Practical Exercise 8

Telecommunications
Technician
 iii

Contents

INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Activity 1
Activity 2
Activity 3
Activity 4
Activity 5
Conclusion

EXAMINATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
 1

Practical Exercise 8

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to your eighth telecommunications technician practical
exercise! The purpose of this program is to help you apply your program
learning to some real-life situations. First, you’ll complete some
suggested activities that relate to telecommunications. The suggested
activities are fun, hands-on activities you may want to try on your own.
Then, we’ll present you with scenarios that are frequently encountered
by technicians and some illustrations of common circuits and compo-
nents, and ask you to answer questions about them. These questions
will be graded as an examination.

The suggested activities contained in this practical exercise are optional,

but the examination at the end of the exercise is required and must be
submitted to the school for grading. However, because the suggested
activities are designed to help you increase and enhance your learning,
we strongly recommend that you attempt to complete as many of the
activities as possible.

Now, when you’re ready, complete the practical exercise. Then, submit
only your answers to the school headquarters for grading, using one of
the answer options described in your first shipment.

Remember, even though this exercise contains examination questions,

we’ve designed it to be fun, challenging, and interesting. Applying
your knowledge to real-life situations will help you realize how much
you’ve learned. It will be a rewarding experience that will give you
confidence in your newly acquired skills.

We hope you enjoy this practical exercise!

SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES
It’s time to take a break and have some fun. The following are some
hands-on activities that you may want to try to enhance your learning.
None of these activities will be graded. However, these activities will
help you expand your practical understanding of component types,
troubleshooting techniques, and the on-the-job responsibilities you’ll
face as a telecommunications technician. We therefore recommend that
you read through the activities in order to help you learn to apply your
electronic knowledge to some practical situations. At any time, you can
proceed to the graded portion of this practical exercise.
2 Practical Exercise 8

Activity 1
The purpose of this activity is to familiarize yourself with a variety
of modular components that are used in telephone applications. To
complete this activity, you’ll need a wall-mounted modular jack, a wall-
mounted conversion box, and a one-to-two converter. These components,
which are easily purchased at an electronics supply shop, hardware
store, or home improvement store, are illustrated in Figure 1. These are
just a few of the many components that are used to make connections
in various telephone configurations.

FIGURE 1—Shown here are a wall-mounted modular jack, a one-to-two converter, and a wall-mounted
conversion box.

Let’s start by taking a closer look at the wall-mounted conversion

box. Pry the cover off the conversion box and examine the connections
inside (Figure 2). Note that four screw terminals are connected to
spring-loaded contacts inside the connector with different colored
wires. This type of box is used to convert over to an RJ11 jack from
external wiring. When you’re working with this type of box, you’ll
always connect like-colored wires together at the screw terminals
inside the box.
Practical Exercise 8 3

FIGURE 2—This illustration shows an internal view of a wall-mounted conversion

box.

Next, let’s examine the wall-mounted modular jack. The jack is similar
in function to the conversion box, except that the jack is designed to be
mounted flush against a wall (in the same way that a light switch or an
electrical outlet is mounted on a wall). When you’re working with this
type of jack, you’ll always connect like-colored wires together, just like
you would in a conversion box. Figure 3 shows a view of the terminal
side of the wall-mounted jack.

FIGURE 3—This illustration shows the terminal side of a wall-mounted modular jack.
4 Practical Exercise 8

Now, let’s look at the one-to-two converter. A one-to-two converter al-

lows a single modular outlet to be converted into two separate outlets.
(These converters are also available in one-to-three configurations.) At
this time, take your one-to-two converter and plug it into the wall outlet
as shown in Figure 4. Once the converter is locked into the wall socket,
you’ll need to press the tab to get the converter back out of the wall jack.

FIGURE 4—Shown here is

a one-to-two converter
plugged into a wall jack.

In this exercise, you examined a few of the many components that are
available for connecting telephone equipment. You should be aware
that all of these components have one thing in common—they all
connect to a modular plug. Two different modular plugs are shown in
Figure 5. The smaller plug has six electrical contacts, and the larger plug
has eight electrical contacts. These plugs are used in various telephone
and computer applications.

