Coax Query...

Looks like spring has finally sprung,So with the better weather what perfect timing to take the old silver banana rod down and invest in a shiny new 5/8 wave.The length of my Coax from antenna to rig is about 15 metres max,That RG cheap and cheerful is long overdue to be changed let alone updated.So gentleman what do you suggest Rg8 (mini8) or Rg 213.To my untrained eyes I like the thinner Rg8 but size isn’t everything so the missus says..
Cheers lads...

Ive always use 213 if its going outside and its longish run from radio end to the antenna, plus also try to buy the best you can afford its no use getting cheap stuff for the sake of it .

Thanks Nubster,I think that’s the mistake I made last time trying to save penny’s one Coax costs and suffered on signals and Tx.Another reason why I asked about the Rg8 vs Rg213 is that I was under the impression that’s they both did the same job (Db loss etc)But the Rg8 was just a smaller diameter.Otherwise I’ll just go fir the Rg213?

Sorry about the spelling mistakes..lol

I have both in use at the moment and to be honest i can't fault the rg8x.
Have some lmr400 ? new here in the shack so going to try that out soon.
My long wire is on a pully so it's no big deal to swap coax for me plus only need 8 or so meters.

Chickenfoot@1987 wrote:

Sorry about the spelling mistakes..lol

Most of us on here are dyslexic so don't worry about things like that lol.

Cheers Alan,Now I’m am confused,
The choice this time wasn’t a cost issue it was just I read somewhere that the two were the same just different in diameter.But I maybe wrong and the smaller diameter seemed more Appealing.
Cheers

plus 1 on the dyslexic stuff its same here with me so no worries about spelling mate, I will admit the 213 is a pig to work with due to its thickness so the other maybe better for you ,I think I've used 213 for so bloody long I'm set in my ways lol ,but as siad try and buy the best you can afford whatever you decide.

Thanks Nubster,I’ll definitely get the best I can now.You certainly get what you pay for with communication equipment and Accessories.Luckily I don’t have to take to many sharp bends with the coax.
Cheers.

HF frees are very forgiving when it comes to coax. I use RG8 at the moment. RG8X is really good too.
Next long run I do, good quality RG6. I know, I know. Just do your research.

Thanks 53 prefect,I’ll definitely do some research and it’s also great to hear advice and past experiences from everyone on here.

Off topic question Tom what part of London are you in ?,  I'm in North London

South London Nubster

Sadly I can’t choose where I was born..

RG6 all the way here Jeff.  

HF, VHF, UHF!

"Bramham" or "Twelfth Wave" transmission line matching does a nice job but who worries about a 1.5 SWR anyway. 


It's either a bit of reading on transmission line losses or listening to the 'radio salesman' rubbing his grimy hands together as he goes off to get you a reel of "The good stuff".


Mind you, you can almost tow a truck with RG213 - and it install it with the same sort of care.

Chickenfoot@1987 wrote:

Sadly I can’t choose where I was born..

Same here mate lol ,I should be able to copy you i normally hear parts of South London pretty well when there's no noise ,we will have to try a make a contact one time, no use calling on the Muppet 19 its always blocked lol mind you I don't use legal Muppets channels anyway really if you have a SSB radio we could have a  try .

Definitely Nubster,Luckily I’m on top of a hill so should boom out across London..lol
At the moment I’m just in the process of putting together a new set up.Having bought a ss 6900n and a 20a psu,With the engineering work being up and down due to the situation (Mostly down with everyone working from home)it’s taking a little bit longer to buy everything.
Is ukfm still as nice as it always was,With the dead keying and music playing.
SSB definitely seems the way to go now and I’m hoping to get some DX this year.Because it’s not much fun turning the channel knob with no power on the rig..lol
Not long to wait just the new antenna,Coax and swr metre still on the list.
I’d love one of those Siro 2016’s I think their called and has anyone got or used one.
73’s

Whether you go with RG213 or better, DON'T BUY CHEAP Chinese eBay stuff. 

RG213 is not a "standard" in the way LMR400 or other named co-ax's are...it's just a label these days with a few characteristics most seem to adhere to.  I've seen RG213 with such poor braid coverage on the shield, I'm amazed it worked!

If you can, either buy from a reputable source, or buy a known manufacturer's version.

15m of even RG8x, at 27MHz, isn't much loss...but as decent RG213 isn't much dearer than recent RG8x, it's mad not to!

I run pretty much only LMR400 or better these days for HF/VHF/UHF...except CB, which still has some decent quality RG213 doing the job just fine for a 12w radio.

Thanks 43CT016,
I’ll definitely be buying everything from a reputable company.That’s why you always get half decent advice on this forum to steer you in the right direction.I’ll only be using the coax for 27mhz and I won’t be overdoing it with the wattage anyway.Thanks for the advice it’s all greatly appreciated.

Cheers and 73’s

hi guys,,,years back i used rg58 and then the old original rg8,even the very nice man in the cb shop was happy to add in an extra meter of coax just for luck.ive got a length of rg213 which is great except for the fact that its good at holding onto any interferance or static so there for getting a higher signal of noise.its good to replace coax everyso often. i used some 213 i had used outside ,i cut some up to make a df loop and it was totally black inside,the braid was basically rotted, luckily these days im a fan of  self amalgamating tape.i also find its a little easier to get it to go through the hole in the wall even after tapeing it to a recycled coathanger. Now dont laugh but i had some thick coax some years back and it had to go through breeze block then the cavity then out through the brickwork,,,i thought this is easy,,,it was actually going down the cavity,i looked outside to see how it was going,,,no coax!.and there was no way it was coming back out,,wont do that again!

26ct127 wrote:

.ive got a length of rg213 which is great except for the fact that its good at holding onto any interferance or static so there for getting a higher signal of noise.

Coax doesn't do that. However what does cause that in most CB installations is common mode RFI caused by a poor RF ground meaning the antenna system is using the outside of the braid as a ground plane to try to compensate. If you don't want to/aren't able to put radials on the antenna a RF choke at the antenna end of the coax can help reduce it.

The only other time you'll notice that is if you're got a very long run, as in a couple of hundred feet, where the differences in the reduction of loss going from RG58 to RG213 would add about a S point on a CB meter to all signals including any local noise.

After everyone’s helpful advice I went for 20 metres of Rg213 u mil spec coax.Next on the shopping list is a new antenna,I’ve got the T&K brackets with a 10 feet 1.5 inch pole already mounted from the last antenna and all seems safe and Secure still.Does anyone on here use a Sirio 827 or the gain master.They look great but I’m worried about the weight on that 1.5 inch tube swaying around..lol
I’m also putting those ferrite clip on rings on a few of the household devices (The WiFi router,tv’s and psu power cables etc),can someone enlighten me on chokes and their uses as I saw someone on YouTube make a Dirty Balun for 27mhz ?
Thanks again Gentlemen...

I had my Gainmaster on the same pole and was ok but i did guy the aerial due to the strong winds we get as we overlook the Irish sea.
My pole is around the same length as yours.

hi, I use a 5/8 gainmaster on T&K brackets 1 1/2 inch pole 6ft long, on the gable end, not had any problems but it will move around in the wind, also when I put the hole through the wall I made it bigger and put a sleeve in, so any changes of coax or more coax feeds will pass straight through. All in all its been a good antenna for me .
regards mark
ct3433

Thanks Mark,That 5/8 gainmaster does look a great antenna,I think I’ve nearly made my mind up on which one to buy next.I have to use a 10 foot to also clear the edge of the roof and gutting.
Great idea with the hole if Coax ever needed upgrading.
Cheers Tom
CT4029