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c/cable-installersrobertb47robertb476d agoRising Star

That stat about RG6 signal loss at 100 feet finally made me switch

I've been using RG59 for like 8 years on residential jobs because it's cheaper and more flexible. Then last Tuesday I'm running a long line for a new customer out in the suburbs, and my buddy Mark sends me a link from some cable engineering PDF. It showed RG59 loses about 6dB at 100 feet for 1GHz signals, while RG6 only loses like 3.5dB. That's almost double the loss. I always knew there was a difference but never saw actual numbers laid out like that. Found the same thing on a forum thread from 2021, guys were arguing about it. Now I'm thinking I should just eat the extra cost and run RG6 on anything over 50 feet. Anyone else deal with signal issues from using the wrong coax on longer runs?
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3 Comments
elliotm70
elliotm706d ago
Read that same PDF. @kelly_craig probably knows the numbers by heart at this point. Made me re-think every job I've done over 75 feet.
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hayes.joel
Guess I’ve been losing signal and money without even knowing it.
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kelly_craig
kelly_craig6d agoTop Commenter
Wondering how long it's been happening for @hayes.joel...
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