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Belden 9913 vs 1/2 superflex heliax

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P25Radio

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Replacing some old cabling on my home tower about 60ft worth in the 153-159 mhz. I know heliax would be better but how much better than 9913 cable which I have a new spool.. 1/2 hard line is there now ,PITA to work with, I can get 1/2 super flex if needed. It is for a small commercial 45w repeater. Cable is 15 yrs old and showing it's age. I have replaced the other 4 antennas with 9913 and have not noticed difference at all.
 

dapaq2

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Andrew Corporation or just Andrew for short, there is no "S". :)

Also the Andrew Corporation is no longer in business, bought and absorbed by CommScope. However CommScope does continue to manufacture and sell some of the former Andrew product line. Andrew Corporation - Wikipedia


Check out the "Andrew FSJ4-50B" or the "Andrew LDF4-50A" Hardline models.


 

mmckenna

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Replacing some old cabling on my home tower about 60ft worth in the 153-159 mhz. I know heliax would be better but how much better than 9913 cable which I have a new spool.

The Heliax has about 1/2 the loss of the 9913.

Heliax is a much better choice. 9913, I believe, has some known issues with water migration if you don't seal it up really well.
 

mmckenna

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Looks like heliax is the winner. How is water getting into the 9913. Bad jack on the outside?

Poor/non-existent connector sealing, leaking in from a damaged antenna, jacket damage/wear, etc. Problem is that it has a air dielectric, and it acts like a little expressway for any water to travel. I've hear rumors of water dripping out the end of the cable.

Heliax is more expensive, and the connectors are way more expensive than what you'll find for 9913, but it's good cable and will probably last longer.
 

P25Radio

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Just placed an order for ANDREW 1/2" HELIAX SUPERFLEXIBLE CABLE FSJ4-50 75ft. Now to find UHF female and UHF male connectors for it. and not the cheap China crap. What is the difference between the FSJ40A and B?
 

mmckenna

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Just placed an order for ANDREW 1/2" HELIAX SUPERFLEXIBLE CABLE FSJ4-50 75ft. Now to find UHF female and UHF male connectors for it. and not the cheap China crap. What is the difference between the FSJ40A and B?

Superflex is usually used for short jumpers. Using it for a 60 foot long run is still going to be better than the 9913, but standard Heliax would have been a slightly better choice. LDF4-50A would give you a 1dB improvement at 100 feet of length on VHF. So you're not losing much.
You will need the specific Heliax 1/2" superflex connectors. The standard 1/2" Heliax connectors will not work.
 

ladn

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Just placed an order for ANDREW 1/2" HELIAX SUPERFLEXIBLE CABLE FSJ4-50 75ft. Now to find UHF female and UHF male connectors for it. and not the cheap China crap. What is the difference between the FSJ40A and B?
Hardline connectors don't install the same as PL-259 connectors on coax. The few times I've done hardline installs, I ordered the hardline with the connectors already installed. The extra cost was a willing trade off for the peace of mind and no additional expensive tools install. YMWV
 

n5ims

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Antenna just happens to be Female SO209.

Exactly, you shouldn't have a one-size-fits-all connector selection, you should use the type of connector that's required for the connection that it will be mating with. There's no law that states that you have to use the same connector on both sides of a piece of coax even. If your antenna uses UHF (PL-259/SO-239) connectors, your lightning arrestor uses "N" connectors, and your radio uses BNC connectors, get your cables with the associated connectors on each end to match. The loss will be in the adaptors used to change from the "best" connector to the one that fits what it connects to.
 

P25Radio

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Funny the antenna I have be using for past 10yrs has a female UHF connector. I am just changing out the cable. What is the big deal with N connectors vrs PL259's?
 

buddrousa

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N connectors work better a UHF at VHF 150mHz I have have used UHF connectors with no problems. For years all Phelps Dodge Station Master Antennas I used came with UHF connectors for 150mHz and N connectors for 460mHz.
 

prcguy

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And Motorola brand UHF duplexers came with SO-239s and a string of cables with PL-259s ending in an SO-239 T adapter. They work just fine.

N connectors work better a UHF at VHF 150mHz I have have used UHF connectors with no problems. For years all Phelps Dodge Station Master Antennas I used came with UHF connectors for 150mHz and N connectors for 460mHz.
 
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