Best coax cable

I was about ready to buy coax cable for my antenna then I thought I better ask around to make sure I get the right cable so I don't go through rigging it all up and realize that I bought bad cable and then have to rip it all back down. Also I guess it can really help or hurt the performance of your antenna.

I was looking at this cable from Denny's antenna Service. I liked that it was cut to different lengths and had the high quality fittings already on it.

http://www.dennysantennaservice.com/1693437.html

I need 60 feet of cable with no splitters just straight from the antenna to the tv set.

I just wanted to see what you guys use so I don't end up with bad cable!

Thanks

Jim

The best cable is the stuff used for communications that has a solid copper core and a solid copper braid. It is 3 to 6 times as much money as the wire sold in stores and is usually cost prohibitive to be used in a home set up for one or two televisions and one antenna.

Unless the antenna was a very far distance away from the television, then the gains would offset the costs.

For most common applications the Belden 1829 AC series 6 wire is highly rated.

I use the Signal ( Coleman Cable) wire sold at most Lowes store in the 500' bulk pack that is a Quad Shield wire, that I know the specifications of the wire and I can put on my own connectors so it does not matter how long it is - because I can make it any length I want.

http://www.colemancable.com/CatalogPDFs/92041-blk.pdf

Since I wire TV studios for a living, I am partial to Belden 1694a myself, which is a bit expensive, but it is a solid-copper-core RG-6u cable. Part of the Belden Precision line, it is great for critical applications that call for digital-capable RG-6u cables but is also terrific for antenna use. It's band-width swept and tested to 4.5 gHz, and can be used for for just about anything.

See here - http://www.monoprice.com/products/subdepartment.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10216&cs_id=1021604

Since I wire TV studios for a living, I am partial to Belden 1694a myself, which is a bit expensive, but it is a solid-copper-core RG-6u cable. Part of the Belden Precision line, it is great for critical applications that call for digital-capable RG-6u cables but is also terrific for antenna use. It's band-width swept and tested to 3 gHz, and can be used for for just about anything.

How would Belden 7915A compare? It's also solid-copper-core RG-6u.

How would Belden 7915A compare? It's also solid-copper-core RG-6u.

Actually, you can see the two wires compared here:

https://edeskv2.belden.com/Products/index.cfm?event=compareparts&partids=3432,1870

By the way, the Belden site is VERY useful for comparing wire.

Here is their online Master Catalog with all the wires they manufacture.

As you can see, when you get into communications grade cables, you end up having to buy it in 1000 ft rolls.

http://www.belden.com/pdfs/03Belden_Master_Catalog/06Coaxial_Cables/06.3_15.pdf

Part number - 1829AC
Page number - 6.31
Spec reference Belden
Conductor Stranding / Diameter and type 1/.040″BCAC
Shield type Tape / Braid (DCR / 1000ft) GIFPE .180
Insulation Material / OD inches - DBII /60% AL 9.0 (.180)
Jacket Material - PVC .270 O.D. inches
Normal weight Lbs per foot - .030
Nom. Imp. (Ohms) 75
Nom. Capacity (pf/ft) 16.2
Suggested Operating temperature degree range (Celsius) UL -30 to + 75
Maximum Voltage (RMS) non UL - 300


Part Number – 1694A
Page number – 6.44
Spec Reference – Belden
Conductor stranding / Diameter and type - 1/.040″BC
Shield type Tape / Braid - GIFHDPE (.180)
Jacket Material – Dia. O.D. inches – PVC .275
Normal Weight Lbs. per foot - ..040
Nom. Imp. (Ohms) – 75
Nom. Capacity (pf/ft) – 16.2
Suggested Operation temperature degree range (Celsius) UL -20 to + 75
Maximum Voltage (RMS) non UL - 300

1694A is studio coax and that is where it actually belongs.

I wired my home with 7915A in place of quadshield or standard rg6 to address signal ingress from an FM tower close by.

https://www.tselectronic.com/belden/7915a.html?tse_Session=186e409469ae9d04d58a092fb30 621ad

I think it worked better than quadshield and have used it in place of quadshield ever since then. An added benefit of 7915A is that you can use regular RG6 fittings and it is easier to work with.

Trishield protects the inner shield from electromagnetic interference from outside sources.

Quadshield/trishield is really only necessary where you suspect signal ingress or interference related issues in regards to that.

Quadshield/trishield is not necessary in the "standard application." Solid copper rg6 is really all you need.

There are as many varities of solid copper rg6 as there are cars. You will go crazy analyzing this stuff.

Shunt Capacitance per unit length
Series Inductance per unit length
Series Resistance per unit length
Shunt Conductance per unit length
Characteristic impedance in ohms
Attenuation (loss) per unit length
Velocity of propagation
Cutoff frequency is determined by the possibility of exciting other propagation modes
Signal leakage

blah blah blah

You really can not go wrong with the well known manufactures like belden, vextra, commscope. I narrowed down my sources to just companies that published the specs...then picked the cable with the smallest loss per ft. at the highest frequency with a decent shield, foam, foil, swept tested to 3 ghz, and uv resistant covering. Bring a magnet...if it sticks move on to something else.

