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Post by Kentucky Jim on Jan 19, 2009 14:32:30 GMT -5
What is the difference in coax you use for cb's and the coax used for cable tv like Comcast uses??? Radio Shack says I can use the same coax for my cb. They said what they sell is the same as comcast uses.
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Sandbagger
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Post by Sandbagger on Jan 19, 2009 14:48:50 GMT -5
What is the difference in coax you use for cb's and the coax used for cable tv like Comcast uses??? Radio Shack says I can use the same coax for my cb. They said what they sell is the same as comcast uses. Radio Shack: You've got questions, we've got (wrong) answers. The coaxial cable used for cable TV is 75 Ohms. CB requires 50 ohm cable. While using 75 ohm cable will work to some degree, there will be a mismatch, and you'll lose some of your transmitted power. |
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Post by BionicChicken on Jan 19, 2009 18:25:59 GMT -5
What is the difference in coax you use for cb's and the coax used for cable tv like Comcast uses??? Radio Shack says I can use the same coax for my cb. They said what they sell is the same as comcast uses.[/quote Radio Shack has their head stuck so far up their *#@% that they can't see daylight. Most cable companies will use 75 ohm coax, some use different but for the most part that's what it will be. CB coax is 50 ohm. You can use 75 ohm for co-phasing harnesses for dual antennas on the vehicle. RG 58A/U, RG8X, RG8U, RG213 are coaxes available for CB use. There are others but these are the most popular. BC |
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Post by broke1 on Jan 30, 2009 22:04:22 GMT -5
So what is a good coax that you get that will not break the bank. Everyone tells me to get this LMR400 but its so expensive.
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Post by BionicChicken on Jan 31, 2009 9:54:44 GMT -5
Use RG 213. The different brands can give you a choice of prices. With Belden (8267) being the best you can get. Shop around and you can find better prices on different brands but be careful. If the price is a lot lower than Belden, the quality is also.
Sometimes you can find 100' runs of 1/2" Heliax at decent prices which will be better than almost anything you can find unless you are running lots o' watts.
BC
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2009 14:13:48 GMT -5
Is Heliax necessary if they are running stock?
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Post by BionicChicken on Jan 31, 2009 15:53:18 GMT -5
I just reread the post and if he is going to need 250' it might be the best for him to run. RG213 will have a decent amount of loss in that long of a run. 9913 Belden is similar to 1/2" Heliax. I can usually find the Heliax down here for $1 a foot and the longer the run sometimes cheaper. Check some communication shops. A lot of times they will replace feedline on towers and take the old off and sell it at a decent price. Still 250' is a long run.
BC
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Sandbagger
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Post by Sandbagger on Jan 31, 2009 18:32:39 GMT -5
I just reread the post and if he is going to need 250' it might be the best for him to run. RG213 will have a decent amount of loss in that long of a run. 9913 Belden is similar to 1/2" Heliax. I can usually find the Heliax down here for $1 a foot and the longer the run sometimes cheaper. Check some communication shops. A lot of times they will replace feedline on towers and take the old off and sell it at a decent price. Still 250' is a long run. BC Personally, I don't like 9913. Yes, it's good from a loss perspective, but it's like a garden hose, and if your connectors are not 100% water proofed, it will ingest gobs of water which will screw it up. PL 259 connectors are not known for being waterproof. You'd be better off using type 'N' connectors, which do a fair job at sealing out moisture. Also, because 9913 is a hollow dialectric, you have to make darn sure not to kink it, or bend it at angles tighter than 90 degrees or you risk changing the characteristic impedence and thereby increasing loss. LMR 400 IMHO is a better choice than 9913, as it has a solid dialectric, and will not pass water the same way 9913 will. |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2009 19:28:19 GMT -5
I didn't used 9913 because of that reason. What I did do was make my jumpers 9913, because it is the most flexable. I used Buryflex, because I had to bury it and run it over water. The Buryflex was better than the LMR400. I had the LMR400,and it was a stiff as a 2x4.
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Post by BionicChicken on Feb 1, 2009 8:30:54 GMT -5
I hadn't thought about 9913 in so long I forgot about the air worm hole dielectric along with the poly. It was and is bad about water getting into it unless it is sealed properly. It's also a B*tch to put an end on unless you have done it before and then it's still not too easy. Not sure about the LMR on connector installation.
Heliax gets my vote. Connectors may be a little pricey especially when you get into the 7/8" but the quality and performance are hard to beat IMHO.
BC
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Sandbagger
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Post by Sandbagger on Feb 1, 2009 10:39:56 GMT -5
I hadn't thought about 9913 in so long I forgot about the air worm hole dielectric along with the poly. It was and is bad about water getting into it unless it is sealed properly. It's also a B*tch to put an end on unless you have done it before and then it's still not too easy. Not sure about the LMR on connector installation. Heliax gets my vote. Connectors may be a little pricey especially when you get into the 7/8" but the quality and performance are hard to beat IMHO. BC " No question, Heliax has the least amount of loss, and that's what we run on our 51 and 220 Mhz repeaters. But unless you're running 500' or more on CB it's a bit overkill. And at $25 a piece of connectors, it's in a far different league than your basic Radio Shack coax......  |
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