SCTE Broadband Premses Techncan (BPT) Competences Scope The Socety of Cable Telecommuncatons Engneers (SCTE) Broadband Premses Techncan certfcaton descrbes the knowledge of an experenced feld techncan who wll nstall and troubleshoot telecommuncatons servces (vdeo, voce, and data) at the customer s premses. The successful certfcaton canddate has the knowledge to nstall and servce most trple-play nstallatons. The Broadband Premses Techncan certfcaton s one of three stand-alone Broadband Premses Specalst certfcatons. Content ncludes the how of the telecommuncatons nstallaton and servce. I. Technology, Systems & Requrements Competency Knowledge, Sklls, and Abltes A Explan the basc components of NTSC vdeo. B Explan the bascs of dgtal sgnals. 1. Explan basc analog (NTSC) televson operaton a. Name the components of the vdeo sgnal Descrbe pcture constructon Descrbe sgnal structure Descrbe composte vdeo 2. Explan the followng transmsson technques: a. Defne analog modulaton Ampltude Frequency Phase b. Descrbe frequency assgnments Bandwdth Frequency plans (forward/reverse) Vsual carrer v Aural carrer v Color sub-carrer 1. Explan dgtal fundamentals: a. Bnary system Fundamentals Numberng Codng of nformaton 2. Name the components of the dgtal sgnal a. Bascs of dgtal sgnals Defne dgtal b. Explan analog to dgtal (A/D) converson Page 1 of 22
Fundamentals of converson Defne decodng Defne pulse-code modulaton (PCM) v Defne codec 3. Explan the followng dgtal modulaton technques a. Dgtal Modulaton Quadrature Phase-Shft Keyng (QPSK) Quadrature Ampltude Modulaton (QAM) Frequency-Shft Keyng (FSK) 4. Dgtal Multplexng a. Multple Streams n 6 MHz bandwdth b. MPEG c. Compresson ratos d. Multplexng (wth respect to DOCSIS) Tme Dvson Multplexng (TDM) Frequency Dvson Multplexng (FDM (a) Broadband spectrum dgtal sgnal frequency allocaton e. Descrbe two-way sgnal flow 5. Explan sgnal dstrbuton methods a. Wreless b. Wred Coaxal cable Twsted par Optcal 6. Explan channel mappng 7. Explan structure of messages through the ntroducton of the followng: a. Frames b. Packets c. Open Systems Interconnecton Basc Reference Model (OSI Reference Model; OSI Model) 8. Identfy RF carrer levels for dgtal QAM/channel 9. Defne the followng transmsson metrcs: a. Data rate b. Symbol rate Payload Overhead Throughput (a) QoS - qualty vs. quantty of sgnal (b) Servce Level Agreement (SLA) Page 2 of 22
C Identfy the components and characterstcs of fber-optc cable used wthn the drop system and at the customer s premses. D Identfy and descrbe the characterstcs of cables and wre used wthn the drop system and at the customer s premses. E Identfy the dfferences and smlartes between the cable operator-provded and other voce servces. 1. Optcal fber a. Defne Composton Characterstcs (a) Attenuaton (b) Wavelength b. Benefts c. Applcatons d. Safety 2. Calculate fber loss and expected sgnal levels 1. Descrbe coaxal cable attenuaton propertes a. Defne db Explan the dfference between db and dbmv b. Defne attenuaton c. Explan the effect cable length has on coaxal cable d. Explan the effect temperature has on coaxal cable e. Explan the effect frequency has on coaxal cable f. Defne n basc terms velocty of propagaton g. Defne n basc terms DC loop resstance h. Defne n basc terms mpedance. Defne n basc terms frequency response j. Defne n basc terms return loss 2. Gven devce nputs/outputs, cable attenuaton, and nserton losses, be able to calculate coaxal cable loss and expected sgnal levels 3. Descrbe the followng twsted par propertes: a. Cross talk b. Capactance c. Frequency Response d. Classfcatons 1. Publc Swtched Telephone Network (PSTN) 2. Defne the followng: a. Ported number b. Natve number c. On- net d. Off-net 3. Fundamentals of broadband telephony a. Defne crcut swtched b. Defne Voce over nternet protocol (VoIP ) Packet swtchng PacketCable TM (a) emta Page 3 of 22
