I need the best coax cable money can buy to run a scanner coax cable to 3 antennas outside of a communications building.
Approximate run: 300 feet
UHF / VHF / 800 Mhz, P25, etc
We already have a pipe that runs direct to the area where the cable will be needed.
Price is really not an option. But if you could list the top 3 cables, it would help me very much!
Jeff
As others have said "Best" can mean a lot of things, and the "best money can buy" statement suggests that maybe you are not aware of actual costs of some of this stuff.
All that aside, MOTEX nailed it when he mentioned the size of the existing conduit that gets you outside.
Also, the exact type of usage would help us make a suggestion. Is this receive only, or will there be any transmitting?
What kind of radio are you connecting to?
What kind of antenna? Gain?
How strong/weak is the signal you are trying to receive?
Coaxial cable is very important to you system, but the "money is no object" approach can lead to some pretty weird decisions being made. While you could certainly go with some large Heliax cable, that actually may not be the best solution.
Also, the path that the cable needs to follow to reach the antenna matters a lot.
You cannot just run any type of cable you want through a commercial building. At minimum you need a riser rated cable, but you may need to step up to a plenum rated cable depending on the route it takes. This isn't like running some cheap coaxial cable through your attic.
Low loss cable capable of getting an 800MHz signal to/from your antenna with any useful amount of signal left over on the ends requires some large coaxial cable. That alone creates some issues with how it's routed. It doesn't like to make sharp turns. It's heavy, so it needs proper support. Getting it pulled into an existing building is going to be a really big job requiring a lot of people and equipment.
As mentioned by others, a preamplifier might be an option, but you are still going to need some good cable.
A better approach is to put the radio closer to the antenna and remote the controls/audio using cheaper means down to where you need it.
If money really is no object, then running 300 feet of coaxial cable to the roof isn't the right approach. A networked receiver might be a much better and cheaper solution.
I think you need to fill in some blanks for us if you want a useful answer.