FIGURE 5—Two modular

plugs are shown here.
The smaller plug has six
electrical contacts, and
the larger plug has eight
electrical contacts.

Activity 2
A modular crimping tool is designed to perform all the tasks necessary to
prepare a length of cable and to install a modular plug on one end (or
both ends) of the cable. The purpose of this activity is to learn about the
parts of a modular crimping tool. To complete this activity, you’ll need
the modular crimping tool that was furnished with this module.
Practical Exercise 8 5

First, look at the cutting blade on the side of the tool (Figure 6). The
cutting blade is used to cut a cable to a desired length. This cutter is bet-
ter for cutting telephone cable than an ordinary set of diagonal cutters.
The cutter on the crimping tool is razor-sharp, so it can make clean,
square cuts through a cable. Cable ends that are cut clean and square
are easier to insert into modular plugs.

FIGURE 6—The modular crimping tool’s cutting blade is shown here.

Before a cut length of cable can be inserted into a plug, a short length of
the outer insulation must be removed. The amount of insulation re-
moved is critical to the proper operation of the cable. If too much insu-
lation is removed, the connection will be mechanically weak and prone
to breakage during normal use. If too little insulation is removed, the
cable may not make a proper electrical connection with the plug. The
modular crimping tool’s stripping blades are shown in Figure 7.

The two crimping holes that are labeled in Figure 7 are used to crimp
modular plugs on a cable. The two holes are designed to accommodate
two different sizes of modular plugs. It’s important that the proper size
crimping hole be used with the appropriate modular plug.
6 Practical Exercise 8

FIGURE 7—The modular crimping tool’s stripping blades and crimping holes are
shown here.

Activity 3
The purpose of this activity is to learn how to prepare a telephone cable
for the installation of modular plugs. You’ll cut a piece of telephone
cable to length and strip the proper amount of insulation from both
ends. To complete this activity, you’ll need an 8-foot length of four-
conductor telephone cable and your crimping tool.

Use the crimping tool to cut a 6-inch length of telephone cable as

shown in Figure 8. Make sure that the cut end of the cable is smooth
and square. Then, cut an inch or so off the opposite end of the longer
cable to make sure that this end is also smooth and square.

Next, you’ll need to strip 1 4 inch of insulation from each end of the
telephone cable. To do this, insert one end of the cable flush against
the small metal tab inside the two cutting edges of the crimping tool
(Figure 9). This metal tab sets the amount of insulation that will be
removed by the cutter when the tool is closed.
Practical Exercise 8 7

FIGURE 8—Cut a 6-inch length of telephone cable by using the modular crimp-
ing tool’s cutting blade.

FIGURE 9—You’ll need to strip ¼ inch of insulation from each end of the tele-
phone cable. To do this, insert one end of the cable flush against the small
metal tab inside the two cutting edges of the crimping tool.
8 Practical Exercise 8

Holding the cable flush against the tab, close the tool’s handles tightly to
grasp the cable end with the cutters. (Don’t worry about closing the grips
too tightly, since the stripping blades are designed to penetrate only the
cable’s outer insulation. You can’t cut through the inner conductors with
the stripping blades.) Once you’ve firmly closed the tool’s handles, pull
the cable away from the tool. The insulation should be cleanly removed,
leaving only the four inner conductors intact (Figure 10).

FIGURE 10—Close the tool handles and strip the insulation from the cable end as
shown here.

If you’ve performed this operation correctly, exactly 1 4 inch of insula-

tion should have been removed from the end of the cable. Repeat these
steps to strip the insulation from the other end of the cable.

At this time, both ends of your cable should have exactly 1 4 inch of outer
insulation removed, as shown in Figure 11. The four inner conductors
should be cut smooth and square with their insulation intact. Your cable
is now prepared to have modular plugs installed on each end.

FIGURE 11—Both ends

of your cable should
have exactly ¼ inch of
insulation removed, as
shown here.
Practical Exercise 8 9

Activity 4
The purpose of this activity is to learn how to install modular plugs on
the ends of a telephone cable. To complete this activity, you’ll need the
length of telephone cable that you prepared in Activity 3, two modular
plugs, and the modular crimping tool.

