{"id":5544,"date":"2024-11-22T14:57:06","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T20:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/us.rs-online.com\/expert\/?p=5544"},"modified":"2024-12-19T10:19:53","modified_gmt":"2024-12-19T16:19:53","slug":"coaxial-cable-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/us.rs-online.com\/expert\/coaxial-cable-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything you need to know about coaxial cable"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is a coaxial cable?<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"a<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n
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Coaxial cable<\/strong><\/a>, also known as coax cable, is an electrical cable that transmits radio frequency (RF) signals from one point to another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The technology has been around since the early 20th century, with these cables mainly being used to connect satellite antenna facilities to homes and businesses thanks to their durability and ease of installation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is RG cable?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are different types of coaxial cable, which vary by gauge and impedance. Gauge refers to the cable\u2019s thickness and is measured by the radio guide measurement or RG number. The higher the RG number, the thinner the central conductor core is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does a coaxial cable look like?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Coaxial cable has a distinct thick, round shape because of its interior insulation layer. Its size makes it look very different to other types of cable, such as twisted pair or Ethernet cable. The most commons sizes of coaxial cable are RG-6, RG-11, and RG-59 \u2014 some of the size differences are demonstrated in the image below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"A<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Coaxial cables are available in various colors including black, brown, and white. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do coaxial cables work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Coaxial cables are a popular choice because their shielded design allows the center conductor to transmit data quickly while being protected from damage and interference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coaxial cables are mainly built up of these four different layers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. A center conductor which is usually a copper wire, which data and video travels through<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Surrounding the copper wire is a dielectric plastic insulator<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. A braided mesh made from copper then helps to shield the cable from electromagnetic interference (EMI)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. The external layer is a plastic coating which protects the internal layers from damage<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Coaxial cable works by carrying data in the center conductor, while the surrounding layers of shielding stop any signal loss (also called attenuation loss) and help reduce EMI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The first layer, called the dielectric, provides distance between the core conductor and the outer layers, as well as some insulation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The next layers, collectively referred to as the shield, keep electrical impulses and radio transmissions out. The different layers of a coaxial cable are shown in the image below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Cutaway<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    What is the transmission speed of coaxial cable?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The transmission speed of coaxial cable is 10Mbps (megabits per second), and they offer 80 times more transmission capacity than twisted pair cables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Coaxial cable advantages and disadvantages<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Advantages of coaxial cable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n