F Identfy the dfferences and smlartes between cable operator-provded hgh-speed servces (HSD) and other HSD servces. 4. Powerng a. Twsted par powerng (AC) Advantages Dsadvantages b. Coaxal powerng Advantages Dsadvantages c. Batteres d. Network power vs. home power 1. Internet a. Defne the Internet b. Publc vs. prvate (managed network) c. Frewall d. Defne fundamentals of hgh-speed data Page 4 of 22
II. Premses Devces Competency A Identfy and descrbe customer provded devces used to offer vdeo, voce and data servces at the customer s premses. Knowledge, Sklls, and Abltes 1. Televsons a. Explan basc analog (NTSC) televson operaton Block dagram functons Powerng Sgnal sourcng (a) Channel characterstcs (b) Channel assgnments (c) Channel bandwdth b. Descrbe the characterstcs of a cable compatble televson Cable compatble nterface Channel capacty c. Descrbe common televson controls User Controls Servce Controls (a) Second Audo Programmng (SAP) (b) Closed captonng d. Descrbe typcal nterfaces for the followng TV types and components: Standard defnton (SD) (a) RF (b) Composte (as t relates to the nterface) () RCA (c) S-vdeo Hgh defnton (HD) e. Name the types of TV Recevers: Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) - Drect vew ( Projecton devces Lqud Crystal Dsplay (LCD) v Plasma v HDTV (a) Aspect rato () 4:3 () 16:9 (b) Screen resoluton () 480 () 480p () 720p (v) 1080, p (c) Connectons () Component Page 5 of 22
() Hgh-Defnton Multmeda Interface (HDMI) 1. Includes audo () Dgtal Vsual Interface (DVI) (v) PC nterface (d) Effects of aspect rato msmatch: () Letter box () Pllarng (e) Dgtal Lght Processor (DLP) f. Dgtal TV Transton (DTV) Feb 2009 mpact 2. Dgtal Vdeo Recorder (DVR) a. Defne a DVR and descrbe ts purpose b. Explan the nterface wth servce provder devce 3. Dgtal Vdeo Dsc/Dgtal Versatle Dsc (DVD) a. Defne DVD and descrbe ts purpose b. Defne Blu-Ray c. Explan the nterface wth servce provder devce 4. Network DVR servce 5. Vdeo Cassette Recorder (VCR) a. Defne a VCR and descrbe ts purpose b. Explan the nterface wth servce provder devce 6. Defne the followng navgaton devces/nterfaces: a. Remote Control Identfy the keys on a remote control b. Parental Control Defne parental control c. (IR) Blaster Defne Infrared (IR) Blaster and descrbe ts purpose 7. Game Consoles a. Identfy a game console 8. Home Theater Recever 9. Dolby AC3 10. Vdeo Swtches a. Defne n basc terms vdeo swtches and descrbe purpose 11. Slngbox a. Defne n basc terms Slngbox and descrbe purpose 12. IPod Touch a. Defne n basc terms IPod Touch and descrbe purpose 13. Meda Center Page 6 of 22
a. Defne n basc terms Meda Center and descrbe purpose 14. Audo a. Analog stereo TV Page 7 of 22 Baseband Sony/Phlps Dgtal Interconnect Format (S/PDIF) (Dgtal RCA) Coaxal cable (a) RCA jacks (analog) b. Optcal fber TOSLnk 15. Interactve TV a. VOD b. SVOD 16. Telephones a. Telephone components Base Rnger Handset v Hook swtch v Dal pad b. Powerng Loop start/ground start Loop current Rngng (a) REN c. Cordless phones Frequences of operaton (a) Duplex frequency Powerng/UPS Modulaton technques (a) Dgtal Spread Spectrum (DSS) d. Other Devces Dal-up modems (b) V.90/92 Alarm servce equpment (c) Lne sezng External Caller ID Devces v FAX 17. Personal computers (PCs) a. Software Operatng systems (OS) (a) Wndows (b) 98 SE (c) NT (d) XP (e) Vsta
Macntosh Lnux v Installaton of cable-suppled data servces (a) Servce provder applcatons () Mal () Securty 1. Defne encrypton b. Hardware CPU/motherboard Expanson bus (a) ISA expanson bus (b) Perpheral Component Interconnect (PCI) (c) PCMCIA (d) Unversal Seral Bus (USB) (e) IEEE 1394 multmeda connecton (f) Frewre (Apple) Defne computer Memory (a) RAM (b) ROM (c) CMOS v Storage devces/meda (a) Internal storage (b) External storage c. Input/Output Seral nterface (a) EIA-232 (b) USB (c) Infrared (d) Network Interface Card (NIC) Parallel nterface Perpheral devces d. Applcaton confguraton Browsers (a) Internet Explorer (b) Mozlla Frefox (c) Safar (Apple) e. Emal (a) Clent (b) Web-based Page 8 of 22
