Southwire RG-6 and Cat5e: any good?

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Jerry the Phone Guy

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Just wondering what people's experiences are with the 'Saber Link' line from Southwire? Their RG-6 and Cat 5e cables are awfully inexpensive and that scares me. (;o))
 
Well, nowhere could I find an attenuation chart and the capacitance is a little higher than most. At $51/11', I'd stay way from it (the series 6 cable, that is).
 
Copper clad steel, you get what you pay for.

There's also been a huge rash of counterfeit patch cords and category cables that are aluminum conductors dipped in copper, coax like this being sold as copper conductors and also a bunch of RJ45's that don't have the gold plating on the pins to standards, just flash plated.
 
I would go with anything that "egnlsn" writes, as this is his area of expertise.

"Copper clad steel coax" can be a very good choice for a cable TV frequency installation. At these high frequencies all the signal rides at the surface, so it doesn't mater what the center is. It's also strong enough to be run from pole to pole.
 
Yes, Southwire is a well known manufacturer. But, regardless of the manufacturer, if a product has an extremely low price and I can't find a spec sheet, I'm not going to buy it.
 
Speedskater said:
I would go with anything that "egnlsn" writes, as this is his area of expertise.

"Copper clad steel coax" can be a very good choice for a cable TV frequency installation. At these high frequencies all the signal rides at the surface, so it doesn't mater what the center is. It's also strong enough to be run from pole to pole.
Click to expand...

The downside is the steel is a poor conductor for this application, also doesn't last over time and connectors will tend to have issues.

If you're running from pole to pole, you run a cable with an attached messenger, not support the cable with itself.
 
From the "Audio/Video Cable Installers Pocket Guide" by Stephen Lampen.

Copper-clad steel is the standard inner conductor for most cable television/CATV/broadband/satellite co-ax.

I just went outside and checked, the cable TV co-ax from the pole to my house does not have a messenger.
 
One place that does not use copper-clad steel co-ax, is the part of a satellite system that also use's the co-ax to provide DC power to a remote signal amplifier.
 
CCS is used where tensile strength is needed, and sure, a lot of utilities use it in their outside drops, it's cheaper and it doesn't necessarily need a messenger, as well as with days now, it's essentially worthless as scrap.

I think a lot has to do with the utilities in your area. in my area, messengers are the norm with copper, not CCS, YMMV.
 
Thanks for all the info. I had not considered the higher resistance of the CCA being an issue for remote powering in satellite dish installs. Something else, their RG-6 I was looking at was only listed CM/CL2! I prefer to use CMR as a minimum, so, I don't have to think about whether the cable is run in an area where I can 'get away' with CM or CMX.
 
Yes -- Southwire's is fine.

Yes -- Southwire's is fine.

In CATV coax -- copper-clad steel center conductor is the norm and always has been. Besides the strength for pole-to-pole -- it's better for the connector (F) where the center conductor is the "pin" As we've all done -- the pin can be bent by accident during insertion and you've got to staighten it and re-insert. Copper will fatigue, embrittle, and break sooner than would copper-clad-steel (although it would still take quite a few repetitions to cause solid copper to break.) It's also true that for the CATV signal -- the signal travels "on the skin" (actually in the dielectric btween the copper layer and the outer shield!) -- and the conductor core is an electronic dead-zone anyay.

The exception re: CCS conductor is DBS satellite applications, where there is DC power (lower frequency, does involve the conductor core) -- then solid copper center conductor is a better choice (and Southwire has styles for that, as do other manufacturer's.)

Every single manufacturer of these cables make CM rated (not for use in risers) -- and plenum rated (much more expensive.) You're unlikely to find riser rated CATV coax in the mass market in the US. Canada is a different matter as CSA FT4 is the minimum requirement there -- and making it FT4 compliant lands it rated (US) CMR.


RG 6 CCTV coax is an entirely different story (always solid copper center conductor) -- but I think you're meaning CATV service.

Likewise Southwire's Cat 5e is fine to use. Better than many since it is UL listed (many are not!) -- as assured to have COPPER conductor. It is in Category cables like these that there's been quite a bit of non-compliant and DANGEROUS copper-clad-aluminum placed into the market. Those manufacturers (always imported. Not yet perpetrated by any domestic manufacturers that we've seen) -- are being rooted out and exposed wherever possible.
 
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