Article · January 2000 citations 16 reads 1,575 1

CABLE TESTERS

Introduction
There are several types of cable testers on the market. Some cable testers work best for soil moisture or are for specifically for electronics, others are difficult to use, or do not work with all cables. The most versatile and useful cable testers on the market currently are the Tektronix1502B/C/CS series (www.tek.com/measurement) and the Campbell Scientific, Inc. TDR100 (www.campbellsci.com).


Tektronix 1502B and 1502C
The Tektronix1502B and 1502C are heavy, rugged cable testers that can withstand rough treatment. An LCD screen on the cable tester shows the cable signature immediately. The 1502B has a removable battery pack while the 1502C has permanent lead/acid rechargeable batteries. To digitize and store the cable signature as comma delimited ASCII in a computer file, a RS232 interface module must be installed. A standard 25/9 pin connector is attached to interface and the serial port of a laptop computer for downloading the digitized signature. SP232 software, described below, is necessary to interface with the tester. The price of the tester is around $9,000.

Only the 1502B (also called the 1502CS) can be used for remote monitoring using a Campbell Scientific CR10X datalogger. A 12-volt power interface replaces the battery pack and a datalogger communications interface replaces the RS232 module. Both of these accessories are available from Campbell Scientific, Inc. Data is in comma delimited ASCII format.

Campbell Scientific, Inc. TDR100
The Campbell Scientific TDR100 is a new product and shows great promise. It costs significantly less than the Tektronix testers, around $3,500, but does not have a screen. It is much smaller and lighter than the Tektronix testers. The TDR100 is easy to use on site with a laptop and PCTDR100 software, allowing the cable signature to be viewed. It can also be interfaced with a CR10X datalogger without additional accessories.