RG6 question

[jrv331]

I have Belden series 6 1189a wire. According to its specs it "sweep" to 1gh. Some of the post I have read say the RG6 should be able to handle 2200 mhgz. Can someone tell me what that means in layman terms and should I buy new wire instead of this stuff? One of my runs will probally be over 50 ft.

Thanks
John

 

[red hazard]

RG6 Recommendation

I have Belden series 6 1189a wire. According to its specs it "sweep" to 1gh. Some of the post I have read say the RG6 should be able to handle 2200 mhgz. Can someone tell me what that means in layman terms and should I buy new wire instead of this stuff? One of my runs will probally be over 50 ft.

Thanks
John

Recommend Belden 1694A. It's not cheap but it is among the best for low loss and is tested up to 3000 MHz. DISHPRO (a form of DiSEqC) requires RG6 swept tested to a minimum of 2200 MHz. Some folks recommend quad shied RG6 but it's harder to work with and you would have to be REAL CLOSE to a TV transmitter to have leakage into 1694A with it's dual aluminum inner shield and 95% coverage braid outer shield. Maybe someone else can recommend another brand that is cheaper and would work satisfactory.

 

[Mike500]

I have Belden series 6 1189a wire. According to its specs it "sweep" to 1gh. Some of the post I have read say the RG6 should be able to handle 2200 mhgz. Can someone tell me what that means in layman terms and should I buy new wire instead of this stuff? One of my runs will probally be over 50 ft.

Thanks
John

You're fine, John. Just because the cable has not been swept to 2.2 Ghz, does not mean that it is not capable of handling it. It's the same cable a lot of times, whether it has been swept to 2.2Ghz or not. A lot of times it is a marketing ploy.

Just about the cheapest brand name 60% RG6, like the Carrol stuff sold at Home Depot will work fine. Just beware of the 40% old stuff that's out there. Most cable company cable is better than some cheap satellite cable.

I will give cable companies one credit. They use good cable, since they have to service it for years to come. Even if it is swept to 1000 Mhz, it is capable of a lot higher frequency. Like the old phone company stuff, it was built durable to last for 20 years or more. Satellite cable has only to last past the "chargeback period." All cable company cable is UL listed. Cable sold for satellite installers may not be. The exception was Primestar cable, which was actually made to the highest quality by Commscope and swept to 2.3 Ghz.

Unfortunately, that's the nature of the industry.

 

[red hazard]

RG6 Swept Tested

When they sweep the cable the testers use a signal generator and then measure the loss of the various frequencies sent. The higher the frequency, the more loss. For example a 100 ft of 1694A @ 1000Mhz has a loss of 5.89db while @ 2000Mhz the loss is 8.57db or almost twice as much. Generally, coax that is swept to only 1000Mhz has much higher losses at higher frequencies. Belden does not post the loss of 1189A above 1000Mhz and therefore it is not officially swept beyond that frequency. You can bet that the losses would be much higher than 1694A which is tested to 3000Mhz.
Also be advised that 1189A is a quad shield coax and the standard F connectors at Home Despot and Rat Shack won't do the trick. The post above does point out an interesting issue in that DBS installers usually take the cheap way to maximize profits so the coax they use is not necessarily of lasting quality though it would have to be good enough to initially work.

 

[Mike500]

You want a good compression connector like Thomas and Betts LRC Snap-N-Seal.

 

[jrv331]

Can you tell me why they wont work. I dont really need a whole bag, just 6. Is there any type at RS or HomeDepot that will work?
Thanks
John

Also be advised that 1189A is a quad shield coax and the standard F connectors at Home Despot and Rat Shack won't do the trick. .

 

[Mike500]

They should work, but there is no guarantee. It depends on the quality of the stripping and installation. Unless I saw the connection and examined it, there is no way to tell.

 

[rvd_mark]

snap and seal

I'd go with mike500 on that. Those connectors are really good. Its worth buying the bag , i think they go for like 12 bucks or so. The good compression tool is expensive though. Hey red, are commscope any good man. I bought a 1000 foot roll for like 55 bucks with shipping. The last time i bought cable it came with the ground wire, this one didnt come with the ground wire. Also any suggestion where i can find some good 1000 ft cables at a good price, i might sell the commscope cause it doesnt have the ground wire. Thanks

 

[Carl B]

One thing I wouldn't give the cable guys credit for, at least in the analog days, is connector installation. Sloppy stripping and crimping and when the cable signal quality sucks, it is always your TV not their hookup. I went through that for several years at my old house. When I moved, the same TV was fine on cable and later satellite at my new location. They also never used to provide any weather protection for their connectors and connection. Every time it rained, I had signal problems or signal loss. That was one of the reasons I switched to E*.

