RG-6 Coax 101

[phlatwound]

I'm looking to buy a 1000' spool of RG-6 coax and was wondering what features and specs were desirable for general hobbyist home use, I shouldn't have any excessive length runs. Most of the average stuff seems to be 18 ga. copper clad center conductor, 60% aluminum braid, 3 GHz sweep tested. The features that seem to vary are:

1.) Amount of shielding....Dual, Tri or Quad?

2.) Underground (direct burial rated) or Aerial?

3.) Is a ground messenger wire needed?

What do you guys use for cable and connectors...your thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[updatelee]

Quad sheilding is nice, but honestly in most cases not required. remmember too that quad sheilding uses different connectors then regular RG6.

Solid copper core would be nice, but its pretty hard to find now days in stock, no one pays the extra for it, so almost all the electrical wholesalers will just have coper clad, which is fine for more people anyhow. solid copper should be able to drive more current, but almost no one needs it. We use it for Xplornet and wildblue becaause they are powering the transmitter at 32v and over 1amp.

unless your buring it, dont use bury rated, its expensive. unless your going to suspend it from pole to pople, dont buy areal, its expensive.

the ground messenger wire imo is way to small to do anything at all against lightning. dont bother, its expensive and doesnt help protect your equipment from anything.

3Ghz rated is what most stuff sold now days is, unless your doing some bandstacked stuff your not even going to come close to even the older 2.5Ghz limit. but might as well get the 3Ghz stuff as thats what most places will have in stock anyhow.

For connectors, im fussy, I only use Thomas and Betts snap-n-seal brand connectors, they are excellent, you'll tear the coax before the connector ever comes off.

 

[Mr Tony]

I only use dual shield. As noted, quad you need different connectors. Also, unless you're running 300+ feet quad isnt needed.

I only use compression connectors. Got the tool at Lowes and the ends off Ebay
EX6XL PPC Compression connectors

 

[phlatwound]

Thanks guys!

I did not know that the quad shield required different ends, so dual shielded it is for me. I figured the solid copper core stuff was probably overkill for most apps and won't worry about the messenger wire either. I'll check out the connectors you mentioned and see what I can find, need to get some tools too, my credit card is going to melt pretty soon!

 

[Larry1]

I use the copper clad steel cable. I do have a few short pieces of the eagle aspen dual copper cable. It is very nice to work with, but very expensive also. The economy cable is a little harder to work with, but is a lot cheaper. In the past I have used Belden copper cable, but it was too expensive for me to buy another roll. If one really wants performance, then they should consider RG-11. For connectors, I have used crimp on connectors from the bag of 100 with silicon and and O ring to the dollar store crimp on connectors. They have all worked fine for my useage, but by certain are not of top grade. I have had some connectors bind up and need to be replaced, but very few. The better name connectors are a lot better constructed. For me the cheaper ones work good enough for my useage. Being a true Satelliteguys FTA guy who likes to tinker with my dish (as the pole indicated), the cables get moved around from time to time and connectors replaced. The connector I put on when I first started with satellite were pt on without a proper crimper, and very poorly. I have gained much expiance putting on connectors a lot quickly now and a lot higher quality job. The cable with the messanger would be good for anyone hanging the cable between poles to give it pulling strength. (reduce stretching) I don't know if that is the intended purpose of the messanger.

 

[phlatwound]

I know what you mean, Larry, about trying to crimp without the proper tools, I've done it when in a pinch a couple times but the results were poor.

That R-11 looks like good $tuff but at this point it would be wasted on someone of my abilities . Guess it makes sense to make your cables a little long, then if there is an issue with a connector just cut it off and crimp another on.

Never thought about that messenger wire strengthening an aerial run, but it probably would.

 

[Anole]

I agree about 100% with what UpdateLee posted , above.
Not sure about the shielding, nor coverage, but double or quad is probably a waste for most of us.

