sundance-communications.com/forum Forums Wiring - Telecom Carriers - Trunks & Services Cabling Telephones Systems Wiring Transition CAT 6 OSP to CAT 6 CMP

I have a job I am bidding shortly that is requiring all floor boxes that are fed by underslab conduits to be served using OSP CAT 6 from the floor box to where the conduit stubs up into the ceiling space. From that point there will be a junction box where we need to transition the OSP cable to CMP cable. Anyone have any suggestions on what I could use to transition the cable while still maintaining the CAT 6 rating and warranty? Belden job. Transistion quantities are from a single cable up to 4 cables at each location. There are 100+ floor box locations.

If the box is large enough, I'd terminate the cables on a CAT6 rated 110 block, then terminate the CMP cables directly on the top side of the CAT6 wafers.

Do search for an ethernet cat6 junction box! You do know the OSP cables will bleed forever.

Some of the outside plant cable, like the stuff I used yesterday for cameras, does not use gel. It's got a type of powder instead.

If space is too tight for a 110 block, you could use GigaBIX wafers with wire retainers. Don't skip the retainers, or you'll get adjacent wafers shorting against each other. Bundle them in an enclosure like you'd do with 710s.

I personally die a little bit inside when I see this done for phone cables, but it sounds like your options are limited, if you need cat6 performance.

Gel-filled cable is illegal inside a building.

Making "transitions" (which translates to "splices") introduces the possibility of slow data, collisions, future faults, etc.

People use conduits expressly to avoid damage to CMP, so heavily-sheathed OSP inside conduits is over-kill.

Home-runs, from each floor pocket, directly run to at least to a few IDF's, is the way to go.

Thanks all. Arthur, I agree with you but this is a spec'd bid so I have to stick with the spec for now for pricing purposes but if I win I can go back and make a better suggestion.
What do you all think about terminating the OSP cable and the CMP cable in a 2 port biscuit on CAT 6 jacks and using a 1' patch cord to make the transition? Not sure how bid the box will be but I am assuming 6x6 or 8x8 at the biggest.

jwooten..just did a search for CAT 6 junction box and found something from SF Cables. Perfect!
Thank you!!