SC UPC to SC APC Simplex Armored Fiber Patch Cable, OS2, Riser (OFCR)

New Zealand engineering teams can use the documented values below to compare the product with the intended channel and as-built requirements. This hybrid simplex armored patch cable pairs a flat-polished SC UPC connector on one end with an angled SC APC connector on the other, on a single OS2 9/125µm fiber protected by a helical stainless steel tube and blue 3.0mm riser-rated (OFCR) jacket. It exists for one recurring situation: hardware with UPC ports that must connect to an access plant terminated with APC interfaces.

Product Highlights

• Helical stainless steel armor against crush, impact and rodents
• G.657.A1 bend-insensitive fiber, 10/5D bend radius
• Riser (OFCR) flame rating for vertical building pathways
• Stock lengths 1m to 30m; custom lengths and jackets on request
• SC UPC to SC APC hybrid simplex, OS2 9/125µm single mode
• Flat UPC polish on the equipment end, 8° APC on the plant end

Specifications

Bridging UPC equipment and APC plant

Carrier access networks, PON plant and CATV infrastructure are overwhelmingly terminated with APC connectors; at the same time, a large share of customer-side and test hardware still ships with UPC interfaces. This hybrid cord joins the two directly in a single tested item, instead of leaving a mixed-polish adapter pair in the optical path where it adds loss and invites a mating mistake.

Reading connector colors before mating

The industry convention is simple and worth enforcing: blue housings are UPC, green housings are APC. Mating a flat UPC ferrule against an angled APC ferrule leaves an air gap that ruins return loss and may permanently chip the two end faces. On this cord the blue and green ends make the intended orientation obvious at a glance, even in a crowded enclosure.

Armor where the access network gets handled

Drop tails and customer-side jumpers are reconnected, stepped on and stuffed behind furniture-grade enclosures more than any other part of the plant. The helical steel tube inside the jacket lets this cord absorb that handling; therefore, the optical path survives the life of the deployment without conduit or protective sleeving.

Typical uses in carrier and CATV plant

Carrier access and CATV networks standardized on APC plant long ago; at the same time, much of the relevant equipment that connects to them, from older CPE to field meters, still presents UPC. This cord bridges that boundary in central offices, hub sites and customer premises without an adapter pair in the middle. The blue and green housings keep the orientation unmistakable even when the enclosure is crowded with identical-looking jumpers.

Length range and customization

Regular length versions are stocked for fast delivery: 1m (3ft), 2m (7ft), 3m (10ft), 5m (16ft), 10m (33ft), 15m (49ft), 20m (66ft) and 30m (98ft), covering the common rack-to-rack, access and frame connections this cord is built for. Project-built lengths beyond this range are manufactured to order. Access tails are easiest to dress at the measured length: order to the real distance from port to frame and no slack has to be hidden inside the enclosure. Specifying the particular channel length avoids the two the slack storage problem of an overlong cord and the strain risk of one that is too short.

Optical testing and quality checks

Every hybrid cord is terminated with precision zirconia ferrule SC connectors; the APC end is angle-verified and the two end faces are geometry-checked. Insertion loss and return loss are measured through the finished item before packing; therefore, the published 0.3dB and 50/60dB figures are tested data on the cord that ships.

How to Specify and Order

Reference against the SC UPC to SC APC simplex armored product line with the channel length and jacket rating stated. Other connector and polish combinations are offered through the made-to-order simplex armored program once the factory confirms the requested specification. New Zealand project orders can include documentation and labeling requirements alongside the technical configuration.