Is the coax cable used for TV the same as the coax used for CB radios?

 

no, cb coax's are 2x the size

check radioshack.com to compare

 

no. definately no.

 

The coax on my CB is thinner then the TV stuff. I can put it through the back window then close the window and it fits just fine.

 

the size of the cable might be the same, but the fittings are 2x the size

 

Besides the fittings the cable is the same?

 

I disagree. I use a CB antenna for my television. It's a magnetic mount that uses the same cable I've seen for all CB's and all I did was chop off the PL-259 connector and throw on a F-connector. Works like a charm.

Link to PL-259 connector

Link to RG-59 coaxial for television

Television coax is RG-59. UHF and CB radio uses RG-59 too.

The cable is the same!

 

you don't want a solid cable for a cb.....it needs to be a spiral core. wayy better to get "out there". I'm probably using the improper names though.

 

It’s not so much the receiving side that’s necessarily a problem. It’s more the transmitting side. The cables have a specific impedance, which differs between CB and CATV cables, one being 50 ohms (RG-58) and the other 75 ohms (RG-59). The radios output final stage circuit was designed to work with 50 ohm impedance cable. Using 75 ohm cable can cause high SWR problems.

 

HAHA rev beat me to it by a min or two.....oh well about the same ole hot wind from me jus rev explained it better.


TV coax RG-59 is 75ohm coax. most transcivers built today are designed to 50 ohm loads, and RG-58 is the most common coax for cb ham radio land mobile radios, etc,etc.

so TV coax can cause issues with tuning to antenna because of the mis matched OHM's ratings.

 

You need to run the CB Coax for a CB... Not television coax for a CB...

Reason being, you don't get the impedance from the TV cable that you do from the CB cable. I just took my **** in last weekend and got the lesson from the guy who works in the shop who used to compete in radio stuff. It's big in the South is what he told me. I learned a lot from him. You need to have at least 50ohms or resistance coming from both your antenna and your coax cable, and if not, you run the risk of frying your radio upon transmission. Also, with my old setup I was getting like a .2 SWR with the SOLID CORE Cable and 4ft antenna that had a small cut in the outside coating to running a a 1.2 SWR (Guy told me Ill be able to get out like a "m-f'er" with my setup 10-12mi... Actually got out 15mi on the open highway) with a 5.5' francis with new coax with the wound core... coax must be almost exactly 18ft. That's the standard.

 

Stranded center coax is better for high vibration or where it's going to be flexed quite often.
In the case of CB radios , you want RG58AU , which has the stranded center.
RG58U is the solid center conductor.

The only time RG59 is used is for co-phased arrays ,ie- dual antennas used on tractor-trailers .

 

In other words, it has NOTHING to do with size and connector type.

RG-58 & RG-8 are 50ohm for use on two-way radios.
RG-59 & RG-6 are 75ohm and used for cable TV.

Do not use cable TV coax for a two way radio. It will impair performance at best and damage the radio at worst.

 

With coax being as cheep as it is,
http://www.copper.com/cart/product_i...roducts_id=438

It cant hurt to get a little extra.

 

the previous answers say it all- go with RG58 coax, the shorter the better(cut coax to desired length and solder on a new PL259) The bigger coax(RG8,RG213, etc is for longer runs and will not help TX or REC. in your setup.I have been a Ham radio operator for 14 yrs & CB well before that,so if anyone has questions about antennas,coax,radios, propagation or getting into ham radio drop me a note. HAVE A GOOD 1

 

The guy at the shop told me specifically... 18ft is a standard. No shorten than that. He used to compete in this stuff.

 

And the guy at the shop is wrong. That is the biggest old wives tale out there. For normal use of a normal CB radio to one normal antenna, you do not need nor want 18ft of coax. Use whatever length is required to reach the antenna with a small amount of slack and no coiled up wire. Period. End of story.

 

Lets not start this wives tale again when there is no proof saying yes or no. Need i remind you of velocity factor on all COAX and it has its effects on the HF Frequencies more than others. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) the largest membership association of amateur radio enthusiasts in the USA even discusses coax lengths and velocity factors in there books. There is no proof saying coax length is a wives tale or not. I have spoken to several ham operators about length's and none have said it was a wives tale on HF.

 

I'm really sorry dude but you are just wrong. Velocity factor has absolutely NO BEARING ON THIS AT ALL. None. For a single antenna installation on a CB radio, it is NOT a factor, period. You have heard wrong and been told wrong.

The correct answer, as I said before, is use whatever length is required to reach the antenna with a small amount of slack and no coiled up wire.

 

READ A BOOK. Its been published thousands of TIMES its published in one of the most respected books for HAM radio even. Unless you can prove it wrong, NO one will believe it to be a myth. So till its proven busted it will always be a plausible

 

It is of no difference to me what your ham radio book says. Its not a factor, it never has been, and it never will be. Thats just how it works. There are situations where it comes into play and this is not one of them. The radio equipment I work on is life safety equipment. If they don't work right, people die. You can trust me or you can trust someone's ham radio book. It doesn't matter to me but I'm not going to keep repeating myself. Take it or leave it.

 

Ok I'm new to all this CB stuff but tring to learn,
I thought if the ant. was hard mounted, (bolted thru the roof) the shorter coax is fine, and if it a mag mount ant. you need the longer coax (18ft) because it uses the sheilding as a ground plain or something?
Can someone clear this up for me?
Thanks,

 

As FireRanger said, for a barefoot cb operating in a mobile situation, with just a single antenna, run just the length needed. At HF Frequencies, any losses in the cable would be so minimal they would not even be noticed. Velocity factor comes more into effect with very long cable runs (Such as in a base station situation) Also the coax in not the ground plane,the body of the car or truck is the ground plane. That is where grounding comes into effect. Here is a forum that will answer a lot of your questions about cb radios.

http://www.cbradioforum.com

 

Again unless it can be proven a myth its not.

 

Nope. Doesn't matter what kind of mount you're using. The metal body of the truck is the ground plane regardless of how the antenna is mounted.