[TowerTalk] measuring old coax, return loss ?

[Wes Stewart]

   On Wednesday, May 8, 2024 at 04:32:19 PM MST, Ken WA8JXM <wa8jxm at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 "IDK, is "return loss" measurement necessary?"

Of course not.

"I checked some old coax a few years ago, connected a dummy load to the far
end and used the power meter on my Palstasr tuner to measure the input
power, then moved it to the far end for a measurement. Very little
difference in readings so I assume it was still good.  Am I missing
something?"

Only accuracy.  Otherwise, you are more or less using my "best" method described earlier.
So, it depends.  If the cable is going to be used for a 160-meter dipole you're probably good enough.  On the other hand, if you're going to feed a two-meter EME array, that's a different story.  I've done both.
Wes  N7WS


On Wed, May 8, 2024 at 2:14 PM Wes Stewart via TowerTalk <
towertalk at contesting.com> wrote:

>  The "best" way depends on what equipment you have to make the
> measurements.  In my best case, I have a DG8SAQ Vector Network Analyzer
> (VNWA) that, with proper calibration will measure the through loss directly.