Antenna and coax advice needed!

[TN931]

My lovely wife wants to get into CB radio. I have a Uniden Grant XL that we're looking to set up as a basestation. I have to be somewhat careful with antenna setup as we live in a POA. I was looking to get a Solarcon A-99 antenna and 50ft length of RG213 coax cable. My question is will all this wok correctly together? We really know very little about CB operation, thanks for any help!

 

[prcguy]

That should make a reasonably good setup.

 

[dkcorlfla]

The RG213 is a bit of overkill for CB frequency. Maybe consider RG8x instead, cost a little less and has a small 1/4 inch dia that makes it harder to see and easier to drill/mount for.

 

[TN931]

dkcorlfla, thanks for the info. My thought process was that the better the antenna and better the coax, the better her reception would be. I've seen posts that say you get better reception even on a lesser radio with better antenna. Just want to make sure the coax was good.

 

[slowmover]

Any progress?

 

[KI4ZNG]

I have used both RG8X and RG213 for many years and both have worked well for me.

 

[jcrmadden]

What's the main difference(s) between RG8, RG58, and RG213? I'm assuming there's a way to 'cipher the designations?

 

[KI4ZNG]

https://static.dxengineering.com/global/images/chartsguides/d/dxe-400max_ks.pdf

This is what I found.

 

[mmckenna]

What's the main difference(s) between RG8, RG58, and RG213? I'm assuming there's a way to 'cipher the designations?

The difference is the amount of loss in the cable. All conductors have some amount of loss in them. As length goes up, losses go up. As frequency goes up, so does the losses. Figuring out how much loss you are willing to accept on your antenna system is something you need to decide. Less loss = more money.

You can use online tools like this to approximate how much loss different coaxial cables will have at different frequencies and lengths:

Coax Calculator

Compare the information from that calculator to your budget and you'll find the answer.

 

[merlin]

What's the main difference(s) between RG8, RG58, and RG213? I'm assuming there's a way to 'cipher the designations?

You can look here:

50 Ohm Coax Cable

www.belden.com

Coax cables

 

[jcrmadden]

So I ran through all the different coax options in the loss calculator. For CB frequencies and short runs it seems like loss differences are negligible. But across a 50ft run like the original post references they really start to add up. @TN931 you may have already done the same, but if not here are some approximate output loss percentages I came up with for common coax...

RG8X (17.5%)
RG58 (21.7%)
RG213 (12.2%)

I ran those calculations at 100watt output to make percentages easy to figure. I'm not sure what the Grant XL puts out, but losing 12.2% sounds better than losing 17.5%. Also, I ran that in the middle of the band so it's roughly "average".

Looks like what you REALLY want is Andrew Heliax LDF6-50 (1.6% loss), but to @mmckenna's point that may not be practical (or budget friendly). You should look at the price for terminal ends just for holy ****(s) and giggles. Line itself is "call for price" so you know it's scary.

 

[slowmover]

That should make a reasonably good setup.

This answer fits the bill.

One will find plenty of success with CB, and with a base station at 50’.

 

[mmckenna]

Looks like what you REALLY want is Andrew Heliax LDF6-50 (1.6% loss), but to @mmckenna's point that may not be practical (or budget friendly). You should look at the price for terminal ends just for holy ****(s) and giggles. Line itself is "call for price" so you know it's scary.

Not practical on many levels, not just cost.

Truth is, it's a hobby, and most users won't notice a dB of loss. Much more fun to do the best you can with what your budget allows.