B Identfy and descrbe the functon and use of companyprovded devces used to offer voce and data at the customer s premses. 1. Dgtal set-top boxes (STB) (mddleware) a. Features/functons b. Set-top applcatons Navgaton ads (d) Onscreen dsplays (e) Program gudes 2. Modem 3. Embedded Multmeda Termnal Adapter (emta) 4. Condtonal access technques a. Analog b. Dgtal 5. CableCard/STB ntegraton a. Defne b. Provsonng 6. T-commerce 7. Thrd party applcatons a. Program gudes b. News c. Sports d. Weather e. Caller ID on televson Page 9 of 22
III. Installaton Competency A Descrbe the cable types, handlng technques, connectorzaton, and methods and procedures for nstallng coaxal drop cable used to provde servce to the customer s premses. Knowledge, Sklls, and Abltes 1. Descrbe the followng coaxal cable types and explan when each s used: a. Underground (flooded) b. Aeral messenger c. Natonal Electrcal Code (NEC) Classfcaton CATV CATVX CATVR v CATVP 2. Defne coaxal compresson connectors a. Identfy connector components 3. Explan the purpose of securty shelds and demonstrate nstallaton and removal 4. Explan how drop cable preparaton s accomplshed for each of the followng cable preparaton stages: a. Jacket removal b. Delectrc c. Brad d. Center conductor e. Brad 5. Explan how the followng cable handlng technques must be practced: a. Mnmum bend radus b. Drp loops c. Structural consderatons Fastenng Attachments Structural return loss d. Descrbe the mpact of mproper handlng technques e. Descrbe the mpact of mproper fastenng technques 6. Mechancal and electrcal ntegrty a. Descrbe the torque specfcatons for connectng coaxal drop cable to: Consumer equpment Exteror wrng b. Weatherproofng Page 10 of 22 Slcone grease Thread protectors (a) Length varatons
B Descrbe the cable types, handlng technques, connectorzaton and splcng, and methods and procedures for nstallng optcal fber drop used to provde servce to the customer s premses. C Descrbe the wre types, handlng technques, termnaton, and methods and procedures for nstallng twsted par wre used to provde servce to the customer s premses. D Descrbe the methods and procedures for nspectng an exstng resdental bond and for ensurng the bond meets Boots and grease v Shrnk tube v Encapsulatng devces 1. Descrbe how to construct the followng drop fber splces/connectors: a. Fuson b. Mechancal c. Connectors 2. Descrbe fber preparaton a. Identfy safety consderatons 3. Descrbe fber handlng a. Descrbe the mpact of mproper handlng technques 4. Defne fber to the customer s premses (FTTx) where x = a. Home b. Curb c. NID 1. Descrbe the twsted par wre n the premses a. Category 5 twsted par Plugs and jacks RJ31x RJ-etc. (a) RJ-11 (b) RJ-14 (c) RJ-45 b. Unshelded Twsted par(utp) color codes c. Polarty 2. Descrbe wre handlng a. Descrbe the mpact of mproper handlng technques 3. Dfferentate between the data cable types: a. Cat 1 b. Cat 3 c. Cat 5 /5e /6 P568 A B d. Plenum 4. Descrbe the followng termnal blocks/punch downs a. 66 b. 110 c. Buldng Industry Cross-connect (BIX) d. Bndng post 1. Explan why bondng s necessary 2. Explan the purpose and functon of the followng bondng hardware: a. Bondng blocks Page 11 of 22
