A pair of curved brackets mounted on the messenger strand, usually near a pole, around which crews wrap spare aerial cable in a long oval. The shape holds the slack above the cable's minimum bend radius and keeps it tidy and out of the way of other attachers. The stored loop becomes the service loop for future splicing or repairs.
Put a set of snowshoes two spans out from the splice pole and store sixty feet on each side.
Also heard as
- slack storage bracket
Related terms
Service loop
Extra cable coiled and stored at a vault, pole or panel so the fiber can be re-spliced or moved later.
Strand
The galvanized steel messenger wire strung between poles that supports aerial fiber cable.
Bend radius
The tightest curve a fiber or cable can take without extra loss or damage, stated separately for pulling and at rest.
Figure-eight
To lay pulled cable on the ground in a figure 8 pattern so it can be fed onward without twisting or kinking.