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I have a bunch of rg6 coax and was wondering if it is acceptable for use in VHF and HF applications. Thanks
RG6
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I only plan on Rx, probably going to build a dipole to monitor federal frequencys in the town over.
ind224
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Given the choice I'd go with LMR 400 type, less loss. How long is / are the run(s)? I use RG6 for OTA TV antenna and LNB's to sat card in the computer since its all F connector. Works fine.
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About 4 feet, jut from outside to inside.
Does the lower loss of LMR-400 justify the higher price? At 800 mHz there is about 1 dB more loss in the RG6. You are not going to be able to hear a 1 dB difference. But the typical price per foot for LMR-400 ($1.23 ft) vs RG6 (.30 / ft).... that's about 4x the cost for LMR400.
4 feet? If you mean four feet then the difference is moot. Use wet string or whatever you have laying around
A four foot run from the antenna to the radio...be still my heart!
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Right out the window to the mount.
ind224
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A single run, I have to know the antenna and radio. Something AOR or an SDR?
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Homemade dipole, to a uniden sr30c, just for scanning and monitoring purposes.
wtp
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since you have it, try it.
if it is less than 5 years of age, probably no big deal but if it was used outside, that is the usual time to retire it.
if it is less than 5 years of age, probably no big deal but if it was used outside, that is the usual time to retire it.
Stargater53
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When I bought a gen-u-ine Ed Fong TBJ-1 (tri-band) antenna, Ed graciously called me a week later to see how I liked it. We talked about coax for a few minutes and the gist was this: Up to 50 feet, you can use RG8x. At 50 feet or more, use LMR400. For just 2-6 feet you could most likely get away with RG6, but more than that, you're better using the above. Yes, LM400 is very expensive, but RG8x is quite affordable. If you're going for a long run, just go for the good stuff. It'll only hurt a minute. The first week you transmit with it, if you have a good antenna, you'll be glad you splurged.
G7RUX
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There's nothing wrong with RG6 but you may need to use either a matching pad or a transformer depending on your situation.
75 ohms is better for low-power/receive loss anyway, with 50-60 ohms being a compromise between that and 25-30 ohms which is best for power transfer...understanding the performance of coaxial cables is not terribly simple in general but is quite useful.
In short, give the RG6 a go, you have a short run so the losses will be negligible except for mismatch loss which itself isn't enormous.
75 ohms is better for low-power/receive loss anyway, with 50-60 ohms being a compromise between that and 25-30 ohms which is best for power transfer...understanding the performance of coaxial cables is not terribly simple in general but is quite useful.
In short, give the RG6 a go, you have a short run so the losses will be negligible except for mismatch loss which itself isn't enormous.
At 700MHz RG8X has twice the loss over RG6 at 100 feet. Don't use RG8X.
That will be fine!
Stargater53
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Great advice. Thank you.
Yes, it's a matter of what works for you. If you have a short run and already have a short cable, it's worth a go. RG6 is easy on the wallet, but what is a "short run" and at what point do you need to cough up the $$$ for the good stuff? As you get into the better cables, the price goes up exponentially and it becomes increasingly painful to part with the green stuff.
So what about KMR-400? It's the "LMR-400" of Amazon. Has anyone used it, and where does it fall in the great scheme of the Universe?
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