DSL-Cable Measurements with Bode 100

This application note explains how to measure electrical parameters of DSL-Cables such as attenuation, crosstalk and phase delay. This is necessary to determine if a cable complies with a certain normative standard like e.g. IEC 62255-3.

Picture of Bode 100 with a DSL-Cable

By analyzing one DSL-Cable pair, the measurement of following parameters is shown in this application note (the parameters for the other pairs are measured the same way).

  • Attenuation
  • Impedance
  • Near End Cross Talk (NEXT) and Far End Cross Talk (FEXT)
  • Return Loss (RL)
  • Phase delay

According to the standard the Equal Level Far End Crosstalk (ELFEXT) is calculated from the cables attenuation and the FEXT. In a separate Application Note add on we show a method that allows to measure the ELFEXT directly.

Measurement Setup for Attenuation Measurements

The application note was done in cooperation with AESA Cortaillod, especially with strong support from Mr. Dick Gigon. AESA Cortaillod has over 30 years experience in cable testing and quality control of telephone and LAN cabling as well as power lines or coaxial cabling. The company's headquarters is located in Colombier, Switzerland. For more information feel free to visit: www.aesa-cortaillod.com

To learn more about this measurement application just download this application note.