The Snap 'N Seal or equal compression connectors need a special tool to apply, and I've seen 'em at Harbor Freight, though I haven't tried theirs and cannot recommend it.
The one I used was all metal and had a ratchet so you couldn't do a half assed job.
Once you began, you had to compress it all the way before the tool would release.
I think it was in the $60 to $75 range, and if I needed my own, I'd look real hard to get one for half that.

The proper stripper to match the connector is a necessity, too.
I used a $10 one, but it was really not the right model.
I think you need a 2-blade, not a 3-blade, to prep the cable properly for the connector.
Since I don't recall, maybe others will chime in or you can at least be on the lookout for a proper tool.

The only other thing, is to color-code your cables some way.
There are many, but pick one, and make sure each cable can be identified uniquely at both ends (maybe in the middle if that's important to you).

Oh, and as for the connectors, look to pay around 30¢ or so.
Under 50¢ is good, and I don't think you can find 'em down at 20¢, but it's been a while since I shopped.
Just don't want to see you paying $1 each!

 

[ng54]

Coax with the copper covered steel center conductor is problematic. The high frequency signals travel on the outer surface of the center conductor, so any break or crack in the
copper coating affects signal quality. Also be careful not to nick the center conductor when
putting on the 'F' connectors. I like to use Beldon 1689A, full cover ground braid with solid
copper center conductor, comes in multiple colors.

 

[Larry1]

The crimper and wire stripper were the best money paid on improving my installation quality. I would not even try to do it again without the proper tools.

 

[phlatwound]

I agree about 100% with what UpdateLee posted , above.
Not sure about the shielding, nor coverage, but double or quad is probably a waste for most of us.

The Snap 'N Seal or equal compression connectors need a special tool to apply, and I've seen 'em at Harbor Freight, though I haven't tried theirs and cannot recommend it.
The one I used was all metal and had a ratchet so you couldn't do a half assed job.
Once you began, you had to compress it all the way before the tool would release.
I think it was in the $60 to $75 range, and if I needed my own, I'd look real hard to get one for half that.

The proper stripper to match the connector is a necessity, too.
I used a $10 one, but it was really not the right model.
I think you need a 2-blade, not a 3-blade, to prep the cable properly for the connector.
Since I don't recall, maybe others will chime in or you can at least be on the lookout for a proper tool.

The only other thing, is to color-code your cables some way.
There are many, but pick one, and make sure each cable can be identified uniquely at both ends (maybe in the middle if that's important to you).

Oh, and as for the connectors, look to pay around 30¢ or so.
Under 50¢ is good, and I don't think you can find 'em down at 20¢, but it's been a while since I shopped.
Just don't want to see you paying $1 each!

Thanks Anole, I looked at Harbor Freight's coax tools and they (like a lot of their stuff) looked pretty dodgy. Those ratcheting crimpers you mentioned look practically idiot-proof, right up my alley. I'll look at some of the bundled tool kits our sponsors have also.

I've got some little zip ties in several colors for cable marking but I doubt I'll do anything too complex for a while, the KISS rule applies for now.

I'll check out the solid copper core stuff, ng54, the searching I have done so far has not turned up much, the coated stuff is everywhere.

Thank you all for your thoughts and advice, I know this is really simple, basic stuff for those that have been down this road, but it's all new to me.

 

[updatelee]

those $10 coax strippers are awesome, its amazing I ever did manually before.

I label maker all my coax, I am the same as many I guess in that im often moving the lnb's around to other satellites so I gave up marking them with their orbital position. I just mark them cable 1, cable 2, cable 3, etc. then I have a cheat sheet writen on the wall for what cable # is currently for what satellite. rewriteing paper is easier then new label matker.

 

[Tron]

I would strongly recommend compression connectors, they are the best thing to come along for coax since its invention (IMO) and are used by nearly all professional installers. I use PPC EX6s (like Iceberg's setup), usually bumming them from local cable installers I run across They can be had for very decent prices on E-Bay when buying in bulk. Another plus is that they are universal (will work with 60% shield cable as well as Quad, although they require some effort to fit onto Quad)...

RG-11 is nice, but requires a special compression tool, and the fittings cost more than a buck a piece (at their cheapest!). Use only on ridiculously long runs.

