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Copper Cabling Flashcards

7 cards from real VDV practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. When installing copper cabling near fluorescent lighting fixtures, what is the minimum separation distance recommended by TIA-569?

    Answer: 5 inches (12.7 cm)

    TIA-569 recommends a minimum 5-inch separation between telecommunications cables and fluorescent fixtures to reduce EMI-induced noise.

  2. What is the purpose of the spline or cross-filler found inside some Cat6 cables?

    Answer: Maintain pair separation to reduce crosstalk between the four pairs

    The internal plastic spline physically separates the four pairs, maintaining consistent geometry that reduces near-end crosstalk in Cat6 cable.

  3. A field tester reports a 'split pair' fault. What wiring error causes this condition?

    Answer: One conductor from two different pairs is wired together instead of using a matched pair

    A split pair occurs when wires from two different pairs are used together as a pair, destroying the balanced transmission and drastically increasing crosstalk.

  4. Which copper cabling characteristic is expressed in decibels per 100 meters (dB/100m) and represents signal power lost along the cable?

    Answer: Insertion loss (attenuation)

    Insertion loss, also called attenuation, measures how much signal power is lost as it travels through the cable and is expressed as dB per unit length.

  5. In a T568A vs T568B comparison, which pairs are swapped between the two standards?

    Answer: Pairs 2 and 3 (the green and orange pairs)

    T568A and T568B differ only in the positions of the orange and green pairs (pairs 2 and 3); all other pairs remain in the same pin positions.

  6. What is the characteristic impedance of standard Cat5e/Cat6 UTP cable?

    Answer: 100 ohms

    All TIA-568 categories of UTP horizontal cabling have a nominal characteristic impedance of 100 ohms ± 15 ohms.

  7. A VDV technician is testing a newly installed Cat6 link and finds the 'PS-NEXT' value is failing. What does PS-NEXT measure?

    Answer: Power Sum NEXT — the combined crosstalk from all disturbing pairs onto one victim pair simultaneously

    PS-NEXT (Power Sum NEXT) calculates the total crosstalk noise on a victim pair from all three other disturbing pairs combined, reflecting real-world multi-pair transmission.