[CQ-Contest] Network cables

[Scott Neader KA9FOX]

At 11:45 PM 9/23/2001 -0400, Kevin Stover <kstover at willinet.net> wrote:
>Shielded CAT5 is the way to go.

Just to clarify... you will normally see CAT5 cable marketed as UTP.  That 
stands for Unshielded Twisted Pair.  So, if you are looking for SHIELDED, 
don't buy UTP.  I would guess 98% of CAT5 Ethernet strung today is UTP... 
Shielded CAT5 cable (STP) is more of a specialty, so beware when 
purchasing.  If it doesn't say STP or Shielded, you can almost bet it is UTP.

My home LAN is cabled with UTP, and I have not had any RF issues to date.

Another tip:  There is CAT5, CAT5e and CAT6 out there... plain old CAT5 is 
plenty good for any 10mb or 100mb LANs you may be planning.  The other 
cables are there for faster speeds and applications (Gigabit, 
etc.).  Unless you plan on needing 1000mb+ in the future, you can save a 
little money and get plain old CAT5.

Yet another tip:  Per the Ethernet spec, CAT3 telco wire will work up to 
10mb.  If your home is wired with CAT3 phone wiring, you may be able to use 
some existing wire for your home LAN.  It should be printed on the cable.

I'm no expert, but if you have any other questions, drop me a note at 
ka9fox at qth.com and I'll try to help.

73 - Scott KA9FOX

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