Copper Expert

Don McCarty, monthly column, Copper Expert, focuses on troubleshooting and maintaining telephone cable in a digital world. His comprehensive outside plant training experience guides readers to increase effectiveness of telephone repair technicians and managers while maximizing their investment test equipment.

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Copper Expert

400 Columns + One Farewell

May 1, 2022
Don McCarty, ISE magazine's Copper Expert, reflects on his career as a trainer and columnist.
ISE Columnist Don McCarty, OSP Expert
Columnist

How come?

April 1, 2022
Field technicians call or send emails or texts to me asking questions about a problem they are encountering when provisioning and maintaining the copper infrastructure. These ...
ISE Columnist Don McCarty, OSP Expert
Columnist

Save the cable, keep your technicians, and develop loyal customers.

March 1, 2022
Each cable pair that is placed from a central office or a remote to a customer costs a few thousand to the telco for engineering, placement, heating up, and installation. […]
ISE Columnist Don McCarty, OSP Expert
Columnist

Provisioning And Maintaining POTS Circuits

Feb. 1, 2022
I feel privileged to have participated in the growth of the telecommunications industry. I’ve trained copper cable technicians for 50 years and, […]

Recommended

ISE Columnist Don McCarty, OSP Expert
Columnist

Cable Locating: Beyond The Basics

Dec. 1, 2021
In earlier columns I have discussed how to get started with your cable locator with tips about the types of hookups, tone transmission, etc. This month I discuss some of […]
ISE Columnist Don McCarty, OSP Expert
Columnist

Maintaining a Robust Copper Infrastructure According to Cable Type

Aug. 1, 2021
When a large number of customers are out of service, there is a root cause. Unfortunately, rather than do the hard work to find that cause, many technicians have been […]
ISE Columnist Don McCarty, OSP Expert
Columnist

Cable and Conductor Locating

July 1, 2021
One of the most difficult tasks in the utility business is finding the path of an underground conductor (pipe, cable, wire, etc.) in an area congested with other services. Any...
ISE Columnist Don McCarty, OSP Expert
Columnist

Danger Zone: Split Cable Pairs

June 1, 2021
Are you receiving repeated complaints from a customer having bandwidth circuits dropping or others on their line, yet the cable pair tests OK? It’s possible that your customer...
ISE Columnist Don McCarty, OSP Expert
Columnist

Wetting or Sealing Current

May 1, 2021
The following came from an interested reader, and may be an issue you’ve faced. I’d like to hear your comments! Dear Mr. McCarty: I have been working in the area […]