Hello all, I'm still in the process of setting up my CB Base station and have a quick question regarding coax. I've estimated the length needed to the best of my ability. If I get coax that is not long enough, would using a coupler similar to the one pictured below to extend the length hurt performance at all?
The totally honest answer is yes, it will hurt performance, but that isn't really the question you're really attempting to answer. The additional connectors, barrel connector, and coax will indeed add some loss.
If you have sensitive enough testing equipment you could probably detect a slight bit of additional loss. Since your real question isn't "hurt performance at all", but "hurt performance enough to notice", that answer is no, it won't hurt performance enough for you to notice.
Think of it this way, you have a swimming pool nearly full of water, hundreds of not thousands of gallons of water. You fill a gallon bucket with water and dump that into the pool, can you detect any change in the water level? Obviously the pool now has more water than before, but is enough to notice? Most certainly not.
Now if instead of the implied addition of a few short feet of similar coax, you add a long piece of coax, and/or if that additional coax is very high loss crap, all bets are off.