ndustry standards. E Descrbe the methods and procedures for nstallng vdeo servce at the customer s premses F Descrbe the methods and procedures for nstallng telephony servce at the customer s premses. G Descrbe the methods and procedures for nstallng hghspeed data (HSD) servce at the customer s premses. H Descrbe the methods and procedures for nstallng passve and actve devces used to b. Bondng wre Drop attachment Ground electrode attachment 3. Explan resdental drop nspecton process a. Identfy the proper bondng locatons for bondng resdental coaxal drop cable 4. Descrbe the proper bondng technques n the followng specal crcumstances: a. Moble homes b. MDUs 1. Descrbe generally accepted practces for fullservce vdeo nstallaton 2. Descrbe the generally accepted practces for performng a reconnect a. Inspect / proof the drop 3. Descrbe the generally accepted practces for performng a dsconnect 4. Descrbe the general accepted practces for performng a change of servce (up/downgrade) 1. Descrbe the generally accepted practces for how to perform a full-servce voce nstallaton a. Inspect and test the wre for good performance 1. Descrbe the generally accepted practces how to perform a full-servce hgh-speed data nstallaton, ncludng connecton to a. Equpment b. Ethernet/USB Cross-over/straght through c. Drectonal coupler and/or spltter Hgh pass flter Step attenuator d. Cable modem/emta 2. Computer system requrements a. Mnmum RAM Defne b. Mnmum hard drve space Defne 3. Operatng system (OS) compatblty a. Macntosh b. Wndows c. Lnux 4. Installaton overvew 5. Brth / servce certfcate 1. Drop spltters/couplers a. Explan solaton as related to spltters and couplers Page 12 of 22
I provde vdeo, voce and data servce at the customer s premses. Descrbe the methods and procedures for conflct resoluton wth customers. b. Explan voltage blockng as related to spltters/couplers (wth respect to house amplfers) 1. Defne customer nteracton and descrbe how each of the followng s affected by (or could affect) the mage the customer has of the company: a. Explan the feld techncan s role n customer retenton n the followng stuatons: Retanng customers (a) Problem dentfcaton (b) Takng responsblty (c) Solvng the problems (d) Followng up wth customer Internal vs. external customers (a) Interactons wth front offce (b) Interactons wth other techncans (c) Responsblty and accountablty (d) Interactons wth the general publc and non-customers b. Explan the followng effectve communcatons sklls and explan how these sklls contrbute to good customer nteractons: Lstenng Clarty of speech Empathy v Probng v Telephone etquette (a) Lstenng (b) Voce nflectons (c) Background nose (d) Endng a call v After-hours calls c. Explan proper use of company-provded and/or personal communcatons devces d. Descrbe conflct resoluton e. Descrbe problem resoluton f. Customer compensatons 2. Explan the steps to take to effectvely communcate wth dffcult customers Page 13 of 22
IV. Troubleshootng and Mantenance Competency A Descrbe the functon, use, care, and mantenance of test equpment. Knowledge, Sklls, and Abltes 1. Sgnal Level Meter (SLM) a. Dsplay readouts of an analog channel features Full scan Adjacent channel level b. Identfy the followng dgtal dsplay features: QAM Analyzer (a) Nose analyss (b) Phase analyss (c) (d) CW nterference/ngress (e) Reflectons/mcroreflectons Modulaton Error Rate (MER) Bt Error Rato (BER) v Constellaton analyss v DOCSIS stats c. Return test Sgnal generator (for example, DSAM, RSVP) Brth/servce certfcate d. Vdeo and audo carrer measurements e. Mantenance Chargng Known source- accuracy verfcaton Channel plans f. DOCSIS 2.0 /RF Operatng Parameters Page 14 of 22 Defnton Provde examples for: (a) Downstream (b) Upstream 2. Test TV a. Trackng pcture and/or sound mparments b. Dagnosng bad customer TV 3. Volt Ohm Meter (VOM)/Dgtal Mult- Meter(DMM) a. Usng resstance functon Isolatng shorts Identfyng opens Cable dentfcaton b. Usng voltage functon Checkng for hot (electrfed) chasss condton c. Usng ammeter functon
