Application
Installation contractors, technical staff and field officers from telecommunications carriers, other private and public organisations and regulatory authorities apply the skills and knowledge in this unit. They combine technical skills with organisational and administrative skills.
Field officers may be responsible for small projects such as forming routine field measurements on optical fibres in broadband optical networks, RF cables and equipment in broadband cable networks and satellite and terrestrial television systems.
Prerequisites
Not applicable.
Elements and Performance Criteria
1. Prepare to use measuring instruments | 1.1 Obtain approval for site access with customer or site owner prior to site entry 1.2 Identify the purpose of the test and the type of measurement required 1.3 Select the appropriate tools and instruments according to the required measurement 1.4 Check tools and instruments and calibrate to ensure accuracy 1.5 Obtain resources required 1.6 Devise and implement risk control measures in consultation with appropriate personnel and document safety hazards |
2. Conduct measurements | 2.1 Follow site-specific safety requirements and enterprise occupational health and safety (OHS) processes and procedures 2.2 Set up test equipment according to manufacturer’s instructions and safe industry practice 2.3 Perform measurement using knowledge of appropriate testing techniques to assess the overall system performance 2.4 Record and interpret test results and compare with standard test specifications 2.5 Clean work area and make safe according to established procedures |
3. Document measurement results | 3.1 Document test results and make recommendations to achieve optimum performance 3.2 Notify customer of work completion |
Required Skills
Required skills
communication skills to:
liaise with internal and external personnel on technical and operational matters
relate to work associates, supervisors, team members and clients
literacy skills to interpret technical documentation such as manufacturer’s instructions
numeracy skills to take and analyse measurements
planning and organisational skills to organise and maintain equipment
safety awareness skills to:
apply precautions and required action to minimise, control or eliminate hazards that may exist during work activities
select and use required personal protective equipment conforming to industry and OHS standards
work systematically with required attention to detail without injury to self or others, or damage to goods or equipment
task management skills to work systematically with required attention to detail and adherence to all safety requirements
technical skills to:
clean an optical connector to an acceptable industry standard
inspect an optical connector for contamination and determine if cleaning is necessary
operate a digital signal level meter (SLM) to measure RF signals on a broadband network or on a satellite or terrestrial television installation
operate a passive optical network (PON) power meter to measure PON signals of various wavelengths on fibre to the home (FTTH) and fibre to the premises (FTTP) network
operate optical loss test set (OLTS) to measure loss of a fibre.
Required knowledge
consequences of mating contaminated optical connectors
decibels, dBm and dBmV
optical and RF connector types
RF awareness and RF safety
RF spectrum and optical spectrum limits and allocations
safe handling procedures with optical fibres.
Evidence Required
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.
Overview of assessment | |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | Evidence of the ability to: check and calibrate tools and instruments perform optical measurements using hand-held instrument perform RF measurements using hand-held instrument comply with all related OHS requirements and work practices. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment must ensure: sites on which optical and RF measurements installations can be conducted tools and equipment, currently used in industry, required for measurements. |
Method of assessment | A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit: direct observation of the candidate performing an optical measurement using a hand-held instrument direct observation of the candidate performing an RF measurement using a hand-held instrument review of an oral and written report with completed documentation. |
Guidance information for assessment | Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example: ICTBWN3100B Work safely with live fibre to test and commission a fibre to the x installation ICTBWN3082B Perform tests on optical communication system and components ICTRFN3055A Install a radio communications antenna and feedline ICTRFN3175A Operate and maintain radio communications technical instruments and field equipment. Aboriginal people and other people from a non-English speaking background may have second language issues. Access must be provided to appropriate learning and assessment support when required. Assessment processes and techniques must be culturally appropriate, and appropriate to the oral communication skill level, and language and literacy capacity of the candidate and the work being performed. In all cases where practical assessment is used it will be combined with targeted questioning to assess required knowledge. Questioning techniques should not require language, literacy and numeracy skills beyond those required in this unit of competency. Where applicable, physical resources should include equipment modified for people with special needs. |
Range Statement
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.
Type of measurement may include: | optical measurement: detecting the presence of an active optical network terminal (ONT) determining absolute optical power (in dBm) determining insertion loss (in dB) determining relative optical power level (in dB) RF measurement: determining absolute RF power (in dBm) determining relative RF power level (in dB) determining relative RF voltage (in dBmV). |
Tools may include: | alcohol swabs dry type cleaning cassette for optical connectors electrical attenuators with suitable connectors lint free dry wipes metallic test leads and RF cables microscope for examining optical connector face optical connector adaptors: FC to LC FC to SC FC to ST SC to ST optical launch cable optical reference cable optical termination resistive termination RF connector adaptors: BNC to F type N type to BNC N type to SMA test leads. |
Instruments may include: | hand-held optical power meter hand-held optical source OFI-FTTx active ONT detector OLTS PON meter signal level meter (SLM). |
Sectors
Telecommunications - Broadband and wireless networks
Employability Skills
This unit contains employability skills.
Licensing Information
No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement but users should confirm requirements with the relevant federal, state or territory authority.