RG-6 Coaxial Cable for Ham use
 

I've recently read comments that several Hams have been using the RG-6
coaxial cable instead of the standard RG-8 or other commonly accepted cables
such as RG-58.
One said that he buys this RG-6 at one of the home warehouse stores and buys
it in 500 foot spools. He said it is far less expensive than the commonly
accepted cables we purchase from various Ham outlets.
Yes, it is 75 Ohm cable, but the users of same claim that it works quite
well and can withstand higher voltages than advertised and more than one
user claimed that they could run 1,500 watts through the cable with no
apparent deterioration.

If this is so, then I missed this open *secret*. Any input would be
welcome...especially the experiences of you who use it. I just happen to
have a spool of this cable in my garage that I purchased at an estate
auction some years ago and if it works as said, then I will cancel my order
with The Wireman.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Name and Call withheld to avoid spammers and Usenet flooders.

73

RG-6 Coaxial Cable for Ham use
 

"Nod Dloyd" anon@anon wrote in message ...
I've recently read comments that several Hams have been using the RG-6
coaxial cable instead of the standard RG-8 or other commonly accepted
cables
such as RG-58.
One said that he buys this RG-6 at one of the home warehouse stores and
buys
it in 500 foot spools. He said it is far less expensive than the commonly
accepted cables we purchase from various Ham outlets.
Yes, it is 75 Ohm cable, but the users of same claim that it works quite
well and can withstand higher voltages than advertised and more than one
user claimed that they could run 1,500 watts through the cable with no
apparent deterioration.


The 75 ohm part should not (in general) be a problem. You could always use
a tuner if there is an issue. However, here are the things you should
check.

1. Loss per hundred feet (see the ARRL antenna book) for the frequencies
you are going to use. A long run at VHF/UHF might be an issue.
2. Check its rated power versus the power you plan to run. If it's TV
cable (which it probably is), I doubt that it is rated very high. I've
never checked so can't really say. However, just because some people get
away with running 1500 watts through it doesn't mean you should. The
deterioration may not be immediately evident. It may simply shorten its
life and you'ld be replacing it more often.
3. Check to see it's UV rating. Outdoor environments are hard enough on
coax. Some are designed for indoor use and others for outdoor use. If this
is the indoor kind, it will deteriorate much faster if used outdoors and you
will be replacing it more often.

The antenna system (and this includes the coax) is perhaps the most
important part of your setup. It's best to do it right so check on the
items I mention. Don't be like the classic case of the fisherman who buys a
$500 rod but puts on a $5 reel and nickel fishing line and then is always
cussing that the line snarls and the reel jams.

In other words don't be penny wise and pound foolish. Make sure that the
coax is suitable for the application.

If this is so, then I missed this open *secret*. Any input would be
welcome...especially the experiences of you who use it. I just happen to
have a spool of this cable in my garage that I purchased at an estate
auction some years ago and if it works as said, then I will cancel my
order
with The Wireman.

I haven't bought coax in a long time (probably due to replace the old by
now) but I believe his is rated for outdoor environments and UV exposure.

Dee, N8UZE

RG-6 Coaxial Cable for Ham use
 

"Nod Dloyd" anon@anon wrote in message ...
I've recently read comments that several Hams have been using the RG-6
coaxial cable instead of the standard RG-8 or other commonly accepted
cables
such as RG-58.
One said that he buys this RG-6 at one of the home warehouse stores and
buys
it in 500 foot spools. He said it is far less expensive than the commonly
accepted cables we purchase from various Ham outlets.
Yes, it is 75 Ohm cable, but the users of same claim that it works quite
well and can withstand higher voltages than advertised and more than one
user claimed that they could run 1,500 watts through the cable with no
apparent deterioration.

If this is so, then I missed this open *secret*. Any input would be
welcome...especially the experiences of you who use it. I just happen to
have a spool of this cable in my garage that I purchased at an estate
auction some years ago and if it works as said, then I will cancel my
order
with The Wireman.