Look at your prepared telephone cable. Notice that one side of the cable
has a narrow rib extending along its length as shown in Figure 12. The
other side of the cable is smooth. Position the cable with the ribbed side
as shown in Figure 12, and then push the end of cable firmly into a
modular plug. Push the cable into the plug until you meet firm resis-
tance; this will indicate that the cable is properly seated.

FIGURE 12—Position the cable with the ribbed side as shown here, and then
push the end of cable firmly into a modular plug.

Next, place the plug (with the cable inserted in it) into the hole marked
6P on your crimping tool. (The other hole, marked 8P, is designed for a
larger plug.) Position the plug as shown in Figure 13 and push it into
the hole until it seats firmly.

Now, before you crimp the plug onto the cable, make sure that the plug
is still firmly seated in the hole and that the cable is still firmly seated
inside the plug. Then, squeeze the handles of the crimping tool together
tightly until they reach their mechanical stop. Release the handles and
remove the plug from the crimping tool. The plug should now be per-
manently connected to the end of the cable with a reliable mechanical
and electrical connection.

Next, repeat the plug installation procedure on the other end of the
cable. Remember to pay attention to the position of the cable’s rib when
you insert the cable into the plug. The ribbed side of the cable should be
aligned with the same side of both plugs. The proper positioning is
shown in Figure 12.
10 Practical Exercise 8

FIGURE 13—Place the plug (with the cable inserted in it) into the hole marked 6P
on your crimping tool, and push the plug into the hole until it seats firmly.

If you closely examine one of the installed plugs and then compare it to
an unused plug, you’ll be able to see how the plugs work. An unused
plug has four gold-colored contacts that protrude above its plastic
housing. When the plug is crimped onto a prepared telephone cable,
the gold contacts are forced downward to actually pierce the insulation
on the wires. This allows the contacts to make a good electrical connec-
tion with the conductors inside. Also, look at the small plastic tab that’s
located behind the gold contacts on the unused plug. When the plug is
installed on a cable, the crimping tool presses this plastic tab downward
into the insulated part of the cable inside the connector. This ensures a
strong mechanical joint and prevents the cable from being pulled out of
the connector.

Once you’ve installed both plugs on the ends of the cable, you’re ready
to test your completed cable assembly on an active telephone line. To
test your cable assembly, simply locate a telephone that has modular
connectors from the phone to a wall jack. Disconnect the existing cable
from the telephone and the wall jack, and then replace it with the cable
that you prepared. After both ends of the cable are connected, lift the
receiver. Do you hear a dial tone? If so, then your cable preparation ex-
ercise was a success! If not, read through the instructions again to see
what might have gone wrong. (Remember that the connectors must be
installed with the ribbed side of the cable placed as shown in Figure 12.
Practical Exercise 8 11

If your cable isn’t positioned this way, the installation won’t work
properly.) Note that several modular plugs have been provided for you
to use as you wish for practice.

Activity 5
The purpose of this activity is to learn how to use the lug crimping tool.
To complete this activity, you’ll need the lug crimping tool you re-
ceived in a previous instruction package, a lug (also called a terminal
end), and a 12-inch length of #18 stranded wire. The lug crimping tool is
illustrated in Figure 14.

FIGURE 14—The lug crimping tool is shown here.

Start by cutting your 12-inch length of #18 wire. Then, strip 1 4 inch of in-
sulation from one end of the #18 wire. To do this, insert the end of the
wire into the proper hole in the lug crimping tool, close the handles
1 inch from the end of the wire, and pull the wire away from the tool.
4
Exactly 1 4 inch of insulation should be cleanly removed from the end of
the wire, leaving the inner conductors intact. Note that your crimping
tool has a variety of openings to accommodate various sizes of wires
and lugs. Always be sure to use the correct wire-stripping hole to avoid
nicking the conductors.

Next, insert the prepared end of the wire into a lug, as shown in Figure 15.
Make sure that the wire is firmly seated inside the lug. The figure
indicates the point at which you’ll need to crimp the lug onto the wire.
12 Practical Exercise 8

FIGURE 15—Insert the

prepared end of the wire
into a lug.

Now place the lug (with the wire inserted in it) into the larger of the
two openings in the crimping tool, as shown in Figure 16. When you’re
sure that the lug is firmly inside the opening, clamp down tightly on
the tool’s handles. This action should crimp the back end of the lug
firmly around the wire. (Try to avoid inserting any wire insulation into
the lug.)

