Introduction to Overhead Lines

An overhead cable is a cable for the transmission of information, laid on utility poles. Overhead
telephone and cable TV lines are common in North America. Elsewhere, overhead cables are laid
mainly for telephone connections of remote buildings and temporary mechanisms, as for
example building sites. The same poles sometimes carry overhead power lines for the supply of
electric power. Power supply companies may also use them for an in-house communication
network. Sometimes these cables are integrated in the ground or power conductor. Otherwise an
additional line is strung on the masts.

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone over 100 years ago. At first, the telephone lines
were separate lines that connected pairs of telephones. People wanted to be able to talk with
more than one other household. A central interconnection facility was needed, a place where
telephone lines would be connected as desired.

The first telephone lines were overhead lines, placed on telephone poles or attached to racks on
rooftops. Some wires were galvanized for corrosion resistance, but corrosion problems were
never the less prevalent. In 1877 Thomas Doolittle developed the process for hard drawn copper
wire in the Naugatuck Valley of Connecticut. He had soft, annealed copper wire drawn through a
series of dies in order to increase its tensile strength.

There was a gradual conversion from grounded to metallic circuit lines between 1890 and 1900.
Advances were also made in design of insulators and wire transpositions.

Interest grew in the development of telephone cables. Many telephone wires were contained in
one telephone cable. Better insulation, both electromagnetic and water resistance, were required.
Early telephone cables relied upon the technology used in the manufacture of telegraph cables.
Gutta percha and various rubber compounds were used for insulating and water proofing the
telegraph and early telephone cables. Telephone cables were employed for aerial, underwater and
underground use around 1879.

In the 1880's the major telephone cable concerns were noise elimination, waterproofing and
fitting more wires in each cable. The technique of wrapping the conducting wires in lead was

TelOne Centre for Learning

developed to eliminate electromagnetic noise in the lines. Other insulating techniques, such as
covering the insulated wires with tin foil and using additional insulating layers, were employed.
By the late 1890's telephone and electric power cables were laid underground in conduits made
of creosoted wood. The multiple duct vitrified clay conduit became the main type of
underground construction used. A separate square hole was provided for each cable, and when
more ducts were required sections of conduit could be added.

The general complaints of the poor voice transmission over the telephone cables, unrecognizable
voices, and muffled and hollow sounds were still present. There were two major improvements
made to telephone cable in the late 1880's. The first was the issuance of a specification for a
standard type of telephone cable in 1888. The specification outlined a metallic circuit or twisted
pair cable. The dry core cables were successful because the lead tin alloy sheathing now
provided adequate water proofing. By 1891 dry core, paper insulated cable was the standard. The
size of the conductor and the electrostatic capacity requirement were further reduced and greatly
decreased the noise in the lines.

Improvements were continually being made to telephone cable, the use of more and finer
conductors in a given cable, lower electrostatic capacity requirements and a larger air to paper
ratio of the insulation. Another improvement was the invention of the repeater, which amplified
voice signals. Carrier systems or multiplexing enabled a single pair of wires to be used for
multiple calls.

The end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries were a time of change and rapid
expansion in the telephone industry. Some of the more recent improvements are the use of plastic
insulation and the development of coaxial cable which occurred during World War II. Up to 600
conversations could be transmitted over two coaxial cables. Today most of the improvements in
telephone cables have centered on sending more information at a faster rate over the same wires.
One area of interest is in the development of ADSL or asymmetrical digital subscriber line.
ADSL is a way to send a lot more information down an ordinary copper wire. ADSL
transmission technology has the potential to transmit voice, data, plus up to 4 video channels to
the subscriber, or up to 8 Mega-bits per second (Mbps) of information, and voice and data back

TelOne Centre for Learning

to the telephone company using the already in place copper telecommunications wires.
Telephone cable has come a long way since 1877, and the technology is still being improved.

Overhead Cable Distribution illustration

TelOne Centre for Learning