Topband: Measured RG-6 Loss: Solid Copper vs. Copper Clad center conductor

[donovanf at starpower.net]

Today I measured the difference in loss (dB per 100 ft) between solid copper (SC) center conductor RG-6 vs. copper clad steel (CCS) Quad-Core RG-6 coaxial cable.  The difference is not significant until cable lengths exceed 350 feet.  You can see the affect of the steel core at 7 MHz and below in this table.

The cables were manufactured by two different companies, but the relative measurements should be valid.

       Solid   Copper  Cable length in
Freq   Copper  Clad    feet for a 1 dB
MHz    Loss    Loss    loss difference

1.8    0.3     0.6          350
3.5    0.4     0.6          500
7.0    0.6     0.8          500
10     0.7     0.85         650
14     0.75    0.9          650
21     0.9     1.0         1000
28     1.0     1.1         1000

73
Frank
W3LPL