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Low loss RF coaxial cables – comparing your options

This blog article entry considers the merits of choosing which of various low loss RF coaxial cables to use for IoT, LTE or LORA wireless applications where an external antenna is used to connect to router, gateway or terminal.

In this article, we will consider cables such as RG174, RG58, RF195, RF240 and RF400 as possible coaxial cable choices for your installation.

The first point to consider is that running extension or jumper cables between the antenna and the radio (router, modem, terminal, gateway, wireless device – for the sake of this article we’ll simply use the term radio) is that the cable will always introduce loss into the system. Whether you use very low loss, high quality coaxial cable or very thin and “lossy” cable, attenuation will be introduced between antenna and radio. A key area to focus on is to minimise the loss introduced by the cable in order to maximise the performance of the antenna. On longer cable runs it is very important to use low loss RF coaxial cables otherwise attenuation is too great for a functional wireless deployment.

Looking at RG174, it is a thin coax typically with a PVC sheath and can be used often for lower frequencies up to a very maximum of 2-3 metres. Most often it is used for what we call “pigtail” or adapter cables which a short cables that typically connect a cable to radio often to convert from one connector to another or if a connector presenting to the radio is too small to be fitted to a very low loss coax. (RF400 cables are 10.2mm diameter and as such connectors like MMCX, QMA, MCX cannot be fitted to RF400).

RG58 is a stranded coaxial cable about 5mm in diameter. It can be used for longer runs than RG174, however we typically recommend customers switch to RF195 which is also 5mm in diameter, but due to its solid copper core and superior insulation is lower loss than RG58.

RF195 is typically used in cable runs for 4G and cellular applications up to maximum cable run of 10M. Any more than 10M then the attenuation introduced by the cable into the system starts to affect the overall performance. The advantages of RF195 is that it is cost-effective, flexible and has good RF properties making it ideal for 5M extension cable requirements.

For longer runs that RF195 offers or for lower loss performance over 5 to 10M, then RF240 low loss coaxial cables are an ideal selection. RF240 is very similar to LMR240. With an overall sheath diameter of 6.1mm, it can be offer in a PVC all-purpose sheath or a LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen) CPR Class Eca compliant sheath.  RF240 could be used up to about 15M cable runs for 4G and cellular applications and probably shorter runs if using it for WiFi. Once again, RF240 is cost-effective, but it is also flexible and robust making it ideal in installations where cable routing might be a little tricky.

For even longer cable runs, we have RF400 with PVC sheath for multi-purpose applications and RF400 LSZH Eca cable. These two cables are very low loss and we supply cables runs up to 50 or 60M depending on the frequency used in the installation. Both RF400 low loss RF coaxial cables are approx. 10mm in diameter, offering a little bit of flexibility, but most key is excellent RF properties meaning that you can minimise attenuation from the antenna to radio in your system.

EAD is a UK-based vendor of antenna solutions from 100 MHz to 6 GHz and also custom-assemblies low loss coaxial cables to customer specifications. For more information, please visit our product pages at www.customcoax.co.uk or contact us for specific requirements or questions you may have.

 

CPR class Eca low loss coaxial cable assembles available

EAD is pleased to introduce RF400 and RF240 Eca low loss coaxial cable assemblies. For coaxial cables requiring permanent installation into in-building applications, CPR compliance is now mandatory. CPR (Construction Products Regulation) legislation as it relates to coaxial cables addresses flammability properties of cables that are be installed inside buildings.

RF400 LSZH and RF240 LSHZ are both CPR classified as Eca and is manufactured in the European Union to high and consistent standards. At EAD, we cut the LSZH (Low Smoke Zero Halogen) cables to the required length and terminate with the customer-specified connectors.

For more details on the two Eca low loss cables visit our RF cables products page and for quotes or lead times, please contact us.

RF195 Low Loss RF coaxial cable assemblies

RF195 low loss RF cable is suitable for cable runs typically up to 10M at Cellular, LTE,and 2.4 GHz frequencies. It can also be used for VHF and UHF applications. RF195 is a quality RF cable manufactured in the European Union.

We can supply customised RF95 cable assemblies with connectors and length of cable to suit. Standard coaxial connectors for RF195 include N-Male, N-Female, SMA-Male, SMA-Female, RP-SMA, FME-Female, FME-Male, TNC-Male, BNC-Male and RP-TNC.

Standard RF195 cable assemblies that are usually pre-built in inventory include 5M SMA-Male/SMA-Female, 5M SMA-Male/SMA-Male and 5M N-Male/SMA-Male.

For RF195 low loss cable quotations and further information, please contact us.

For lower loss cable options, please check out our custom-assembled RF240 and RF400 cables.

RF195 cables can be purchased from your local EAD distributor or online at the Connex webshop.

RF240 – 6mm diameter low loss cable assemblies

RF240 coaxial cable is a 6mm diameter low loss cable suitable to operate as a jumper cable for outdoor wireless antennas. With excellent RF properties in a small diameter sheath, RF240 cable lends itself well to cable runs up to 15-20M for cellular applications.

With an outer diameter of 6.10mm, it is still pretty flexible. It has excellent RF performance with good attentuation figures across the bands up to 3 GHz. The RF240 is an equivalent to LMR240 cable, but a more cost effective alternative. We can offer this cable pre-terminated with SMA, N-Type, TNC  and other RF connectors as required. As we assemble these cables in-house we can quickly accommodate customer requests for specific lengths or connector types.  RF240 complements EAD omni antennas such as the FGO and LMO antenna or the directional panel antenna, the LPM8270.

For small quantity requirements of pre-configured RF240 6mm diameter low loss cable purchases can be made via the Connex webshop. We offer 3M, 5M, 8M, 10M and 15M cables as standard with various connector options. The individual cables can be purchased via the links below:

Buy 3M RF240 pre-terminated cable
Buy 5M RF240 pre-terminated cable
Buy 8M RF240 pre-terminated cable
Buy 10M RF240 pre-terminated cable
Buy 15M RF240 pre-terminated cable

For a slightly smaller diameter cable and cable runs up to 10M, take a look at RF195.

For very low loss cables, take a look at the RF400.

Please note we do NOT supply bulk cable or individual connectors.

RF400 – Very low loss RF coaxial cable assemblies

RF400 is a very low loss RF coaxial cable designed for longer cable runs and is comparable in performance to LMR400 or BWL400. RF400 is a high quality low loss cable manufactured in Europe.

We can supply customised RF400 cable runs with customer-specified connectors and cable lengths. Standard connectors supplied for RF400 include N-Male, N-Female, BNC-Male, TNC-Male, RP-TNC, SMA-Male, SMA-Female.

Common configurations include N-Male to SMA-Male to connect up omni-directional and directional antennas terminated in N-Female connectors where the radio modem has a SMA-Female connector.

For RF400 very low loss RF coaxial cable quotations and further information, please contact us. For customers in Europe, you can buy some 10M, 15M, 20M, 25M and 30M pre-terminated RF400 cables via the Connex Webshop. The individual cables can be purchased via the links below:

Buy 10M RF400 pre-terminated cable
Buy 15M RF400 pre-terminated cable
Buy 20M RF400 pre-terminated cable
Buy 25M RF400 pre-terminated cable
Buy 30M RF400 pre-terminated cable

For a smaller low loss coaxial cable for shorter cable runs, you could consider RF195 or RF240 low loss cables.