Transmission delay variations in OPGW and overhead fiber-optic cable links

Round-trip transmission delays in a 128.5-km optical ground wire (OPGW) link and 12.5-km and 12-km overhead fiber-optic cable links were measured to clarify the effect of meteorological conditions, dominantly atmospheric temperature, on the delay variation. Transmission delays measured at 5 a.m. can be well expressed only in terms of atmospheric temperature along the links, while those at 1 p.m. can be expressed using four meteorological parameters of atmospheric temperature, sunshine duration or solar radiation, wind speed and precipitation. The coefficients of delay variation with respect to atmospheric temperature range approximately from 60 to 100 ps/km/degrees C where the cable links are more affected by temperature than the OPGW link, and delays in the daytime vary more than in the nighttime due to solar radiation. The results could be used for estimating the increase of cable temperature due to solar radiation and for designing fiber-optic time transfer networks effective for power system protection.