Welcome and FAQs

Welcome to the DHFC Using Guide.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What’s the user community searching for? Here are the top searches and topics visited in this guide:

1. What is the difference between the Bill of Materials (BOM) and Simple Bill of Materials?

   1. The key differences between the two reports are:

      • Fewer Kinds of Components are Included in the Simple BOM

        • The Simple BOM only includes RF, powering, and stranding components downstream of the selected component.

        • Regarding stranding components, these includes the strands and structures associated with the component. For a cable, the report includes the nearest upstream structure and any associated downstream structures.

        • If a user starts the trace on a power supply, the Simple BOM only includes the downstream powering network. No RF is returned in this case.

      • Results are Constrained by the Node Boundary in the Simple BOM

        • There is an exception for power jumpering where cables cross node boundaries. In this case, the cable that crosses the boundary and the associated structures on both sides of the boundary are included in the Simple BOM.

      • Results are Returned in a Single Group in the Simple BOM

        • A standard BOM performs a comprehensive difference analysis between the proposed and as-built components. Because of this, it returns materials in the categories of Install, Change, and Remove.

        • A Simple BOM does not perform this difference analysis. It only performs the downstream trace. Thus, results are returned in a single category and are not compared to the as-built components.

      • Only Associated Underground Structures are Included in the Simple BOM

        • Underground structures directly associated with the cable are included in the Simple BOM.

        • If the cable passes by an underground structure that has no tap or other component, that structure is not included in the Simple BOM.




2. What determines cable length?

   1. When a cable is placed, its length is determined by a few factors:

      • It is determined by the length of the associated strands. For example, if a cable has a single related stand that is 100 feet, the base length of the cable is also 100 feet. If a cable stretches across multiple strand spans (for example, when running an express or if the house count is 0 for all the structures crossed), the base length is the sum of the strand spans. In other words, if a cable spanned across three strand spans that were 100, 200 and 175 feet in length, the base cable length would be 475 feet.

      • When the endpoint of the cable stops at a pedestal/underground structure, 5 feet is added to the base cable length. If both ends of a cable end at a pedestal/underground structure, a total of 10 feet is added to the base cable length.

      • When the endpoint of a cable stops at an overhead/underground transition (for example, a pole that has an underground span/trench on the cable side), 20 feet is added to the base cable length to account for a riser.

      See Strand Placement for more information.