FIGURE 16—Place the lug (with the wire inserted in it) into the larger of the two
openings in the crimping tool. Then, clamp down tightly on the handles to crimp
the lug onto the wire.

Practice using the crimping tool on the remaining lugs by cutting your
wire into various lengths and installing lugs on each end. This is a skill
you’ll be called on to demonstrate often as a telecommunications
technician.
Practical Exercise 8 13

Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed these suggested activities. Now, when you’re
ready, proceed to the graded portion of this practical exercise. This part
of the exercise is completed in the same way as the other examinations
for your program. Remember, you can refer back to your program
materials at any time if you feel that you need to review any material.
When you’re finished with the examination, send your answers in to
the school for grading. Good luck!
14 Practical Exercise 8

NOTES
Examination 15

925 Oak Street

Scranton, Pennsylvania 18515-0001

Practical Exercise 8

EXAMINATION NUMBER:

38702500
Whichever method you use in submitting your exam
answers to the school, you must use the number above.
For the quickest test results, go to
http://www.takeexamsonline.com

When you feel confident that you have mastered the material in this practical exercise, complete
the following examination. Then submit only your answers to the school for grading, using one of
the examination answer options described in your “Test Materials” envelope. Send your answers
for this examination as soon as you complete it. Do not wait until another examination is ready.

Questions 1–20: Select the one best answer to each question.

1. Look at the DTMF generator circuit that’s shown in Figure A-1 on the following page. What two tones will be
present at the output of the summing amplifier when the “5” key is pressed?
A. 770 Hz and 1,209 Hz C. 697 Hz and 1,633 Hz
B. 770 Hz and 1,336 Hz D. 852 Hz and 1,336 Hz

2. In the circuit shown in Figure A-1, the purpose of the summing amplifier is to combine the
A. row and column tones into the DTMF signal.
B. output of the oscillator with the column encoder.
C. output of the oscillator with the rod encoder.
D. row and column tones into a stairstep waveform.

3. In the circuit shown in Figure A-1, suppose that the line labeled C1 opens. When this occurs, which of the
following keys on the keypad can’t be encoded?
A. 1 and 2 C. 1, 4, 7, and *
B. 1, 2, 3, and A D. 1, 5, 9, and D
16 Examination

OSCILLATOR Vcc

C1
C2 COLUMN
C3 COUNTER D/A
ENCODER
C4 KEYPAD
DECODE
R1 LOGIC
1 2 3 A R2 ROW TONE
4 5 6 B SUMMING
R3 COUNTER OUTPUT
7 8 9 C D/A AMP
R4 ENCODER
* 0 # D

KEYPAD

FIGURE A-1—Use this illustration to answer Questions 1, 2, and 3.

1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1

PULSE
TRAIN 1

PULSE
TRAIN 2

FIGURE A-2—Use this illustration to answer Question 4.

4. Look at the pulse trains that are shown in Figure A-2. Which of the following statements correctly describes
these pulse trains?
A. Pulse train 1 is NRZ, and pulse train 2 is bipolar
B. Pulse train 1 is PCM, and pulse train 2 is bipolar
C. Pulse train 1 is unipolar, and pulse train 2 is alternating
D. Pulse train 1 is unipolar, and pulse train 2 is bipolar

5. Look at the limiter circuit that’s shown in Figure A-3. The primary purpose of this circuit is to limit the
A. frequency swing of the input signal. C. power level of the input signal.
B. current level of the input signal. D. voltage level of the input signal.

6. In the limiter circuit that’s shown in Figure A-3, the purpose of RC is to

A. act as a collector load for the transistor.
B. make the stage easily overdriven.
C. broaden the bandpass of the coupling circuit.
D. decouple the power supply from the circuit.
Examination 17

FM
DETECTOR

FROM RC
INTERMEDIATE
FREQUENCY
AMPLIFIER VCC

FIGURE A-3—Use this illustration to answer Questions 5 and 6.

PHASE
COMPARATOR LOW-PASS
OR DETECTOR FILTER

VOLTAGE-
CONTROLLED
OSCILLATOR
(VCO)

FIGURE A-4—Use this illustration to answer Questions 7, 8, and 9.

