Coax-what-is-it-cable-orem-utah-provo-salt-lake-city-coaxial

As a cable guy, I read up on industry related technology.  I read this article recently and thought it was very informative so I'd share it on the blog.

Coaxial Cables

Many consumers, when they think of "coax cables," tend to think it refers only to the cabling used by cable and satellite companies for cable TV. However, this is only one example of coaxial cable. In this article we will breakdown what makes up a typical coaxial cable as well as go over a few common types.

Coax cable is defined as any cable with the following properties:

• A center conductor
• Insulation covering the center conductor, called a "dieletric"
• A braided shield surrounding the dieletric
• An optional foil shield
• An outer jacket

Each of these components plays a specific role. Let's take a look at each in more detail:

Center Conductor:
At the heart of a coaxial cable is a center conductor. Typically constructed of either pure copper (in higher-end cables) or copper-coated steel or aluminum (in less-expensive cables), the center conductor is responsible for transmitting the cable's signal. As such, it must meet certain electrical properties (such as wire resistance). The rest of the cable construction is primarily designed to help the center conductor maintain its electrical integrity.

Dielectric Insulator:
The dielectric insulator's purpose is two-fold; first, it acts as an insulator between the center conductor and the outer braided / foil shielding. Second, it helps physically hold the center conductor in the center of the cable. This is important, as signal loss can occur if the center conductor strays too close to the outer area of the cable. Various materials are commonly used for the dielectric. A few of the more common materials, in order of quality (from best to worst), are below:

1. Foamed Polyethylene (FPE)
2. Teflon
3. Polyethylene (PE)
4. Polypropylene (PP)
5. Polyvinylchloride (PVC)

When reading specifications on coaxial cables, you may see references to the dialetric constant. The closer this number is to 1.0, the better. Foamed Polyethylene (FPE), for example, generally has a dielectric constant somewhere around 1.5, while PVC's dialetric constant is around 3.0 to 4.0. (Foamed PE basically uses gas, often nitrogen, to create gas bubbles in the material to lower the dielectric constant. Marketing literature that refers to "gas-injected dielectric" usually indicates the use of FPE. It is one of the best dielectric materials in common use.)

Braided Shield:
Long copper cables have a tendency to act like antennas, picking up stray signals from the environment. These unwanted signals, known as "interference", disrupt the signal that the cable is supposed to be carrying. Interference tends to come in two different flavors: electromagnetic interference (known as EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI). EMI interference is often caused by heavy power lines, cell phone signals, etc. A braided shield protects the signal from EMI interference.

When looking at cable specs, the braided shield will often be expressed in a percent coverage, which often ranges anywhere from 30% to 95% coverage. The higher the coverage, the better the protection.

Foil Shield:
Although not always present on coaxial cables, the foil shield serves to protect from RFI interference. Foil shields are almost always made out of aluminum foil, and simply wrap around the inner parts of the cable. Unlike braided shields, which have a percent coverage, foil shields always cover 100%.

Outer Jacket:
The outer jacket is generally made out of flexible PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and serves primarily to hold the cable together and protect it from the elements. 

Connectors

There are many different connectors that can terminate a coaxial cable. We will now go over a few of the more common connectors.

RCA
The RCA connector was developed in the early '40s by the Radio Corporation of America to connect record players to amplifiers. The same basic connector is still in wide use today, and it represents a large portion of the connectors used for home theater cables. The fact that they are so easy to connect and disconnect makes RCA connectors a popular choice for home theater applications. RCA Cables can be used for audio, video and digital audio.
The biggest drawback with RCA devices is that each signal is sent on a different cable. For example, a single RCA-terminated coax cable only carries the left audio channel, or only the right, etc. Three RCA cables are needed for high-def video, along with two more for the audio. This makes for a mess of cables behind your equipment. This is one reason that has made HDMI Cables so popular.
Attaching RCA connectors can be a bit more time-consuming as, with some types of RCA connectors, the coaxial cable's wires need to be soldered to the connector after stripping the cable with a stripping tool.  RCA Connectors come in solder-on, weatherproof and compression styles. A special tool is required for compression connectors, and a soldering iron is needed for solder-on connectors

BNC
The BNC connector has two bumps on the female side that slide into corresponding grooves on the male side. The connector is then rotated a quarter turn to lock into place. BNC Connectors are widely used in commercial applications such as closed circuit television systems, where its ability to lock in place (unlike the slip-on RCA) makes BNC Cables a perfect fit. BNC connectors come in a wide variety as well, including twist-on and weatherproof connectors.

