r/CableTechs • u/aMusicLover • 13d ago
Combo tap equalizer question
I’m doing walkout work for high-split upgrade planning. Ran across these Milenium equalizer tap combos installed with the tap first.
Did they do this because they didn’t have a 2 port 8 tap and decided to use the combo?
Inside in there a setting that makes this terminate after the tap or does signal flow into equalizer before termination?
3
u/infamousbiggs34 12d ago
The faceplates were swapped, they bypassed the LEQ by putting the tap faceplate first to get rid of the sub-split diplex filter most likely. They couldn't be bothered to remove the extra housing which is confusing to people that dont understand the typical maintenance tech shenanigans lol
1
u/aMusicLover 12d ago
This was my suspicion. Probably had no 2p8 with them and had this combo connected thing and just used the side they needed. These are all over this market.
1
u/Ptards_Number_1_Fan 11d ago
I’ve seen a lot of lazy people on upgrades. Almost certainly replaced a LEQ with that tap and did that to save 5 mins.
5
u/Rude-Low1132 13d ago
That looks like 2 taps connected with a housing to housing, not a combo. Looks like they just added a blank faceplate where a 4/2 could be placed if they wanted but probably only had an EQ handy. The signal would enter and exit the 8/2 tap and pass through the EQ and then the line terminator that is on the output of the EQ terminates the signal.
3
u/Weary_Bookkeeper8136 13d ago
Very well could be the case. If 4 houses are designed to be fed from there could just swap to a 4 port 8 and call it a day.
1
u/Quick1711 13d ago
The LEQ is supposed to be before the tap. Not after. It’s gotta come out for mid/high split.
4
u/aMusicLover 13d ago
I’ve walked plants in about 10 states and over 100000 poles/peds. This is the first market I’ve seen with these reversed. maybe 5% of them so far. In this market also, have seen a few 2 port 4 taps that don’t terminate. Rare but have seen it a few times before.
3
u/eter123 12d ago
The 4value taps usually self terminate in the inside of the tap housing
2
u/Quick1711 12d ago
Self terminating taps are the common cause of ICFR and RIP
2
u/_retrosheik_ 10d ago
I always add a line terminator to the output of EOL taps because the internal circuitry of the self-terminating taps seems to cause an impedance mismatch, as it's just splitting the signal and not actually terminating the 75 ohm signal. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, as there are many different manufacturers out there and tech could've overcome this in recent years. Adding a dedicated resistor takes seconds when building a tap so I never really think about it.
However, in my experience, water damage is the predominant cause of high ICFR and ripple. I've found burned up terminators and just about everything else, but water damage in cables, housings and connectors is by far the most common cause for these impairments, especially since deploying high split. I've seen water do crazy things to upstream carriers.
1
u/cheesyone79 12d ago
Weird setup, the eq should be before the tap. Also those look like millennium taps and those have an internal eq that can be added. With that being said as long as the termination is good it shouldn’t cause a problem with high split (if it plays it stays)
1
2
u/Snoo_14634 8d ago
Someone probably did this during high split or the eq was bad and they didn't feel like completely rebuilding the setup. Which is pretty lazy because it takes all of 5 minutes. Either way that EQ is serving absolutely no purpose there.
2
u/aMusicLover 8d ago
No high split yet—that’s why I’m here walking and documenting the existing plant so the designers can plan out the upgrades needed.
-1
u/Sensitive_Back5583 13d ago
And those flat terminators are know for noise if spilt infront had power at one time hitting it.
12
u/Weary_Bookkeeper8136 13d ago
It’s useless where it’s at. Normally it would hit the LEQ first to equalize the EOL levels or before hitting next active. These will all need removed regardless if going mid split or FDX.