Emtelle offers FS:Detect microduct damage detection system, FiSpy kit

Emtelle, which specializes in blown fiber and ducted network technology, will unveil FS:Detect, half of the new FiSpy kit, at ANGA COM 2018 this week Cologne, Germany. The FiSpy kit is designed to enable operators to detect and locate faults in fiber microduct. Use of the kit will enable technicians to select undamaged microduct when installing new fiber as well as streamline microduct repair operations, the company asserts.

The handheld FS:Detect pairs with the FS:Select tool developed by New Zealand-based FiComms (which markets it separately as FiSpy). FS:Select is able to identify damaged microduct, which enables technicians to avoid cutting ducts that are carrying live traffic, thus easing repair, says Emtelle.

FS:Detect goes a step further. The tool contains a blowable, traceable wire that can be blown up to 500 m to detect damage to ducts or microducts within a tube bundle or other microduct fiber environment. The cable stops when it hits any damage or impingement, says Emtelle; a standard CAT scanner and generator can then be used to pinpoint where the damage is located.

Taken in combination, the two tools enable technicians to detect damaged microducts with no individual color identification, which Emtelle says guarantees error-free detection of faulty or failed fiber installations. The kit is available with cable of up to 1,000 m with a minimum bend radius of 21 mm.

“The addition of FS:Detect to our range creates a complete kit which should cover all potential microduct connectivity issues, with the operation expense saving being so great that FiSpy will have paid for itself after just three uses when you take multiple civil engineers‘ activities into account,” asserts Colin Kirkpatrick, European sales director at Emtelle.

“The reaction to the launch of FiSpy earlier this year has been incredibly positive and when we saw an opportunity to widen its capabilities and create a complete, all-round solution, we knew we had to take it,” adds Sean Rainthorpe, CEO of FiComms. “The full FiSpy kit not only allows operators to select the microduct where there is a fault but enables exact detection of where the fault is in the microduct, helping them get their customers back online quickly – which is incredibly important as demand for ‘always-on’ broadband continues to rise.”

Emtelle will display the FiSpy kit as well as other elements of its portfolio at stand G60 from Tuesday, June 12 to Thursday, June 14.

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