Backhoe fade or JCB fade is a humorous term referring to the accidental severing of telecommunications cables by a backhoe. (These diggers are commonly called "JCBs" in the UK and Ireland after their largest manufacturer, J. C. Bamford.) The term comes from the sudden and initially inexplicable loss of signal (fading) experienced when a cable is accidentally dug up and damaged. Depending on the particular cable destroyed, service may be interrupted to just a few customers or, for a large fiber optic cable, millions of customers across an entire continent. Image File history File linksMetadata S2300039. ... Image File history File linksMetadata S2300039. ... Telecommunication involves the transmission of signals over a distance for the purpose of communication. ... It has been suggested that Backhoe fade be merged into this article or section. ... JCB is a family business named after its founder J.C.Bamford, producing distinctive yellow-and-black engineering vehicles, diggers (Backhoes) and excavators. ... Fading (or fading channels) are mathematical models for the distortion that a carrier-modulated telecommunication signal experiences over certain propagation media. ... A bundle of optical fibers. ...
The standard joke
The phenomenon of backhoe fade has spawned a common joke among telecommunications and network engineers:
Q: Why is a network engineer never lost?
A: He always carries a piece of fiber with him. Then, if he's ever lost,
he just buries the fiber, waits for the backhoe to come along and tear
it up, and asks the backhoe operator for directions.
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