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This article originally ran in 2018. It's been revised with links to current products.
If you read this blog a lot you'll probably notice that I talk about solid copper center conductor RG6 cable a lot. I even link to it at SolidSignal.com, a great place to get custom lengths of cable that work well in a variety of professional situations. Have you ever wondered why?
Copper is a great conductor of electricity. It's almost as good as gold, and even though it's expensive, it's not as expensive as gold. It's very flexible, easy to form, and it's readily available. Copper is, in many ways the perfect choice for sending signal from one place to another.
However, copper is generally a lot more expensive than steel or aluminum. While steel and aluminum are more durable and stronger than copper, this is usually not important in cables. What is important is how much signal is lost from one end to another.
When you're dealing with actual signals, you don't actually need a solid copper cable. The signal itself travels on the outer edge of the center conductor and expands out to fill the dielectric foam (the white stuff) around the center conductor. It doesn't go into the center of the cable. This is called "the skin effect."
The skin effect is what makes copper-clad steel cables possible. Steel is a fairly poor conductor of electricity and so it has roughly twice the signal loss per foot of copper. However, you don't actually have that level of signal loss if the cable is steel in the center with just a thin plating of copper. As long as the copper on the outside is in good shape, you're fine.
You tend to end up with problems with steel cable when it comes to voltage. If there's something on the other end of the cable that needs power, steel cables are a poor choice because that voltage won't get where it needs to go. This is true of antenna rotators, amplifiers, and satellite equipment. All of those devices need power to be supplied over the cable and if it's not being supplied by copper cables, it might not be enough voltage.
I tested Solid Signal cable against home-store RG6 cable. I went for a reasonable quality cable and to keep apples-to-apples, I cut the molded ends off the cable and added brand new top quality connectors from Solid Signal. These are the same connectors used in commercial satellite installations. I used two lengths of cable that were both listed as 50 feet. I even strung them both out to make sure they were measured properly.
To get power readings, I used a PI-29Z power inserter to supply the voltage on one end, and measured it with a multimeter at the beginning and at the end of the cable run. Here are the results.
The loss on the copper-clad steel cable was more than twice what I saw from the solid copper cable. This is important! A satellite dish, for example, needs about 19 volts at the dish to function properly. After only 50 feet of cable I don't have a lot to spare if I'm using copper-clad steel. If you're using a PI-21 power inserter per DIRECTV's residential specifications, your dish won't work at all if you're using copper-clad steel cable.
On the other hand, I used a Televes DigiNova to supply signal to the cable. (This antenna has been replaced by the upgraded Televes DiNova Boss Mix.) I measured the signal coming from the antenna using a 6″ length of cable and then measured it again at the end of two 50-foot cables. To make sure I had good results, I did not use the amplifier because I knew that the steel cable might not carry enough voltage to power the on-board amp and I didn't want to skew the test.
I used a signal meter to tune to a station about 60 miles away and recorded the results.
The two measurements for the beginning of the run were just slightly different and I would attribute that to random factors. What you see is evidence that the skin effect works: the two cables perform almost identically when it comes to carrying signal.
Personally I tell people that they should always use solid copper core cable everywhere. You never know where you'll end up putting a power injector and the hope is that you'll have this cable in place for a long time to come. However, if you're keen to save a little money, you can use copper-clad steel cable throughout the inside of your house as long as you label one run of solid copper so you'll know where it is.
You should use solid copper for the run from the antenna or dish into the house, all the time. After a multiswitch or splitter it's generally ok to use copper-clad steel. If you want help choosing the right cable for your project, call the experts at Solid Signal at 888-233-7563. If it's after hours, just fill out the form below.
The post REAL-WORLD TESTING: Solid copper vs. copper-clad steel appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
If you read this blog a lot you'll probably notice that I talk about solid copper center conductor RG6 cable a lot. I even link to it at SolidSignal.com, a great place to get custom lengths of cable that work well in a variety of professional situations. Have you ever wondered why?
The magic of copper
Copper is a great conductor of electricity. It's almost as good as gold, and even though it's expensive, it's not as expensive as gold. It's very flexible, easy to form, and it's readily available. Copper is, in many ways the perfect choice for sending signal from one place to another.
However, copper is generally a lot more expensive than steel or aluminum. While steel and aluminum are more durable and stronger than copper, this is usually not important in cables. What is important is how much signal is lost from one end to another.
The skin effect
When you're dealing with actual signals, you don't actually need a solid copper cable. The signal itself travels on the outer edge of the center conductor and expands out to fill the dielectric foam (the white stuff) around the center conductor. It doesn't go into the center of the cable. This is called "the skin effect."
The skin effect is what makes copper-clad steel cables possible. Steel is a fairly poor conductor of electricity and so it has roughly twice the signal loss per foot of copper. However, you don't actually have that level of signal loss if the cable is steel in the center with just a thin plating of copper. As long as the copper on the outside is in good shape, you're fine.
Voltage problems
You tend to end up with problems with steel cable when it comes to voltage. If there's something on the other end of the cable that needs power, steel cables are a poor choice because that voltage won't get where it needs to go. This is true of antenna rotators, amplifiers, and satellite equipment. All of those devices need power to be supplied over the cable and if it's not being supplied by copper cables, it might not be enough voltage.
Here's the proof
I tested Solid Signal cable against home-store RG6 cable. I went for a reasonable quality cable and to keep apples-to-apples, I cut the molded ends off the cable and added brand new top quality connectors from Solid Signal. These are the same connectors used in commercial satellite installations. I used two lengths of cable that were both listed as 50 feet. I even strung them both out to make sure they were measured properly.