I use vextra V621 as my standard coax and Belden 7915A for problems...no more quadshield.



Losses in DB per 100 ft @1000mhz
1694A 5.9 DB $339/1000 ft
https://www.tselectronic.com/belden/1694a.html?tse_Session=51a9df33ce4fe28e505d7c99052 6ffb8
7915 A 6.0 DB $127/1000 ft

Since I usually have a ton of 1694a lying around, it's what I have come to use. It's certainly not the ONLY worthy cable out there, but this message is clear:use solid-copper center-conductor cable, and use the best compression fittings that you can lay your hands on. Thomas and Betts, or equivalent.

Actually, you can see the two wires compared here:

https://edeskv2.belden.com/Products/index.cfm?event=compareparts&partids=3432,1870

By the way, the Belden site is VERY useful for comparing wire.

Thanks for the link, Tiger. Much appreciated.

Actually I already have two 500 feet spools of 7915A but I was interested in seeing how it compared to what you have a strong preference for. It's sweep tested to 3 GHz and temperature rated down to -40 degrees. A - 20 degrees C (-4 deg F) temperature rating , which is quite common, just isn't good enough where I live. I intend to replace all my existing wiring, inside and outside

I also have a good supply of Thomas & Betts RG-6 compression connectors and have found them an excellent fit for the 7915A.

Rick0725: Glad to see you like 7915A as well.

I was about ready to buy coax cable for my antenna then I thought I better ask around to make sure I get the right cable so I don't go through rigging it all up and realize that I bought bad cable and then have to rip it all back down. Also I guess it can really help or hurt the performance of your antenna.



There is no one answer. One cable can be better then another because of less line loss, being more weather proof, being better shielded, etc. So, much depends on what you regard as potential problems.

With a 60 foot run, you not going to see a notable signal loss with any RG6 cable. At least, not right away. Over time is a different issue.

If you don't have an environment with extreme interference, then the shielding isn't a big issue either (standard versus quad-shield, etc.).

And, as far as environment issues? That is a big one for me. Any coax degrades over time, especially in wet environments, and even worse in wet-salty environments. So, cheap coax does better when run in sealed conduit if buried. Burial-grade "extreme-weather" glue-filled coax does better overall, over time, in such bad environments. I've got coax that's been buried 30 years (burial grade) and it's still fine. I suspect, it lasts longer above ground too when exposed to the weather.

I usually use siamese dual-coax, burial grade and glue filled. You can buy it by the foot at 19 cents (per foot), or cheaper in large reels. I like the siamese dual-coax since it gives me redundancy. If one fails, I can use the other . . . or . . . if I decide to add something later, I've already got an empty cable waiting to be used.

And, as far as environment issues? That is a big one for me. Any coax degrades over time, especially in wet environments, and even worse in wet-salty environments. So, cheap coax does better when run in sealed conduit if buried. Burial-grade "extreme-weather" glue-filled coax does better overall, over time, in such bad environments. I've got coax that's been buried 30 years (burial grade) and it's still fine. I suspect, it lasts longer above ground too when exposed to the weather.

The intense heat and sunlight here in the southwest US desert also has a deleterious/damaging effect on RG6 run outdoors.


BrianO: I too rely on Thomas and Betts compression RG6 connectors. The ones I currently use and prefer are sNAP N SEAL - sNS1P6

BrianO: I too rely on Thomas and Betts compression RG6 connectors. The ones I currently use and prefer are sNAP N SEAL - sNS1P6

Yep! Those are the ones I use as well. Good in the desert, good in frozen North.


Lost Causes = Las Cruces? A little hotter than Albuquerque, huh?

Lost Causes = Las Cruces? A little hotter than Albuquerque, huh?

Yes, Las Cruces and much hotter than Albuquerque. We are further south. Winters are much milder here though with the average daytime winter temp. being 50 degrees.

Are there different sizes of F connectors for RG6 and Quad Shield RG6?

Besides Thomas & Betts, how about PPC and SuperLok?

Are their different sizes of F connectors for RG6 and Quad Shield RG6?

Yes. Quad Shield is usually thicker than regular RG-6, so most manufacturers make different connectors for RG-6 and RG-6Q.

One exception is Paladin Tools. They now makes a "one size fits all" F-connector for RG-6 and RG-6Q but it certainly does not fit well on my 7915A RG-6 Tri-shield. The inner barrel 's diameter is a tad too small and it has a tendency to rip the inner foil layer resulting in a bad electrical connection.

I use the PPC EX6XL fitting for the regular rg6 and trishield.

The PPC EX6XL is supposed to work with quadshield but I find the fit is rather snug and hurts the sensitive fingers.

http://www.sadoun.com/Sat/Products/Perfect/PPC-EX.htm