Antenna coax cable

[ATTACKFF]

I am looking for a good quality coax cable about 75 feet long. I am looking to monitor VHF low band and high band and UHF. I am using a Bearcat scanner and a Scantenna antenna. Any help as to what type and where I can find it at will be appriciated.

 

[Bill_White]

For a 75' run:
Good = RG-8U
Better = 9913
Best = LMR-400
http://universal-radio.com/catalog/cable/coax.html

 

[radiopro52]

For 75 feet length, you'll want low loss coax especially for UHF. LMR400 is an excellent low loss cable. If it's too expensive, though, RG6 also works well. Whatever you do, don't get RG58.

 

[Airdorn]

http://www.bizsyscon.com/product.php?id=649

75 feet of LMR-400 for $39.95. It already has the N-type male connectors on it.

I bought one of those and the stuff works great. He sells it on ebay occasionally, too.

 

[ind224]

not cheap frugal

I've bought both LMR and Heliax used with great results. Ebay as well as QTH.com are good sources. LMR 400 will take the big coax style PL259 and you can adapt to the BNC.

N connectors are are OK for military stuff (purists) and if you need to transmit high power but RS won't have them. JMO, they are a pain for casual scanners.

 

[Paulsan]

I bought my LMR400 from bizsyscon and then had a jumper cable made by Wireman. Had both in my hands in less than a week. You can find adapters for N connectors from many vendors.

 

[stevolene]

thats a good buy on that, did it come with the connectors as shown in the pic?

 

[Airdorn]

thats a good buy on that, did it come with the connectors as shown in the pic?

Yes. N male on both ends.

 

[ATTACKFF]

This LMR 400 coax, wil it work well with low band, hi band and UHF? Also is there different qualiy of cable depending on manufacturor or is it all pretty much the same.

 

[n8emr]

For a scanner why not just use RG6

 

[radiopro52]

This LMR 400 coax, wil it work well with low band, hi band and UHF? Also is there different qualiy of cable depending on manufacturor or is it all pretty much the same.

Yes. The less loss you have the better, especially with the high bands. If you're trying to pull in distant signals, low loss coax, like LMR400, is a must.

As for manufacturor, Times Microwave is the brand name I believe. There are some people selling Times Microwave LMR400 coax on Ebay for a good price. There are also some other sellers selling the same coax with a different brand, which I'm sure works just as well.

 

[btritch]

I had RG 6 I was using until recently..I could hear my local on 150-170 mhz fine but when it came to the neighboring county which uses 460 and 800 mhz I could barely hear them..Since I switched to LMR 400 I can hear 150-170, 450-460, and even 800-1200 GREAT! Yeah, I makes a HUGE difference...on ALL bands, Even low band I can hear now..

 

[ATTACKFF]

Someone also suggested a LMR 600, anyone have any thoughts about that coax?

 

[chrismol1]

I have about 100 feet of waterproof LMR-400, the stuffs great. You hafta use that stuff.
Anyone use LMR-900 i believe the name is, the new stuff?

 

[zz0468]

Someone also suggested a LMR 600, anyone have any thoughts about that coax?

Larger, harder to handle, significantly more expensive, lower loss. It's all just a trade off. For a length of 75', the lower loss is not significant enough to outweigh the additional cost and difficulty in handling it.

 

[ATTACKFF]

Hey I just got 75 ft of the LMR 400 off ebay with the connections I needed and weathergaurd on the outside connection for $85.00. Thanks to all who gave me advice, I just hope it improveds my reception.

 

[af5rn]

Hey I just got 75 ft of the LMR 400 off ebay with the connections I needed and weathergaurd on the outside connection for $85.00. Thanks to all who gave me advice, I just hope it improveds my reception.

Probably not going to improve it noticeably. 75 feet just isn't that far in coaxial loss terms. And most significant loss is above UHF, at 800mhz and above, which doesn't really affect you. And, of course, no matter what quality coax you use, you still are plugging into a cheap arse 300 ohm firecracker transformer at the television grade antenna, resulting in loss.

It won't hurt, but don't get your hopes up for major improvements. You'd be extremely lucky to notice the difference even on a service monitor. If you see major improvement, it's probably more likely that your old coax (or connectors) was simply faulty to begin with.

 

[andrewccm]

I had RG 6 I was using until recently..I could hear my local on 150-170 mhz fine but when it came to the neighboring county which uses 460 and 800 mhz I could barely hear them..Since I switched to LMR 400 I can hear 150-170, 450-460, and even 800-1200 GREAT! Yeah, I makes a HUGE difference...on ALL bands, Even low band I can hear now..

Ok.. that is exactly my scenario... I am using the standard RG-6 that came with my ST-2... Looks like I'll be ordering that LMR-400 tonight.

Will I just need an adapter for the ST-2 for the connectors (N to F or BNC) or what? Sorry for the newbie question.

 

[btritch]

N to F, They're available at either http://www.testparts.com or http://www.universalradio.com Either one has them, I've ordered from both.

 

[andrewccm]

Thanks.. I looked at my local Frys and they carry them for a couple of bucks.. I'll swing by and grab 2..

Is there any benefit to replacing the transformer that comes with the ST2? Just curious...

I ordered the LMR400 just a couple of minutes ago.. Looking forward to getting it...