Patent ID: 8355200

Claim:
An optical receiver device comprising: a dummy signal light source for generating a dummy optical signal; a dummy signal mixing means for mixing an input optical signal with the dummy optical signal to form a mixed optical signal; an optical amplifier for amplifying the mixed optical signal; a dummy signal elimination means for eliminating a dummy signal component from the amplified mixed optical signal to form a dummy signal eliminated optical signal; and an optical receiver for receiving the dummy signal eliminated optical signal; wherein the optical amplifier has a pump power setting, and wherein the optical receiver device is adapted so that said pump power setting is determined by: maintaining an input optical signal power level at a constant value; varying a pump power for said optical amplifier; measuring an error rate of an output optical signal from said optical amplifier at a plurality of different pump power levels; comparing said plurality of pump power levels and the resulting output optical signal error rates; determining the pump power levels such that the resulting output optical signal error rates are degraded by no more than a half decade from a minimal error rate, wherein the pump power levels satisfying that condition are used to define a pump power range; and selecting a pump power setting falling within said pump power range for use with said optical amplifier.