sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring cat 3 or cat 6

The way I am talking about is shown on the left side.

Actually both ways make you untwist about the same amount. With the second "CAT5e way" that inch doesn't give you much to grab onto with your fingers to put it in the clip. Only difference is that you want to maintain the jacket strip right up to the fanning strip and twists right up to the clips. That right there is a PITA and together with alternating the cuts is the reason 66 blocks aren't used much for data.

-Hal

The average cat5e cable is going to require you to undo about 6 more twists between the inner 66 clips and the comb. That's not insignificant, and is part of the reason that I find the cat5e way faster.

Well, not really. The proper way to terminate CAT4 and up on a 66 block is to bring the whole pair through the same hole in the fanning strip. Then, the tip conductor turns up into the upper clip for the pair and the ring conductor turns down to the lower clip. The untwisted cable pair length is less than 1/4", well within specs.

Cat 4? do you mean Cat 5? :shrug:

No, I meant CAT4. It all started as CAT1, 2, 3 and 4. The "professionals" have deemed most of them obsolete.

Gotcha...I have never actually seen Cat 4...

Still got a partial box....had a 20 year tech see the box and thought it was miss marked....

I find that quicker and easier than doing it the wrong way.

There never actually was any specification for CAT1 that I could find, it's performance was "unspecified", apparently a catch-all category for cable that had not otherwise been classified, such as quad, AT&T DIW, thermostat wire, zip cord, etc.

There were (and still are) some cable manufacturers making cable they call CAT1. I am unsure what the point of this cable is..why they would make it or why anyone would buy it. What I have seen of it (there is some in my mom's house--it's made by Essex and says CAT1 right on the jacket), it is at least twisted pair...and will work for 10BaseT, at least for short runs.