 

[thisBUDsforyou]

The proper stripper to match the connector is a necessity, too.
I used a $10 one, but it was really not the right model.
I think you need a 2-blade, not a 3-blade, to prep the cable properly for the connector.
Since I don't recall, maybe others will chime in or you can at least be on the lookout for a proper tool.

I use a cable stripper I got for about $10 at Home Depot. Works great. It has two blades, with a notch in the deeper cutting blade for the center conductor. Depth of cut on both blades is adjustable with an allen wrench. I adjusted the less deep blade so that it barely cuts through the outer sleeve. Good advice is to twirl the stripper around the cable about two times until you feel you have cut through. Don't use the stripper to pull off the stuff you are removing, though - you may take too much of the braid off that way. When I'm done cutting I release the stripper and remove the waste by hand. The little portion of outer sleeve I usually have to pry off with an awl or something but I prefer it that way because it leaves the braid fully intact. Only problem I've run into is that little pieces of the braid often get wound around the center conductor and have to be carefully unwound so I don't end up with a shorted-out cable. I bend the braid backwards before putting on the connector so that the braid makes good conatact with the outside of the connector. Also it's important the insulator around the center conductor (the white dielectric stuff) be cleaned up really well before you put the connector on.

 

[vfrjim]

I only use Solid Copper core when I build audio/video cables, including component video and subwoofer cables, nice belden stuff.

 

[rv1pop]

I got the full kit at HomeDepot, cutter, stripper, crimper and a supply of connectors. I also got a roll of coax.

If you use a good stripper, you do not need to worry about nicking the copper. Solid copper is not needed for receiving. Plated is fine, and will handle up to 2 amps DC for 200 feet.

For RG-11 I still use the solder connectors. I have had problems with the crimp ons, and I could not see the problems as I can with the solder.

 

[phlatwound]

Thanks for all the thoughts, guys, I'm a-fixin' to go shopping for this stuff this week. :up

 

[glen4cindy]

Don't use the stripper to pull off the stuff you are removing, though - you may take too much of the braid off that way. When I'm done cutting I release the stripper and remove the waste by hand. The little portion of outer sleeve I usually have to pry off with an awl or something but I prefer it that way because it leaves the braid fully intact.

That is one thing that I have never heard before. I always peel all of the briad and foil from around the white dielectric. That is how I was taught in cable school when I worked for the cable company. I know that the L band is higher than anything we used for the cable company. I think our maximum before i left was 950 MHz. Does that make a difference? I have installed over 600 feet of coaxial cable in my home between DirecTv dish, multiswitch and DVR's to FTA, and other coax lines that I have run between TV's.

Thanks.

 

[phlatwound]

That is one thing that I have never heard before. I always peel all of the briad and foil from around the white dielectric. That is how I was taught in cable school when I worked for the cable company. I know that the L band is higher than anything we used for the cable company. I think our maximum before i left was 950 MHz. Does that make a difference? I have installed over 600 feet of coaxial cable in my home between DirecTv dish, multiswitch and DVR's to FTA, and other coax lines that I have run between TV's.

Thanks.

glen4cindy, here are some pics I found that I'm going to use for a guide. I've only put on 2 or 3 in my life and that was without proper tools, they worked but it was a very poor job.

How Do I...Install Coax Connectors - HomeTech Solutions

 

[thisBUDsforyou]

That is one thing that I have never heard before. I always peel all of the briad and foil from around the white dielectric.

The pictures show the foil still around the dielectric and the braid bent back. I guess it's ok to peel back the foil as well as long as you leave something (foil or braid) bent back for the connector to make a good ground connection to. But hey if you've run 600 feet of cable and it works you must be doing it right. A reason to peel back the foil would be to make absolutely sure that a little piece of foil doesn't short out the center conductor.

 

[glen4cindy]

Thanks for the tips.

I never knew I should be leaving a layer of foil around the dielectric.

Like you said, it is working, so I'm not going to change anything, but, I can change how I do it in the future. I'm getting ready to do a T90 so that will be quite a bit of coax to strip and terminate.