cross-connection point at its base. The TCP was a pillar, about four foot high . . . I suspect the object you have photographed is a more-recent manifestation -- that serves a similar purpose.  :-\

If you can take a close-up photograph then I suspect that Black Sheep will be able to tell us that item's correct name and purpose.  ;)
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GigabitEthernet

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Re: What is this?
« Reply #2 on: August 27, 2014, 10:54:35 PM »

I could have sworn they fitted it today but I may be incorrect.
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Bodge99

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Re: What is this?
« Reply #3 on: August 27, 2014, 11:37:51 PM »

Hello..

Looks like it could be: http://occurs.lineum.org.uk/index.php?post/2012/02/09/GPO-monolith

Also see for another GPO type:  http://www.britishtelephones.com/gpo/pillar.htm

Both were horrible to work with :>)

Bodge99
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Bodge99

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Re: What is this?
« Reply #4 on: August 27, 2014, 11:46:25 PM »

Hello (again).

Meant to say, in the first picture of the second link, the screws were meant to be tightened with a PO torque screwdriver. The screw heads were under cut, so if a No. 2 screwdriver was used and the screw was overtightened, then the screw head would shear off.

Bodge99 
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Black Sheep

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Re: What is this?
« Reply #5 on: August 28, 2014, 08:58:40 AM »

It does indeed look like (with my terrible eyesight) the type of plant shown in Bodge's first link ?

The only time I have ever seen these 'in action' was when I was seconded to Liverpool for a couple of weeks, other than that my patch always utilised the pillar shown in Bodge's second link. I can only speak for my own patch, but there aren't any of those left in existence anymore, they have either put the cables underground (in a UG box), or built another type of shell on them.

I would humbly suggest to Alec that the plant has probably always been there ??  :)
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GigabitEthernet

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Re: What is this?
« Reply #6 on: August 28, 2014, 10:50:37 AM »

May I ask then, what do you think they were doing?

They had taken the "top" off and we're looking at the cabling. There were two Openreach engineers, with two vans, so it didn't look like a consumer visit.
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Black Sheep

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Re: What is this?
« Reply #7 on: August 28, 2014, 12:53:54 PM »

As B*Cat pointed out, this is where cables will be terminated. There could be 2/3/4 etc ....  cables, within that closure. They could have been working on a fault for another EU, or even performing a 'Pair Divert'.

A 'Pair Divert' is where there is a shortfall of 'pair' (One Pair is needed per PSTN/DSL circuit) availability at a 'Distribution Point' (DP). For example, an EU may request a 2nd circuit for his premises and when the order is being built, the robotic tool that allocates a routing will show this shortfall. So, the job goes to our planners who will determine if a spare pair from another DP can be diverted to the one with the shortfall ?

If  a divert is possible, then there could be umpteen 'Points of intervention' (POI's) in order to 'Push' or 'Pull' a pair through.

Without being on-site at the time the engineers were there though, one can only guess what was going on ??  :)
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GigabitEthernet

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Re: What is this?
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2014, 08:41:45 PM »

Here is a much better of the "unknown" object:

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burakkucat

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Re: What is this?
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2014, 11:38:15 PM »

Yes, that is definitely a joint enclosure and it will be from where the feed to the pole-top DP originates.  :)
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Bodge99

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Re: What is this?
« Reply #10 on: August 30, 2014, 08:42:10 AM »

Hello,

I know these as "jointing posts". I'd guess that this one is from the '70s.

Horrible things... the one's that I remember were always covered with dog pee...

Bodge99
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