Picking the Best Coaxial Cable

Choosing the coaxial cable that is best for your project depends on how you plan to use it. Coaxial cables come in a variety of sizes and core materials, based on what kind of signal the cable is designed to transmit. The most common coaxial cable is RG/6, which is made in both indoor and outdoor varieties.

Outdoor cable

Always select an outdoor cable when possible. You can also use outdoor cables inside the home, and they are much more durable because they have a thicker exterior coating and are fully waterproof.

Examine your purpose

Select a cable that is well suited to your purpose. RG/6 is well suited to transmitting radio data, television signals, satellite-television information and basic cable-modem data. It is preferred because it has a low attenuation of data when transmitted at high frequencies. If you are setting up high-speed internet or high-definition cable, however, RG/6 tends to bog down the transfer of information. In these cases, you should use RG/60.

Shielding

Select a coaxial cable with a braided shield. The shield is sometimes made of a lower grade metal but is essential to protecting the core strands, which control transfer of information, from getting cut or crushed. Because the strands are interwoven, a braided shield is both stronger and harder to penetrate.

Conductor

Although it is more expensive, wire is by far the best conductor. Coaxial that has a copper center is typically thinner than coaxial with an aluminum center because it carries information so much more efficiently. Copper wire almost always provides a faster and more dependable connection.

Selecting the best coaxial cable is simply a matter of ensuring that each component in the coaxial is made of the highest quality materials. Consider your project, select wire that is an appropriate weight, and then select the finest quality coaxial available.