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Antenna coaxial cable
- Thread starter Edge13579
- Start date
K6GBW
Member
DXE-400MAX is pretty flexible, it's just under a half inch thick though. If you need thinner then LMR240 or RG8X. The LMR has solid core so it can't do sharp bends but its a tiny bit better than RG8X.
Times Microwave LMR-400 (similar to DX Engineering DXE-400MAX) at 27.185 MHz running 4 Watts with a coax length of 55 feet has a loss of 0.357 dB (cost at about $1.50 per foot or $82.50 total)
Belden 9258 (similar to generic RG-8X) at 27.185 MHz running 4 Watts with a coax length of 55 feet has a loss of 0.875 dB (cost at about $0.65 per foot or $35.75 total)
The difference in loss over the 55 foot coax distance is 0.518 dB or 0.414 Watts
The difference in cost of the coax cable is $46.75
You will need to weigh the cost differential versus the performance differential. These numbers are approximations so you will need to do your own analysis to come up with the exact losses and costs based on the vendor source of the cable for costs and their specific loss per 100 feet of coax with their cables.
Let us know if you have any questions.
Belden 9258 (similar to generic RG-8X) at 27.185 MHz running 4 Watts with a coax length of 55 feet has a loss of 0.875 dB (cost at about $0.65 per foot or $35.75 total)
The difference in loss over the 55 foot coax distance is 0.518 dB or 0.414 Watts
The difference in cost of the coax cable is $46.75
You will need to weigh the cost differential versus the performance differential. These numbers are approximations so you will need to do your own analysis to come up with the exact losses and costs based on the vendor source of the cable for costs and their specific loss per 100 feet of coax with their cables.
Let us know if you have any questions.
I was under the impression that solid insulation is better to keep the center conductor from drifting over to the side eventually (assuming it can make the bend to begin with).
Thanks
Joel
Hi Joel,
By “solid insulation” I think you are referring to the foam dielectric material that separates the center conductor from the shielding. The foam dielectric material is basically the same for both the RG-8X and LMR-400 type coax cables. The foam dielectric is sufficient to keep the center conductor from “moving” towards the shield as long as the minimum bending radius is observed.
As for minimum bending radius, RG-8X is about 2.5 inches and LMR-400 is about 1 inch for a single bend. However, for multiple bends of LMR-400, the minimum bending radius increases to about 4 inches.
Does that answer your question?
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Why/where is the flexibility needed?
Most hobby/consumer sized cable will be sufficient in residential installation. Usually the challenge is making the final connection to the radio. Running LMR-400 or larger can be done in those cases, and then just use a short RG-58 or similar jumper to connect to the radio.
This is usually how you'll see it done in commercial installations. Often larger coax/hardline is used, and short jumper makes the final connection. The short whip of smaller coax adds a negligible amount of loss, and protects the antenna jack on your radio.