d. VOM (voce applcatons) 4. Sgnal leakage detector a. Ingress Defnton Symptoms Appearance v Sources v Detecton v Repar v Techncan s role; escalaton procedures b. Egress Defnton Symptoms Sources v Detecton (a) Measurng 20µV/m v Repar v Techncan s role; escalaton procedures c. System montorng Cumulatve Leakage Index (CLI) (a) Defnton/requrement 5. Cable Locator a. Locatng underground cables b. Identfyng utlty colors and flags 6. Tme Doman Reflectometer (TDR) a. Defnton b. Applcaton and use Velocty of propagaton Locatng defects Shorts v Opens v 7. Lne toner a. Defnton Determnng cable lengths b. Applcaton and use Voce applcatons 8. Polarty tester a. Defnton b. Applcaton and use 9. Return path tester (example, RSVP) a. Defnton b. Applcaton and use 10. Butt set (voce applcatons) a. Defnton b. Applcaton and use 11. Wre ID (voce applcatons) a. Defnton Page 15 of 22
B Descrbe the dvde and conquer (solaton) method of troubleshootng. C Descrbe the procedures to troubleshoot common voce servce problems at the customer s premses. b. Applcaton and use 12. Wre mapper (voce applcatons) a. Defnton b. Applcaton and use 13. Brown meter (loop tester) (voce applcatons) a. Defnton b. Applcaton and use 14. T&N Tester (example: Sdekck) a. Defnton b. Applcaton and use 15. Banjo (voce applcatons) a. Defnton b. Applcaton and use 16. Cable modem emulator / Web-based applcaton a. Defnton b. Applcaton and use (a) Spoofng / clonng modem 1. Explan the steps n the troubleshootng process: a. Symptom analyss Verfy problem symptoms wth customer b. Problem solaton c. Dvde and conquer d. Problem resoluton/repar e. Confrm problem resoluton/repar 2. Dagnose equpment problems: a. Identfy sgnal ssues b. Interpret premses sgnal level readngs (too hgh; too low) 3. Set-top termnals a. Self dagnostcs Power on self dagnostcs 4. Descrbe the process to troubleshoot forward and return path 1. Descrbe the loopback test 2. Equpment problems 3. Symptoms/causes a. Poor connecton b. Wrng Faults c. Powerng d. Interference/Ingress e. Upstream 4. Remote dagnostcs 5. Troubleshoot common voce ssues 6. Dgtal Voce Testng a. MOS Mean Opnon Score Defne what consttutes ths score Page 16 of 22
D Descrbe the procedures to troubleshoot common hghspeed data (HSD) servce problems at the customer s premses. E Descrbe common analog and dgtal sgnal mparments that occur when provdng vdeo, voce and data servce at the customer s premses. b. Perceptual Evaluaton of Speech Qualty (PESQ) c. Speech qualty assessment d. Real-tme Transport Protocol (RTP) tests (for Packet Loss, Jtter, and Latency, etc.) f these are out of lmts, understand when to escalate 1. Descrbe typcal HSD troubleshootng ssues for the followng: e. Cable modems f. Computer g. Operatng systems h. Utltes Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) 2. Error types and testng a. Bt errors BER b. Protocol errors c. Routng errors Latency Jtter d. Error Detecton Party Carrer Sense Multple Access wth Collson Detecton (CSMA/CD). Error Control 3. Helpful PC applcatons a. IPconfg b. Png c. Trace route d. Throughput Testng 4. Troubleshoot common hgh-speed data ssues 1. Identfy the name, cause, and repar/remedy for each of the followng analog sgnal mparments: a. Snow (no pcture) Loss of sgnal b. Blue TV screen Loss of sgnal c. Snowy pcture Low sgnal d. Snowy pcture on channels 2 through 6 only; lnes n pcture e. Ghostng Ingress f. Two pctures (co-channel) Page 17 of 22
Smultaneously receves two TV sgnals g. Flash or blp n pcture h. Herrngbone pattern. Horzontal bars (hum bars) j. Dagonal lnes (Intermodulaton beats) k. CB rado nterference Interferng sgnals l. Randomly flashng lnes or flashng pcture Electrcal nterference (a) Interferng sgnals wthn the premses m. "Sparkles" Terrestral nterference (a) Interferng from satellte/sun outages (sprng/fall) n. Scrambled pcture 2. Identfy the name, cause, and repar/remedy for each of the followng dgtal sgnal mparments: a. Tlng b. Blockng c. Freezng d. Jerkness e. Smearng f. Artfacts g. Object Retenton h. Robotc voce. Echo j. Dropped call k. Voce break up l. Slow web page m. Server not found n. Lp synch o. No pcture / black screen 3. Meda Imparments a. Name a typcal cause of the followng dgtal mparments BER Latency Jtter v Packet Loss 4. Lst the procedures for troubleshootng the settop box and nteractve program gude (IPG) Page 18 of 22
