The type coax you want to use depends on a lot of factors such as how long the cable needs to be how much power you are running and what frequency you are working on. Use the largest coax you can fit to reduce signal loss.
Comparison of three commonly used types of coaxial cable.
Best coax cable for vhf radio. The three most commonly used coax types that are available in marine stores that meet these specifications are RG-58U RG-8X and RG-213 which replaced the older RG-8U. Which one you choose is a trade-off between the amount of signal loss in the cable the cost and the wire size. For VHF applications the 3 most common coaxial cables are RG-8X RG-58U and RG-213.
The difference among these is in the size of the wire the signal loss and the cost. You can compare them and choose whatever suits your preferences. Best Coax for VHFUHF.
To make your shopping experience fun and easy we have done the research for you. General purpose coaxial cable best for long cable runs. Comparison of three commonly used types of coaxial cable.
At one time RG-58 RG-8X and RG-8U were military standards but now these terms are used rather loosely and refer primarily to the size of the cable. RG 213 is NO GOOD at VHF or UHF. RG 213 is great coax for HF use ONLY.
Much too lossy at higher frequencies. Except short runs And if you are going to use big heavy coax Why not use much lower loss LMR 400 The Paper. The type coax you want to use depends on a lot of factors such as how long the cable needs to be how much power you are running and what frequency you are working on.
I generally use RG8X for my HF antennas and LRM400 for VHF work. Best Cable U didnt mention the freq but from being noisy running 2 pieces of coax leads me to believe it might be 800mhz which vhf connectors are like a brick wall. My idea is to run the best as is piratical RG8 being the minimum and if you are trying to receive 800 mHz dont use vhf connectors.
I have found the short 800 on. Small diameter cables are easier to install and use but small diameter cables loose a lot more signal than the larger-diameter versions. For cable runs less than a few feet any cable type will do.
For coax cable runs 10-20 feet you may consider using lower-cost middle-sized cable such as RG-58. For cable runs of over 20 feet consider using the best quality cable you can afford if you are trying to build a system with wide coverage and high reliability. RG58 Coaxial Cable 492FT UHF PL-259 Male to Male Low Loss Cable for Ham Radio CB Antenna Cable Radio WiFi Extension Coax for VHF HF 50 Ohm rg 58 Coax Cable 1787 in stock.
It is precisely made with the correct impedance for VHF installations. We offer three kinds of 50-ohm coax cable for VHF radio installations. RG-58CU RG-8X and RG-213 the mil-spec replacement for RG-8U.
Use the largest coax you can fit to reduce signal loss. Here is the reason. Almost all VHF radios start with about 25 watts of transmit power.
Most ham radio stores or online merchants like The Wireman or Cable Xperts carry RG-8U. If your cable run is going to be longer than 100 feet or you are installing a UHF antenna for 70cm amateur radio public safety or GMRS. Then I would recommend a low loss cable like LMR-400 Belden 9913 or similar shielded low loss cables.
But this is a really good question because low-loss coax cable has some folklore associated with it and this is an opportunity to address some of it. Assuming you are restricting to 50 Ohm coaxial cable the only parameter you are concerned with is loss and there are no other considerations I believe LMR-1700 is the cable you are looking for. How I Picked the Best Coax for CB Radio.
RG8 cables are specifically designed for use with CB radios. There are two types RG-8U which has a thick core and dielectric. Then theres the RG-8X which has a thinner core and dielectric.
I prefer the RG-8X because the double braided shield it comes with offers better protection. How To-splice VHF coax cable the EASY way - YouTube. Unless you are operating VHF and above abide by the rule of never cutting your coax cable unless you absolutely must for some reason.
What you need today may be 20 feet but a new antenna you might put up next may need 40 feet. If you are active in ham radio especially with HF you will probably have dozens of antennas over the life of your coax. Coaxial cable length for VHF Does the coaxial cable length for a VHF radio antenna matter for reception.
Ive research a little and found different answers. My radio is only 4 or 5 feet from the antenna but my cable is the original length that it came with and reception doesnt seem to be very good.