To get power readings, I used a PI-29Z power inserter to supply the voltage on one end, and measured it with a multimeter at the beginning and at the end of the cable run. Here are the results.
| Solid Copper Cable | Copper-Clad Steel Cable | |
| Beginning of run | 29 volts | 29 volts |
| End of run | 27.5 volts | 21.6 volts |
The loss on the copper-clad steel cable was more than twice what I saw from the solid copper cable. This is important! A satellite dish, for example, needs about 19 volts at the dish to function properly. After only 50 feet of cable I don't have a lot to spare if I'm using copper-clad steel. If you're using a PI-21 power inserter per DIRECTV's residential specifications, your dish won't work at all if you're using copper-clad steel cable.
Signal tests
On the other hand, I used a Televes DigiNova to supply signal to the cable. (This antenna has been replaced by the upgraded Televes DiNova Boss Mix.) I measured the signal coming from the antenna using a 6″ length of cable and then measured it again at the end of two 50-foot cables. To make sure I had good results, I did not use the amplifier because I knew that the steel cable might not carry enough voltage to power the on-board amp and I didn't want to skew the test.
I used a signal meter to tune to a station about 60 miles away and recorded the results.
| Solid Copper Cable | Copper-Clad Steel Cable | |
| Beginning of run | -44.4dBm | -44.6dBm |
| End of run | -47.6dBm | -48.2dBm |
The two measurements for the beginning of the run were just slightly different and I would attribute that to random factors. What you see is evidence that the skin effect works: the two cables perform almost identically when it comes to carrying signal.
When solid copper is important
Personally I tell people that they should always use solid copper core cable everywhere. You never know where you'll end up putting a power injector and the hope is that you'll have this cable in place for a long time to come. However, if you're keen to save a little money, you can use copper-clad steel cable throughout the inside of your house as long as you label one run of solid copper so you'll know where it is.
You should use solid copper for the run from the antenna or dish into the house, all the time. After a multiswitch or splitter it's generally ok to use copper-clad steel. If you want help choosing the right cable for your project, call the experts at Solid Signal at 888-233-7563. If it's after hours, just fill out the form below.
The post REAL-WORLD TESTING: Solid copper vs. copper-clad steel appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
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376 views
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n43A0sNukCg
Direct YouTube Link - SpaceX Seeks to Conduct 450 Starship Launches a Year in Texas!
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n43A0sNukCg
Direct YouTube Link - SpaceX Seeks to Conduct 450 Starship Launches a Year in Texas!
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
0 Replies
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5 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68506 Replies
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2671308 views
Marques Brownlee
Time for another AWESOME video from Marques Brownlee!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scwlR0QHGOk
Direct YouTube Link - The NEW Tesla Roadster: My Honest Reaction
The official MKBHD Website!
The MKBHD Store
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scwlR0QHGOk
Direct YouTube Link - The NEW Tesla Roadster: My Honest Reaction
The official MKBHD Website!
The MKBHD Store
0 Replies
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5 views
iJustine
Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m44iKsdN1-Q
Direct YouTube Link - NVIDIA RTX Spark launch party!!!
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m44iKsdN1-Q
Direct YouTube Link - NVIDIA RTX Spark launch party!!!
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
0 Replies
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17 views
For quite a while now, people with a VIP211k have been losing their recordings on their activated external HDDs... even when there's nothing physically wrong with HDD. I believe this is an intentional and underhanded tactic that Dish is pulling in an attempt to force users away from the VIP211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
168 Replies
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7496 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Has anyone subscribed to NBA League Pass for 2026-27 and try to link their account to NBA.com to stream League Pass? I purchased it for 2026-27, and when I linked, I got a message saying success, but then I receive an error that my linked subscription does not include the preseason games for NBA League Pass. Is that how it has always been? I know satellite doesn't have the preseason games on the NBA League Pass channels, but I thought that I was able to stream the preseason once I linked my account on NBA.com?
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87 views
Supporting Founder
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
143 Replies
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1468 views
Nah, you just don't understand how ignore works, which is why you made your own NFL thread thinking there wasn't one
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
530 Replies
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18125 views
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat. 
WTF… …What the Foxbat!Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat.
S
wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming youWTF… …What the Foxbat!
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming you
S
OMG to freaking funny
You're no fun.
I thought I would come here and find lots of complaints about the update to the dish anywhere mobile app, but am not seeing any. It used to look just like the desktop webpage. Now you can no longer filter by sports channels or movie channels. Plus that they made it look like a big button telephone and you see fewer channels in the screen which requires more scrolling. Yes I realize you can look at sports then select which sport you want to look at, I just liked being able to see all sporting events in the guide with all other channels being filtered out. Am I alone in the wilderness on this?
7 Replies
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158 views
Supporting Founder
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Apple has finally released their Apple TV 4K with built-in Siri and a microphone so it can respond to your queries even if you don't have the remote. It also increases in price, to $299. I had been planning on updating my current Apple TV 4K streamers, but that's $600 for the two of them, and that's a pass at this point.
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
At $299, it had better come with 256 GB of Storage, Gigabit (or better) Ethernet, the latest HDMI tech and standards, and one year of free Apple One. But it probably won't…
Apple TV 4K
Apple TV 4K. New Siri AI and hands-free control. Stunning picture and immersive HomePod surround sound. Works with your Apple and smart home devices.
www.apple.com
20 Replies
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333 views
S
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
they all do that anyways.. ever notice your cell phone slows down when you come up for an upgrade..
. apple's been making money off of software and not hardware for a while
You should have looked in the APP STORE instead.