F Descrbe DOCSIS tools used when troubleshootng vdeo, voce and data servce at the customer s premses. G Descrbe work force management tools used when troubleshootng voce and data servce at the customer s premses. H Descrbe the provsonng process. 1. Defne Smple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) 1. Defne work force management 2. Descrbe the types of tool that may be used to access SNMP tools examples: a. Auspce 1. Defne Provsonng 2. Lst the confguraton fles 3. Lst the provsonng steps Page 19 of 22
V. Standards Competency A Explan/defne the regulatory agences and/or standards that govern practces for provdng vdeo, voce and data servces at the customer s premses. Knowledge, Sklls, and Abltes 1. Federal Communcatons Commsson (FCC) Part 76 a. Defne the FCC b. Explan the FCC's role n the telecommuncatons ndustry c. Defne the Telecommuncatons Act of 1996 and explan ts purpose 2. Natonal Cable Televson Assocaton (NCTA) a. Defne NCTA standards b. Explan NCTA s role n the telecommuncatons ndustry Defne the on-tme guarantee 3. Socety of Cable Telecommuncatons Engneers (SCTE) a. Defne SCTE standards b. Explan SCTE s role n the telecommuncatons ndustry 4. Natonal Electrcal Code (NEC) a. Defne the NEC b. Explan NEC's role n nstallng/nspectng resdental bonds n the telecommuncatons ndustry 5. Natonal Electrcal Safety Code (NESC) a. Defne the NESC b. Explan NESC's role n the telecommuncatons ndustry 6. Occupatonal Safety & Health Admnstraton (OSHA) a. Defne the OSHA b. Explan OSHA's role n the telecommuncatons ndustry 7. Moton Pcture Experts Group (MPEG) standards a. Defne MPEG standards b. Explan MPEG s role n the telecommuncatons ndustry 8. Data Over Cable Servce Interface Specfcatons (DOCSIS) a. Defne DOCSIS b. Descrbe frequency hoppng c. Explan DOCSIS role n the telecommuncatons ndustry 9. Dolby dgtal a. Defne the Dolby dgtal standards Page 20 of 22
b. Explan Dolby dgtal standards role n the telecommuncatons ndustry 10. Emergency Alert System (EAS) a. Defne EAS b. Explan EAS role n the telecommuncatons ndustry 11. PacketCable specfcaton a. Defne the PacketCable specfcaton b. Explan the PacketCable specfcatons role n the telecommuncatons ndustry 12. Belcore a. Defne Belcore b. Explan Belcore s role n the telecommuncatons ndustry 13. Modfed Fnal Judgment (MFJ) a. Defne Modfed Fnal Judgment (MFJ) b. Defne demarcaton pont c. Explan MFJ s role n the telecommuncatons ndustry 14. Wrng Standards telephone cables (EIA / TIA) a. Defne the followng wrng codes / standards 568 (A or B) 569 570 b. Name the color codes for telephone jacks/plugs 15. Defne the followng n-home networks standards a. Wre Based Home PNA Powerlne (Home Plug) Structured wrng/smart home v Multmeda over Coax Allance (MoCA) b. Wreless Bluetooth 802.11x 802.16x 16. Network domans: a. Defne Local Area Network (LAN) b. Defne Metropoltan Area Network (MAN) c. Defne Wde Area Network (WAN) 17. Defne the followng network standards and protocols: a. IEEE 802.2 b. IEEE 802.3 Network Interface Card (NIC) Meda access control (MAC) Addressng Cables Page 21 of 22
c. Defne n basc terms the OSI model d. Defne n basc terms the TCP/IP model Packets e. Defne the basc processes for each of the followng provsonng protocols Dynamc Host Confguraton Protocol/ Doman Name System (DHCP/DNS) Tme of Day (ToD) Trval Fle Transfer Protocol (TFTP) 18. Communcatons Assstance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) a. Defne 19. Be aware of the term Advanced Televsons Systems Commttee (ATSC) 20. Local Franchse Agreement Page 22 of 22