The 75 ohm cable is fine for usage. There are several minor problems to
watch out for. The major one is most of it is aluminum shielding and can
not be soldered to. The center conductor is often copper coated steel which
is another mechanical problem.
I am not sure about the power rating for the rg-6 but should be fine for the
100 watt rigs. The swr meters may not act correctly with the 77 ohm
cable, but you can still adjust for minimum swr.

RG-6 Coaxial Cable for Ham use
 

Ralph Mowery wrote:
The 75 ohm cable is fine for usage. There are several minor problems to
watch out for. The major one is most of it is aluminum shielding and can
not be soldered to.

There was a guy at the Fort Tuthill hamfest who was
soldering aluminum. Has anyone ever tried his technique
on aluminum coax? I still have some of that aluminum
solder.
--
73, Cecil http://www.w5dxp.com

RG-6 Coaxial Cable for Ham use
 

Cecil Moore wrote:
Ralph Mowery wrote:
The 75 ohm cable is fine for usage. There are several minor problems
to watch out for. The major one is most of it is aluminum shielding
and can not be soldered to.

There was a guy at the Fort Tuthill hamfest who was
soldering aluminum. Has anyone ever tried his technique
on aluminum coax? I still have some of that aluminum
solder.

Cecil:

Has been my lot that the "solder" is the least important part (got 60/40
to work) ...

Aluminum has the nasty habit of oxidizing almost immediately on
cleaning/brightening. I have had some luck by using a silicone oil/lub
on the braid and scrubbing/sanding the braid clean and then soldering.

Your milage may vary ...

Regards,
JS

RG-6 Coaxial Cable for Ham use
 

"Nod Dloyd" anon@anon wrote in message ...
I've recently read comments that several Hams have been using the RG-6
coaxial cable instead of the standard RG-8 or other commonly accepted
cables
such as RG-58.
One said that he buys this RG-6 at one of the home warehouse stores and
buys
it in 500 foot spools. He said it is far less expensive than the commonly
accepted cables we purchase from various Ham outlets.
Yes, it is 75 Ohm cable, but the users of same claim that it works quite
well and can withstand higher voltages than advertised and more than one
user claimed that they could run 1,500 watts through the cable with no
apparent deterioration.

If this is so, then I missed this open *secret*. Any input would be
welcome...especially the experiences of you who use it. I just happen to
have a spool of this cable in my garage that I purchased at an estate
auction some years ago and if it works as said, then I will cancel my
order
with The Wireman.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Name and Call withheld to avoid spammers and Usenet flooders.

73


I would not run it up the tower, or anywhere else that is hard to get at.
Without spending an arm and a leg, use crimp on connectors. I have some
PL259 type crimp ons (Digikey), and they work fine, even at a KW+. I did
solder the center conductor on the LMR240 (same diameter as RG6). The center
conductor might be way too small for the hole in the connector; in that case
stuff some pieces of wire in next to the center conductor so you are not
connected through solder only.

Tam/WB2TT

RG-6 Coaxial Cable for Ham use
 

" anon@anon wrote in message
...

"Tam/WB2TT" wrote in message
. ..

"Nod Dloyd" anon@anon wrote in message
...
I've recently read comments that several Hams have been using the RG-6
coaxial cable instead of the standard RG-8 or other commonly accepted
cables
such as RG-58.
One said that he buys this RG-6 at one of the home warehouse stores and
buys
it in 500 foot spools. He said it is far less expensive than the
commonly
accepted cables we purchase from various Ham outlets.
Yes, it is 75 Ohm cable, but the users of same claim that it works
quite
well and can withstand higher voltages than advertised and more than
one
user claimed that they could run 1,500 watts through the cable with no
apparent deterioration.

If this is so, then I missed this open *secret*. Any input would be
welcome...especially the experiences of you who use it. I just happen
to
have a spool of this cable in my garage that I purchased at an estate
auction some years ago and if it works as said, then I will cancel my
order
with The Wireman.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

Name and Call withheld to avoid spammers and Usenet flooders.

