RG8x Vs RG6

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IdleMonitor

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From the discone on my roof to the connecting point into the house at my window I use RG8U and it works quite well.

But for inside the house I use RG8x to my living room. Would I be better off using all this spare RG6 coax cable I have hanging around here with a solid core rather than the RG8x that is stranded?

For some reason I don't think the RG8x is providing me with the best results and I think the RG6 would be better cause of the solid core instead?
 

Ubbe

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The loss compared to RG6 depends of the lenght of the coax. At 25 feet you have a 3dB loss at 900MHz in the RG8U and 1.5dB with a RG6. A 1.5dB difference are not much and will be less with a shorter lenght and lower frequencies. It could be something wrong with your coax that still makes it worthwhile to switch to RG6 and new connectors.

rh4hw8.jpg


/Ubbe
 

IdleMonitor

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Thanks for the reply. I was able to actually do one better. I didn't even have to use the extra RG6 I had lying around. Didn't think I had enough RG8U leftover but I did. So I replaced the RG8x with the RG8U for the run to the living room and it actually has increased the signals a bit that I'm pulling in some more stuff.
 

W5lz

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Just out of curiosity, how long of a run are you asking about?
 

IdleMonitor

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Just out of curiosity, how long of a run are you asking about?
Well the run of RG8U from the antenna to the entrance point to the house I think is about 50 ft. give or take a bit.

From there to the living room was about 25 ft. again give or take a bit but that's about roughly how far it all goes.

Turned out quite well for me actually cause the comms I'm listening to in the living room are alot clearer for the distant stations and the one tower that I was looking at recieving to get me into the city on vhf is about 50 km away.

Now my next thing to figure out is the coax cable that is going to the room upstairs and see what I can make with that from wherever that comes from in the basement . I believe its coming from the satellite dish out side in which case I'll just simply take that off and throw an antenna on the mount and then I should be good.
 

dlwtrunked

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The loss compared to RG6 depends of the lenght of the coax. At 25 feet you have a 3dB loss at 900MHz in the RG8U and 1.5dB with a RG6. A 1.5dB difference are not much and will be less with a shorter lenght and lower frequencies. It could be something wrong with your coax that still makes it worthwhile to switch to RG6 and new connectors.

rh4hw8.jpg



/Ubbe
Agree. A good one to add to the table would be LMR-400 and similar.
 

dlwtrunked

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And also to note some coax brands of the same type is better or worse than others. Some manufacturers skimp on braid/shielding (like former Radio Shack). Also, one wants coax that will better survive elements (I have had some that did and others that quickly deteriorated after several years in the UV sunlight so some cable types will need to be replaced every several years. Good RG-6QS is good for many purposes though 9913 may be better for some. And the reminder, 75 vs. 50 ohm is going to only cause a very small difference if the impedance is really 50 ohm (and it *often* is not). Personally I like quad-shield RG-6 (RG-6QS) for most purposes but use LRM-400 for when I need it. For RG-6, it is worth the money to buy a good compression fit tool and use compression connections--saves times and lets you easily make your own lengths. In many (I want to say most) cases though, the height and type of the antenna are really going to mostly drive how well it works--I wish I bought a higher tower!
 

IdleMonitor

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Well whatever it is. At this point I'm happy with the RG8U being the coax I'm using now top to bottom. It's bringing what I need it to bring in. So for now I'm happy. I'll be even happier when I bring in the 800 mhz system about 60-80 kms away. But that's another thread.
 

spongella

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I use Belden RG-8/U for HF, RG6 for UHF/VHF and for Free To Air satellite. Just personal preferences of mine.
 

W5lz

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It's sort of "best" not to mix them. Depending on frequency of use there can be significant disadvantages in a long enough run. In most cases it really isn't a "biggy"... sort of.
 
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