7. Look at the circuit that’s shown in Figure A-4. Under locked conditions, the output of the
low-pass filter that’s fed back to the VCO is a(n)
A. AC voltage. C. digital signal.
B. pulse voltage. D. DC voltage.
18 Examination

8. In the circuit shown in Figure A-4, the output of the low-pass filter remains constant when the VCO
A. is in frequency and in phase with input frequency.
B. is an even multiple of the input frequency.
C. is an odd multiple of the input frequency.
D. begins to drift off frequency.

9. Look at the two inputs to the phase comparator in Figure A-4. Which of the following statements about the
two inputs is correct?
A. Both inputs are varying DC voltages.
B. The VCO input is AC, and the other input is DC.
C. Both inputs are AC voltages.
D. The VCO input is DC, and the other input is AC.

10. A phase-locked loop that’s used as an FM detector will produce a modulating audio signal at the
A. output of the VCO. C. output of the phase detector.
B. output of the low-pass filter. D. output of the divide-by-N counter.

11. Which of the following statements about using a multimeter is correct?

A. Using a multimeter to test a transistor is similar to testing two diodes back to back.
B. You can’t use a multimeter to test a transistor because the transistor junctions have dynamic
impedance.
C. In order to use a multimeter to test a transistor, the multimeter must have a special transistor test
function.
D. You can only test PNP transistors with a multimeter.

RF FIRST IF SECOND IF
AMPLIFIER MIXER AMPLIFIER MIXER AMPLIFIER

LOCAL LOCAL
OSCILLATOR OSCILLATOR

FIGURE A-5—Use this illustration to answer Questions 12 and 13.

12. Look at the circuit that’s shown in Figure A-5. If the first IF frequency is 15 MHz, the second IF frequency is
2 MHz, and the image frequency is 60 MHz, what will be the frequency of the receiver’s first and second lo-
cal oscillators?
A. 13 MHz and 15 MHz C. 45 MHz and 15 MHz
B. 15 MHz and 13 MHz D. 75 MHz and 13 MHz

13. In the circuit shown in Figure A-5, rejection of the image frequency takes place primarily in the
A. second mixer stage of the receiver. C. RF amplifier stage of the receiver.
B. first mixer stage of the receiver. D. IF amplifier stage of the receiver.
Examination 19

14. An FSK signal sent between the first and second ring signals is used to
A. determine the bit error rate of the transmission line.
B. send test signals between telephone central offices.
C. send caller ID information.
D. provide special signaling for cordless telephones.

FIGURE A-6—Use this illustration to answer Questions 15 and 16.

15. Look at the circuit that’s shown in Figure A-6. If the frequency synthesizer shown produces an output (f0) of
150 MHz, which of the following statements about the circuit is correct?
A. The programmable divider is set to divide by 5, and the crystal oscillator is set at 30 MHz.
B. The programmable divider is set to divide by 10, and the crystal oscillator is set at 15 MHz.
C. The programmable divider is set to divide by 15, and the crystal oscillator is set at 20 MHz.
D. The programmable divider is set to divide by 20, and the crystal oscillator is set at 25 MHz.

16. In the circuit shown in Figure A-6, which of the following blocks in the synthesizer determines the accuracy
of the output signal?
A. The voltage-controlled oscillator C. The divide-by-N counter
B. The phase comparator D. The crystal oscillator

17. How many wire pairs are required to connect 50 telephones?

A. 50 C. 1,225
B. 100 D. 2,500

18. Look at the circuit shown in Figure A-7 on the following page. Which of the following statements correctly
describes this circuit?
A. This circuit is a binary adder. C. This circuit is an electronic switch.
B. This circuit is a quad comparator. D. This circuit is a digital-to-analog converter.
20 Examination

FIGURE A-7—Use this illustration to answer Questions 18 and 19.

19. In the circuit shown in Figure A-7, which of the following switch closures will have the greatest effect on VO?
A. B1 and B2 C. B1 and B4
B. B1 and B3 D. B2 and B3

20. In computer-to-computer communications, the transmitter and the receiver clock free-run at
approximately the same frequency in the
A. asynchronous system. C. synchronous system.
B. start-bit, stop-bit system. D. frame-to-frame system.