73


I would not run it up the tower, or anywhere else that is hard to get at.
Without spending an arm and a leg, use crimp on connectors. I have some
PL259 type crimp ons (Digikey), and they work fine, even at a KW+. I did
solder the center conductor on the LMR240 (same diameter as RG6). The
center
conductor might be way too small for the hole in the connector; in that
case
stuff some pieces of wire in next to the center conductor so you are not
connected through solder only.

Tam/WB2TT

I might point out to Dee that the RG-6 I see is indeed meant for outdoor
use. Our local dish installers us it as their standard feedline.

Of the few samples that I looked at, the black RG6 was outdoor rated, the
white jacketed was not. Kind of makes sense. Didn't see any power ratings at
the Belden site, but I seem to recall seeing ratings in the few hundred W
range.

Tam/WB2TT

RG-6 Coaxial Cable for Ham use
 

Tam/WB2TT wrote:

I might point out to Dee that the RG-6 I see is indeed meant for outdoor
use. Our local dish installers us it as their standard feedline.

Of the few samples that I looked at, the black RG6 was outdoor rated, the
white jacketed was not. Kind of makes sense. Didn't see any power ratings at
the Belden site, but I seem to recall seeing ratings in the few hundred W
range.

RG-6 will take the legal limit on at least 80 and 160m and probably on
40m. It is available in direct burial type. The new, weather-proof
crimp on connectors are wonderful.

Several companies make or sell the PL-251 to F connector adaptors.

W8JI had some informative technical posts on the subject on the topband
reflector a few months back.
Dave K8MN

RG-6 Coaxial Cable for Ham use
 

"Dave Heil" wrote in message
rthlink.net...
Tam/WB2TT wrote:

I might point out to Dee that the RG-6 I see is indeed meant for outdoor
use. Our local dish installers us it as their standard feedline.

Of the few samples that I looked at, the black RG6 was outdoor rated, the
white jacketed was not. Kind of makes sense. Didn't see any power ratings
at the Belden site, but I seem to recall seeing ratings in the few
hundred W range.

RG-6 will take the legal limit on at least 80 and 160m and probably on
40m. It is available in direct burial type. The new, weather-proof crimp
on connectors are wonderful.

Several companies make or sell the PL-251 to F connector adaptors.

W8JI had some informative technical posts on the subject on the topband
reflector a few months back.
Dave K8MN



I would think the power level would be more voltage limiated. Most of the
rg6 is rated around 300 to 350 volts. This is about 1200 watts on a matched
line. derate for a swr of say 3 or 4 to 1 and you get to run about 300 to
400 watts into it,

RG-6 Coaxial Cable for Ham use
 

On Apr 8, 1:05 am, "Ralph Mowery" wrote:
"Dave Heil" wrote in message

rthlink.net...



Tam/WB2TT wrote:

I might point out to Dee that the RG-6 I see is indeed meant for outdoor
use. Our local dish installers us it as their standard feedline.

Of the few samples that I looked at, the black RG6 was outdoor rated, the
white jacketed was not. Kind of makes sense. Didn't see any power ratings
at the Belden site, but I seem to recall seeing ratings in the few
hundred W range.

RG-6 will take the legal limit on at least 80 and 160m and probably on
40m. It is available in direct burial type. The new, weather-proof crimp
on connectors are wonderful.

Several companies make or sell the PL-251 to F connector adaptors.

W8JI had some informative technical posts on the subject on the topband
reflector a few months back.
Dave K8MN

I would think the power level would be more voltage limiated. Most of the
rg6 is rated around 300 to 350 volts. This is about 1200 watts on a matched
line. derate for a swr of say 3 or 4 to 1 and you get to run about 300 to
400 watts into it,

personally I dont consider it for ham work it appears too far out of
spec and cannot be gaurentead to be outdoor rated ie if ordered and
the supplier does not have they may send the wrong type. In a
warehouse you pay peanuts get monkeys. power wise take the 300 watts
and 1/2 it for safety limits.