Rg-8 or RG-8X or something else?

[KMSY]

I think I saw this somewhere, but I can't find it again. I found a great place to relocate my antenna to, but don't know what type of cable is good for a longer run. It will be about 100ft. What would the best stuff be?

[Jason]

I think I saw this somewhere, but I can't find it again. I found a great place to relocate my antenna to, but don't know what type of cable is good for a longer run. It will be about 100ft. What would the best stuff be?

Belden 9913 is essentially known as the best stuff out there for the intended purpose, but RG-8 is close behind it.

Check out this link from Long Island Scanner Resources and scroll down to "Lead-in Cable" about 2/3rds of the way down for more information.

Jason

[KMSY]

Also, would it be better to just go ahead and buy 100 feet, or buy a double SO-239 adapter and another 50 feet of RG-8X to go along with the 50 feet of the same stuff I already have? Do the connectors add to the loss?

[KMSY]

Do the connectors add to the loss?

?

[Lezam]

Radioshack has some RG-6 on clearence for $20...

I think RG-6 works just as good as RG-8, for 50 feet or less...

You might want RG-8 for 100 feet though, no clue as to how much the loss difference is?

Jason, is the loss that great between RG-6 and RG-8?

[Darrell]

I used RG-6 on my setup and haven't had any trouble that I know of yet. Sometimes the sound does get scratchy so I am not sure if the RG-8 would clear that or not.

[KMSY]

But I still need to know if it would be better to just buy another 50 feet and a connector, or just get 100 feet of the same stuff. I have 50' of RG-8X and it works perfectly.

[Jason]

But I still need to know if it would be better to just buy another 50 feet and a connector, or just get 100 feet of the same stuff. I have 50' of RG-8X and it works perfectly.

I'd suggest 100 feet of the same stuff, but it's up to you if you want 50 feet, a connector, and another 50 feet.  I don't have much experience with that much coax, but the loss is probably close in either case.  You're talking 100 feet of coax which will have loss most likely due to 1) length and 2) Shield, and in the other case, loss from the connector and two coax cables.

Dave or sean may be able to provide more insight...

Jason

P.S. Isn't RG-6 75 Ohm coax, not 50 Ohm?  I'd prefer the RG-8 over the RG-6 if that was the case.  I'm too tired to look it up at the moment (just got back from a concert).

[PIT]

I use RG8 50ft, and the loss is not that bad. i would go with 100ft but, like jason said to be sure i  would ask dave or someone who knows about it. i person i would ask would be "MILKA" he knows alot about that.

[dave]

At less than 50 feet the loss difference is not so great, but RG-6 will always be cheaper since it is built and sold in large quantities.  The scanner and antenna will be fine with either 50 or 75-ohm coax for this listening application.

Dave

[allenmarks]

Hello-

You will have significant loss with 100 ft run of most anything at VHF frequencies (short of hard line).  Strongly suggest a very good quality cable such as Belden 9913, suggested by others as well.

You may want to consider a preamp located at the antenna to offset the cable loss, unless you are in a very strong signal area! (close to airport).  There are many varieties, with the DC power feed over the RF coax.

Happy hunting,

Mark

[KMSY]

I'm really considering a preamp- Scanner volume all the way up, and a 20dB boost just gives me a comfortable listening volume. 100' of the 9913 can be expensive ($50-70?), but I guess it's worth it. I think I'm just going to go with another 50' of RG-8X with a double SO-239 connector and take the chances.