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Old March 16th 14, 02:14 PM posted to uk.radio.amateur,rec.radio.amateur.equipment,rec.radio.amateur.misc
Jerry Stuckle Jerry Stuckle is offline
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Oct 2012
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Default Quad shield coax & dielectric?

On 3/15/2014 8:45 PM, Bob E. wrote:
OK, Bob E - it appears that the ball is in your court. In the interests
of peace and harmony, and to prevent confusion, please could you please
tell us exactly (and I mean EXACTLY) which RG-6 vs RG-6Q parameters you
are concerned about?
Ian


OK, thanks for the discussions.

I have a VHF/UHF omnidirectional antenna with integral amplifier for TV
reception:

http://www.amazon.com/Antennacraft-5...mplified-HDTV-
Antenna/dp/B007Z7YOKS

Several broadcast towers surround me, from 40 to 50 miles:

http://www.tvfool.com/?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29&q=id%3d5b9405cba93e1 5

Terrain is pretty flat.

The antenna is currently connected to RG6 located indoors, up high in a
1-story cathedral-ceiling home. Signal reception is marginal, gauged by the
HDTV's (relative) Signal Strength display; dropouts occur regularly on some
channels.

I plan to mount the antenna outdoors on the peak of the roof. I was planning
to use RG6 quad-shield, but wanted to check whether it is truly a better
solution or not.

Cable run indoors now is about 50 ft. From the roof location this will
increase to 75 or 100, depending on the route I choose, hence my question.

Thanks.


Bob,

You have two problems here. The first one is the antenna is located
inside of the house. This results in significant signal loss. Your
second problem is you're using an omnidirectional antenna. I agree with
Rob - there isn't a decent omnidirectional antenna around.

HDTV requires a stronger signal than the old NTSC. If you're looking at
40-50 miles, even if it is flat terrain, you're going to have a weak
signal on an omnidirectional antenna. The preamp will help - but it's
not going to be a good solution. And whether you use RG-6 or RG-6 quad
will make no noticeable difference (as long as both are good quality -
there are good brands and bad brands in coax, also).

Putting the antenna outside will, of course, help. It might even be
satisfactory if you're willing to put up with some pixilation and
dropout. But if you want a good signal, get a directional antenna and
rotor. It will make a huge difference.

BTW - we only use RG6-quad in our installations. The extra shielding
means less signal leakage - both into and out of the cable. The loss
difference is negligible.

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