 

[jrv331]

What is the dirrerence between quad and non quad RG6 and can quad be used outside?
Thanks
John

 

[al]

Quad shield RG6 cable has additional foil and braid for shielding interference in comparison to RG6 cable. And yes, quad can be used outdoors.

Alan

 

[jrv331]

follow up- Snap-N-Seal RG6Q

I see all kinds of colors for the Snap-N-Seal connectors. Is one better that the other or are they for different applications?
Thanks
John

 

[Mike500]

Blue is for RG6 regualr and tri-shield. Purple is for RG6 quad shield. Orange is for RG59 regular and tri-shield. Green is for RG59 quad shield. Light (Lime) Green is a special order custom size like specific brands of plenum cable.

The bodies of all rg6 and rg59 connectors are the same for each rg cable size. The inner diameter of the sleeves matches the size of the outer diameter of the cable's outer jacket.

 

[jgpeacock]

Cable Tools

I found this site and they seem to have good products at reasonable prices. Bad cables are often the cause of most peoples disappointments.

Cable Tools

 

[StevenD]

I bought this kit on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11726&item=3084347113

It comes with a wire stripper, compression tool, and 50 Snap-N-Seal blue connectors. Its a little slow, but for $48 shipped, I can't complain.

Now, where's the cheapest place to buy quality RG-6?

 

[Carl B]

At least as stamped on the cable and printed on the package, the Zenith quad-shielded RG-6 coax available at Lowes meets or exceeds every RG-6 spec I've seen discussed on this forum. I've been pleased with its improved digital PQ performance versus the standard RG-6 sold at Home Depot.

 

[Bumthumb]

Here's a place for all types of cabling equipment/supplies:

http://www.dlsus.com/catalog/

 

[StevenD]

The Zenith cable at Lowes is $69.99 for a 500' roll. Thats ridiculous! Fry's sells the good stuff for $85 for 1000' or DishStore.net sells it for $80 plus shipping.

 

[Mike500]

I can do better that than, as most dealers and installers can get even better prices. I like Belden, Amphenol Times Fiber, Commscope, and even Monster Cable.

 

[red hazard]

More on RG6

I have Belden series 6 1189a wire. According to its specs it "sweep" to 1gh. Some of the post I have read say the RG6 should be able to handle 2200 mhgz. Can someone tell me what that means in layman terms and should I buy new wire instead of this stuff? One of my runs will probally be over 50 ft.

Thanks
John

John,

I didn't want this to be a technical discussion but I don't think you are getting the correct information. When they sweep test a cable it's more than just signal attenuation vs. frequency. They are also looking for spikes (as seen on an O-scope) for impedance mismatches at various frequencies swept which cause reflections. RG6 swept to 2.2Ghz infers that there were no significant spikes and it therefore can pass all the frequencies to the highest frequency indicated. Swept to at least 2.2Ghz is important for DishPro applications. Secondly your Belden 1189A has a copper coated center conductor. This is also not recommended because the resistance in over 4 times that of a solid conductor (28 Ohms/1000ft vs 6.4 ohms) and this could cause problems with the DiSEQc DC control signal used in DishPro. Regarding the F-connectors sold in hardware stores and Rat Shack, the only ones I saw were for common bi or tri shielded coax which has a nominal OD of about .272 - .275". Your 1189A is quad shield and its OD is .298 inches. That's why quality F connectors like Snap N Seal, Stirling, Digicon etc. have different size connectors for each application. A good compression connector resists water migration and minimizes signal loss. Belden 1694A is great, however, if one is paranoid about shielding, Belden 7915A (tri shield) is suggested and its cheaper and has good signal loss characteristics and shielding equal to quad. I would steer away from RG6 that you cannot find the specifications on the label, WEB or packaging. Belden specs. are at BELDEN.COM. You might also want to check COMSCOPE as one of their cables I examined had good specs. Compression tools for compression connectors are not cheap and purchase is impractical for a one time user. You might want to have a satellite dealer put the connectors on your cable.