Flat Coax Window Cables for Ham Shack

[peq387ab]

Hello, I just recently moved into my new house here and I'm looking at taking off my ham shack project before winter settles in around here. My ham shack has a window with crank style windows that retract out, which makes it hard to put one of those MFJ passes in there. I'm inquiring to see if those flat coax cables are worthy of doing the job at all or if they not good to invest in.

The cables I'm talking about of those very thin RG cables that claim to be able to be wedged into a crank window.

 

[Tommahawk]

I used to work as a CATV installation tech. We avoided these because there was always too much loss. Now these were at UHF frequencies. Couldn't tell you about lower frequencies.

 

[prcguy]

I've used them in the satellite industry to 2GHz and tested some on a network analyzer, they have a little loss but if they allow you to get your antennas connected its worth it.
prcguy

 

[k6cpo]

Do you own the house? If so, you could always make a pass through by drilling through the wall. You'd have to make sure it was well insulated to avoid drafts, but it can be done.

 

[popnokick]

Window casings.... even with windows that crank... are usually easier to drill than going through the full sidewall of the house. Inspect the casing and window surround closely to see if there is a place you could drill. Be sure to use a bushing or grommet to protect the coax... particularly if you drill through the aluminum part of the casing.

 

[KF5UFA]

Get or homebrew something like one of these.

MFJ Enterprises Inc.

 

[NZ4ZN]

The windows are (crank-out) casements and will not securely accept the MFJ style pass-thoughs that are designed for (slide-up) double or single hung windows.

As semi-retired general manager of a custom home building company, I would not suggest drilling through the window casing, any of the window parts or even close to the window opening.

The main reason I say this is that in conventional framed construction, there are a pair of studs next to every window, a jack stud (that supports the header/lentil) and a common stud that runs full height. Larger openings often have a double jack stud, meaning there can be up to three studs wide (5-1/2") and these studs are most likely 2x4 or 2x6 (3-1/2" to 5-1/2" thick). This is a lot of drilling in an area where a wall penetration will be awkward and ndifficult to conceal. The easiest place to penetrate the exterior wall will be between studs some distance from the window. Beware concealed wires and plumbing.

 

[n5ims]

I would try to route your coax into your attic (generally a small hole in the facia will work fine) and then down an inside wall with a standard wallplate (like this ICC - Inverted - Single Gang - White Wall Plate | ShowMeCables.com) to pass your coax through. You can do it on an wall that's part of your outside walls, but then you're fighting the insulation, etc. Using a low voltage bracket (Carlon 1-Gang Non-Metallic Low-Voltage Old-Work Bracket-SC100RR - The Home Depot) will help to make it a nice and clean installation (make sure your height matches the other outlets on your walls).

What to do when you sell (or stop renting) the house? Simple. Pull some RG-6 into your attic and end it near where your other cable-tv connections are (near a splitter would be nice) and trade out that open wallplate for a standard one used by cable-tv. Poof, it's no longer a nasty, ugly, and property-value lowering ham coax route (not really, but that's what some may say) and it's now a value increasing cable-tv outlet for that room!

 

[KF5UFA]

The windows are (crank-out) casements and will not securely accept the MFJ style pass-thoughs that are designed for (slide-up) double or single hung windows.

I think, with a little effort and creativity, one could fabricate a pass-through for a crank-out window.

I'm planning on building my own, but I have single-hung windows. Since I'm renting at this time, I have little choice.