[TowerTalk] Cable question

[Gene Smar]

Greg:

     Let's do the math and you decide whether the conversion to this Commscope cable is worth it:

cable on reels:  $25
4 N connectors (2 runs to tower):  $160
Total cash outlay:  $185.

Non-monetary outlay:
Labor to remove old cable
Labor to install new cable
labor to install 4 new connectors
labor to re-install at least one messed-up connector

Risks:
Bad N conn installation after all.
Water ingress due to poor end seals while in storage.
Need to add another pair of connectors and splice due to short length on reel.
Possibly not 50 Ohm cable - deleterious effect on SWR.

Benefit:
1-2 dB less loss at 30 MHz.

     To me it doesn't seem worth the effort, especially if your present cable is working just fine.  Remember Hoppman's law:  The more you leave it alone the better it works.  

73 de
Gene Smar  AD3F


From: Greg - AB7R <ab7r at cablespeed.com>
Date: 2008/09/12 Fri PM 03:37:30 EDT
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] Cable question

Looking for some assistance identifying some cable.  The only writing on the jacket 
is 1996 COMMSCOPE.

It's about 7/8 diameter, copper center conducter, a fairly stiff foam (I think) 
dialectric and a full aluminum shielding (not braid).

I called Commscope and at first the tech thought it would be 50-ohm cable but all 
their 50-ohm stuff with the above characteristics has more writting on the jacket.  
So he thinks its probably more likely to be CATV cable at 75-Ohms.  Probably has a 
loss of about 1.8-2 dB per 100ft at 2000 MHz.  That's gotta be pretty low for HF/6M!

Anyone out there familiar with this cable?  I have a run of about 150-ft from my 
shack to my tower and wondering if it is worth it to replace the buryflex I have in 
there now with this stuff.  I have 2 runs from shack to tower.

I'll probably get the cable pretty cheap...maybe about $25 for a couple large 
spools but each only has maybe 150-200 ft on it.  New N connectors will cost me 
about $40 each.  Then adapters from N to UHF.  

The cable is pretty old....1996 but has been unused and on its original wooden 
spool and stored outside.

-------------------------
73,
Greg - AB7R
Whidbey Island WA
NA-065




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