Electronics > Beginners
RG58 cables
Richard Crowley:
Percentage of braid coverage that is appropriate depends on WHAT you are doing with it and WHERE. It is not a simple, isolated factor.
Remember that you must use cable that you can easily get connectors for AND VICE-VERSA. Many proprietary varieties of RG cable are non-standard diameters and require their own matching connectors.
And if you are going to use crimp connectors, then you have the triple-task of getting cable, connectors and crimping tools and dies that all work together. Hope you have some $$$ saved up for crimping tools and dies.
Unless you are going to be making enough connections to justify the cost of tooling, you might want to consider old-fashioned 10-piece (its a joke!) screw-together kind with the rubber compression gland, etc. It is fiddly to use, but at least you can take it apart if you got it wrong and it doesn't require any expensive crimp tools, etc.
Housedad:
Thank you Richard.
I have seen these types in the catalogs online, but I had concerns that the electrical characteristics of them would not be as good as crimped or soldered. Are there any differences in performance to justify that concern?
Richard Crowley:
The old style connectors were the whole game for many decades. Crimp-style connectors are a relatively modern invention.
You said "sub 1.5GHz", so I wouldn't think that even the old-style connectors would pose any significant problem, even those installed while you are still on the learning-curve. Certainly soldered center-pin connections will be more certain than the crimped kind if you aren't using exactly the right crimper and die.
And the original style BNC connectors are "re-enterable" and repairable while crimp-style are once-and-done. If there is any problem with installation or use, your only option is to chop it off, discard the connector, and lose several mm of cable length.
tkamiya:
As far as shield coverage is concerned, 100% is what you aim for (but never get it).... Braided shield should be above 90%. Foam dialectic has lower loss but it's harder to solder and if cable gets warm, center conductor can shift. Solid center has lower loss but will break if you flex it many times. Stranded has higher loss but more flexible and tolerates repeated bending. Double shielding is better but more stiff. RG223 is like this. Some cable has aluminum shield (100%) and braid. I like these. Peeling aluminum off is pain as it is glued.
RG316 is thinner than RG58. It is about the same as RG174. It is very flexible. Pretty tough. I use a lot of these. I have never seen solder and clamp type connector. Usually, these are crimped. Crimpers are widely available on Amazon. Mine is generic kind but seem to work correctly. I usually buy mine pre-terminated. Since I have an ability to sweep my cables I typically buy from Chinese sellers and in quantity. So far, so good.
By the way.... if you buy cables from eBay, buy small quantity first and cut it open to check. There are some awful stuff out there. One time, I received a coax that's only 40% shielded. Jacket was made with very stiff PVC. I threw that away. I never had issue with transparent jacket type like RG316.
tkamiya:
By the way....
RG58 is a partial description. RG58C/U is what you want. Its a uncontaminated version. Contrary to popular misconception, C/U does not mean you can bury it underground. It is non-contaminating in a sense that outer jacket does not contaminate inner shield and under. Most of my good harnesses use this cable.
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