Best Cable?

[Ellwood Taylor]

New to this Forum so thank you in advance for your help. I need to do 2 short runs 7m each from a twin LNB no joins. Can I use Belden 9907 RG58 coax? Thank you

 

[archive10]

Can I use Belden 9907 RG58 coax? Thank you

You may find it working, but really you should use RG6 (or even RG59), not RG58, there's a mismatch in impedance (50 Ohm vs 75 Ohm).
Depending on signal strength you may get unpredictable results.

Better to use normal RG6 cable. For 7m, the specifcs of the 75 Ohm cable is not that important, as long as it at least is double shielded you are careful with the connectors.

 

[Tony1A]

I use Webro WF100 for satellite and TV antenna cables. I would not use anything else!

 

[Channel Hopper]

I use Webro WF100 for satellite and TV antenna cables. I would not use anything else!

Tony has gracefully offered 14m of WF100 cable (and connectors) inc postage.

 

[blademedia]

LMR is on of the best cable money can buy, all the top EME stations use it.
LMR-400 Cable Archives - Scott Cables

Or Heliax
The DX Shop - Andrew Heliax Coaxial

 

[Analoguesat]

For years I used the cheapest stuff I could find at B&Q. Even on 25+m lengths it was absolutely fine

 

[jeallen01]

FWIW, it's a lot easier to fit F-connectors to solid core cables like WF100 (I use nothing else except for very short runs) than to air-cored sat or RG59 cables because the solid core ones don't "collapse" like the air cored one (provided that the correct size of F-plug is used).

 

[Adam792]

I use WF100 cable like the guys above have mentioned! I'm a recent convert to compression F connectors too for a nice finish (plus they save your fingers from twisting the ordinary connectors on!)


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[jeallen01]

...plus they save your fingers from twisting the ordinary connectors on!)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

No need for compression fittings just to save your fingers - grip the cable itself in one hand and then turn the serrated body of the F-connector with a pair of pliers in the other hand! Easy & quick.

 

[archive10]

I use WF100 cable like the guys above have mentioned! I'm a recent convert to compression F connectors too for a nice finish (plus they save your fingers from twisting the ordinary connectors on!)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Totally agree - been using compression F-connectors for while - you get a better finish, no twisting of the outer sheath when putting it on, it fits a range of cable thinknesses (not just one), and it's watertight if you get the right ones (I use PPC).
Only downside is the cost, as the connectors are slightly more expensive, and cannot be re-used in a pinch.

I still use twist-on for anything lash-up (ie. just need a quick cable for something temporary indoors, or fiddlng with collinear antennas...

Re cable; I've been using expensive stuff, but I've also used cheap stuff.
For not-too-long runs cheap cable seems to work well too for most applications.
I have not been able to measure distinct difference between cheap stuff and very expensive stuff when we're talking, say, 10 meters.
I have, however, had signal quality survive on ridiculously low power levels over high-grade cable at work.
I find that expensive cable will often protect better against irradiated noise, and proivde lower loss over long runs.

And - there's the difference between PE sheathing and PVC sheathing - I believe that thousands of installations here in Denmark has been done with PVC cabling going outside to the antenna (my early ones included!).
Anything PVC outside exposed to sun (and the water from rain) will deteriorate over some years, and may stop working due to water ingress.
From the UK, I seem to remember that the Webro PF100 is indeed PE sheathed?

 

[archive10]

No need for compression fittings just to save your fingers - grip the cable itself in one hand and then turn the serrated body of the F-connector with a pair of pliers in the other hand! Easy & quick.

I found the cable thing unwieldly too - it twisted often for me.
But once I tried this cable grip from PPC (<4 GBP), I've never looked back.

 

[rolfw]

WF100 here on anything but long runs, I use mostly Cablecon Self install compression connectors, no tool required, not used a screw on connector in years for a permanent installation.

For short runs like 7 metres, WF65 shotgun is more than adequate, both of these cables have a foam dielectric, I use the cablecon compressioon connectors for this, although there are ather types out there now.

 

[Archive-8]

At how many meters do we define it as a "long run"?

 

[rolfw]

At how many meters do we define it as a "long run"?

35 to 40m, although it'll depend what dish I'm using and the power of sat I'm going for, so say I'm achieveing 78db minimum at the LNB, a max loss of around 13 db is OK and that'll only be on the highest frequencies in each band.