By Robert N. O'Hara, Theta-Com
This paper deals with the damage and outages caused by both natural and man generated transients which are a major, very costly problem for CATV system operators. The paper is divided into 3 categories:
- The nature of transients
- Source of transients
- The prevention of damage and outages from transients
The emphasis in the paper involves an analysis of how transients get into the cable systems. These are categorized in such a manner as to enable analysis and preventative measures to be taken.
Protective devices are discussed in some detail including the characteristics and limitations of these devices. The major solution discussed in regard to preventing transient damage is the grounding system as used conventionally and as it might be used to improve the grounding action. The solutions discussed in the paper have been based on experience of systems as observed over the past two years.