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Overhead cable

technology Maturity 5-7 Next article →

Wires hang on tall poles. These are called overhead cables.

Jerecuaro mexico
Jerecuaro mexico

They carry many things to our homes. Some cables carry electric power. Other cables carry TV or phone signals.

SIF-Overhead-Wires-1-Cropped
SIF-Overhead-Wires-1-Cropped

Companies put the power lines at the very top. This is because power lines are the most dangerous.

Some systems use special parts to manage signals. A splicing system helps spread phone signals. Other parts look like snowshoes. They help change the direction of a cable. Old metal wires can pick up noise from power lines. This can mess up the signal. New fiber optic cables are better. They use light to send data. They do not get noise from power lines.

In some places, cables are buried in the ground. This is safer for people. But it is hard to fix a broken line underground. In the UK, big cities often hide cables in the ground. You might only see phone lines above ground there. In the countryside, you will see overhead power cables.

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File:SIF-Overhead-Wires-1-Cropped.jpg
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