DCI Copper Cable Termination 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the FIRST step a technician should perform before terminating a horizontal cable at a telecommunications outlet?
- Label both ends with the port identifier (Correct answer)
- Strip the outer jacket back at least 50 mm
- Test the cable with a toner probe
- Install the keystone jack into the faceplate
Correct answer: Label both ends with the port identifier
Labeling both ends before termination ensures accurate identification after the cable is dressed and the workspace is cleared.
Question 2: A punch-down tool blade is installed backwards. What is the MOST likely result?
- The conductor is seated but not cut (Correct answer)
- The conductor is cut but not seated
- The insulation is damaged without seating
- No damage occurs; the tool still works
Correct answer: The conductor is seated but not cut
When reversed, the cutting edge faces away from the slot, so the wire is pushed into the IDC slot but the excess is not trimmed.
Question 3: Which Cat 6A cable construction is required when installed in a plenum air-handling space?
- CMP-rated (plenum) jacket (Correct answer)
- CMR-rated (riser) jacket
- CM-rated general-purpose jacket
- CMX-rated limited-use jacket
Correct answer: CMP-rated (plenum) jacket
CMP (Communications Multipurpose Plenum) rated cable is required by NEC Article 800 for installation in plenum air-handling spaces.
Question 4: What does an IDC (Insulation Displacement Connector) do during termination?
- Pierces the insulation to contact the conductor without stripping (Correct answer)
- Strips the insulation before clamping the bare conductor
- Crimps the jacket to provide strain relief
- Twists the conductor for mechanical retention
Correct answer: Pierces the insulation to contact the conductor without stripping
IDC contacts use sharp metal edges that cut through the insulation and make direct electrical contact with the conductor.
Question 5: Which test parameter verifies that a cable link is free of split pairs AND correctly wired?
- Wire map (Correct answer)
- Insertion loss
- NEXT
- Return loss
Correct answer: Wire map
The wire map test checks pin-to-pin continuity and identifies split pairs, reversed pairs, shorts, and opens.
Question 6: A Cat 5e field termination fails the TDR length test showing 110 m on a run measured at 85 m. The MOST probable cause is:
- Excessive slack or service loops in the cable run
- Incorrect NVP setting on the tester (Correct answer)
- A short circuit between two conductors
- The cable exceeds Cat 5e frequency range
Correct answer: Incorrect NVP setting on the tester
TDR distance measurements depend on the Nominal Velocity of Propagation (NVP); an incorrect NVP causes the tester to over- or under-report length.
Question 7: What is the maximum total channel length for a Cat 6 horizontal cabling system per TIA-568?
- 100 m (328 ft) (Correct answer)
- 90 m (295 ft)
- 70 m (230 ft)
- 55 m (180 ft)
Correct answer: 100 m (328 ft)
The TIA-568 channel model allows a maximum of 100 m total, including up to 90 m of horizontal cable and 10 m of patch cords.
DCI Copper Cable Termination 4
What is the FIRST step a technician should perform before terminating a horizontal cable at a telecommunications outlet?