1 Ghz RG-6 - use where?

11 years ago

I happened to pick up a box of Belden RG-6 at a bargain price with some other stuff, and then noted it says "swept to 1ghz" as opposed to the current stuff which is 3 ghz.

Obviously I can't use it for satellite feeds, but I'm wondering if I should have used it for my runs out to the cable box (I'm updating the media wiring and people here bounce between satellite and cable, depending on the deals.)

I know that the rating only means the cable was tested to that frequency and may exceed it (especially with a higher-end cable) and many houses that are older are probably using older cable without issue.

Thoughts? I'm "over-wiring" the place for the future, I'm running a minimum of 2 RG6, 2 data and one tel to each room. I suppose if I ran one newer RG-6 and one run of the Belden I could probably get away with it, but, again if it's satellite, for HD you typically need 2 RG-6, right?

I know there's a lot of debate about what you need, but typically in new construction, we run 4 rg6 to the dish location. I've seen people run 5, apparently one for satellite radio, but I've never seen a permanent dish/aerial for one yet.

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Comments (4)

yosemitebill
11 years ago
RG6 that was only swept to 1 GHz will, or should be, labeled "For CATV Use" and using it for structured wiring just not kosher. Use RG6 swept to 3GHz and do the job right.
alan_s_thefirst
Original Author
11 years ago
CATV as in just the feed from the cable co demarc box? Pretty much what I thought, thanks. I don't want to cheap out when I'm pulling wire in some difficult spots. I actually suspect it would be good as a feed for sub-woofers, using RG6 seems de rigeur, and there'd be no need for the higher frequencies.
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weedmeister
11 years ago
It wouldn't work for FIOS either. They use higher frequencies for internet access and to send data (not video) to their stb's.
yosemitebill
11 years ago
CATV rated RG6 can be used for drops, exterior, and interior fished runs by the service provider but should not be used in structured wiring.

Unfortunately, it should not be used for component connections either such as composite/component video, audio, or sub-woofer feeds. RG59 is much better since it employs a 95% copper braided shield effective down to nearly DC. The aluminum shield used in RG6 is typically only effective starting at about 5 MHz.