Is there a big difference in these 2 different brands Times Microwave and Wilson ?
99 percent of 50 ft is indoors and next time it will be times microwaveThere is. Time Microwave is in the business of making cable and sells to commercial and government customers all over the world. Wilson is in the business of consumer electronics including cell phone boosters. The only reason they sell cable is to go along with their cellphone booster kits and as mckenna said they buy it from a low-end 3rd party and put their name on it.
I am assuming you are comparing the 400-series cable from these two. Biggest difference is quality of materials. RF performance out of the box will be generally comparable below 1 GHz but Times LMR-400 with survive the elements much better if properly installed.
Bottom line is if you are not handling the cable much (installing it and leaving it in place) and it will be 100% indoors you can get away with cheaper cable like Wilson and other off-brands. If it is going outside, stick with Times Microwave or another reputable brand. If you do go with the Wilson you should be paying less than half the price of Times.
People put down the Belden cable for many reasons. Most common being water intrusion. I haven't had that problem.
The LMR400 might give me a little more signal. But the 9913 probably would have lived for several more years.
Yes. If you need signal, good cable is well worth the money. I tried the LMR400 because I figured it was time to replace my run and people say it's very good.
I've just replaced around 75 feet of Belden 9913F7 with Times Microwave LMR400 PVC jacketed cable.
Mind you I live in an area where every last dB of signal counts. Receive only.
People put down the Belden cable for many reasons. Most common being water intrusion. I haven't had that problem.
Great info thanks for sharingBelden 9913F7 has a full foam dielectric so it does not suffer from the water intrusion issue that Belden 9913 did becasue that cable has an air dielectric.
The decrease in loss you are seeing between the two is from LMR-400 having a solid center conductor vs. 9913F7 having a stranded center conductor. The stranded center conductor (greater flexibility) is an advantage for cable that is handled often but for a permanent install the solid center conductor is a non-issue.
The issue is that the average amateur radio operators don't seem to understand the importance of waterproofing. It's rare to see a ham/hobbyist that actually takes the time to do a proper job of sealing outdoor connections. I've heard all kinds of excuses for not doing it, and most of them come down to ignorance or laziness. The issue with 9913 is the air dielectric that allows water to flow inside the cable once it enters. With a proper waterproofing job, it's not an issue, but like I said above, many amateurs don't grasp the importance of waterproofing outdoor connections.
This is a place where amateurs are far behind the professionals.
LMR400 seems to have achieved "cult following" status in the hobby world. It's talked about like it's the perfect coaxial cable and the pinnacle of achievement.
It's not.
Don't get me wrong, it's good stuff and much better than RG-8. It's relatively inexpensive and easy to work with. That's about it. There are much better cables out there. LMR400 has it's place, but it's not the 'ultimate' cable. It's good enough for most hobby use, and it's a big upgrade for folks that are relying on 50+ foot runs of things like RG-58, but it's not the 'best' as some like to claim.
I think LMR400 is a good compromise between price, signal loss, and ease of working with it, at least for hobbyists, but as you said it is far from the best thing to use.
I did a run with LMR600 once on a cold day. That stuff is not easy to deal with!
dB/dollars it's only beat by competitors trying to undersell Times with the same style cable.
And I've yet to see someone run hardline for their scanner install...