F-Pin

The F-PIN CONNECTOR  is probably the most recognized of the coaxial connectors as it's been in use with televisions and VCRs for decades. The familiar threaded connector makes for a secure connection that will not easily slip out of a device. This connector is also one of the easiest to attach to a coax cable as it does not require any soldering. Many different types are available including twist-on, crimp-on and compression. For outdoor use, weatherproof connectors are also available to create an F-PIN CABLE with a secure connection and loss-less signal transfer

Many manufacturers are doing away with the F-pin connector on their TVs. This is because that little F-pin connector is actually part of a device called a tuner. The tuner is what sifts through the signal coming through the cable and separates all of the TV channels. Since so many people change channels using a cable box or satellite receiver, these tuners are becoming obsolete. This can pose a problem for folks who have standard cable TV that still requires the TV to have an F-pin connector. Unfortunately, a small adapter or special cable won't do the trick. A tuner is required. There are a couple ways to do this. One way is to use an old VCR. VCRs have built in tuners. The other way is to use a device called an RF Demodulator. A demodulator is essentially a TV tuner that will let you change the channels.

Crimp-on, solder or twist-on?
There are 3 main styles of each connector available on the market. With each of these styles the coaxial cable must be stripped in such a way that a portion of each component of the cable is exposed:

• Crimp: This encompasses compression as well as crimping connectors. Crimping connectors slide onto the cable and then pinche the base of the connector onto the outer jacket. The compression connectors require a special tool to press the cable into the connector and pinch it all at the same time. Weatherproof connectors are most often compression style, where the connector seals to keep water out.
• Solder:This style, like its name implies, requires the center conductor and the braided shield to be soldered to parts of the connector. These offer the best connection, but are more labor-intensive to install.
• Twist-on:These are for the consumer that just wants a quick and easy solution. Especially handy if you are only trying to fix a single broken cable, these don't require any solder or tools. Simply twist the connector onto the cable and you're done. They're not the best for durability, but they get the job done.

Types of Coaxial Cable

RG58
Largely used in the commercial security camera industry, RG58 cable is a low profile, inexpensive choice for large projects where a high-bandwidth cable is not needed. Most often terminated with BNC connectors, this type of cable can also be found attached to testing equipment and 2-way radio systems.

RG59
Once the standard for cable TV, RG59 cables are still found packaged with VCRs and televisions. RG59 was a good low-cost option for cable TV for years until the cable industry recently began its move into digital cable television, which needs a thicker cable. Modern satellite television also requires a higher-bandwidth-capable cable and so RG6 coaxial cable is becoming much more popular, making RG59 no longer the industry standard.

RG6
RG6 cable is differentiated from RG59 cable by having a thicker copper center conductor. RG6 is primarily being used today for satellite and digital cable TV, where higher frequencies are required that RG59 cable cannot support. RG6 cable is most often sold with F-pin connectors for cable or satellite applications. 

Courtesy of National Technology

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Until Next Time

The Cable Guy

HDMI-cable-utah-provo-ut-orem-salt-lake-city-slc-cables

Where can you find an HDMI Cable at a discount price? This is what many consumers are saying. I hear this all the time. "The retail stores are tying to sell me an HDMI cable for $90!" Well, no need to fear, WhataCable.com is here! WhataCable has a huge inventory of HDMI cables at factory direct pricing. Do not spend your hard earned money, especially in the poor economy, on a fancy packaged HDMI cable, when you can get a high-quality, HDMI 1.3V, 1080p compliant cable for a fraction of the cost. For example, a 6 feet HDMI cable from WhataCable in Orem, Utah is only $12.99. Can you believe it? The other question I hear all the time is, "Well then what is the difference between the WhataCable $12.99 HDMI cable and the one at the retail store where I bought my TV? There must be a difference because they were asking $90 for it!" Well, yes there is a difference. (They shake their head, because they knew there must have been a difference) The difference is about $77. That's $77 in your pocket. "How can it be?" Well, the retail stores are buying the fancy packaged expensive HDMI cables at Monster prices. I mean those prices are huge, like a... like a... monster! And those prices are scary.... like a... like a... what's the word? Oh yeah, a MONSTER! So stay away from scary and huge prices. What-a-Cable is friendly, and very un-monsterish. WhataCable! backs up every cable with a lifetime warranty. You deal with a small-business, sometimes directly with the owner. You get a high-quality HDMI certified cable, that is 1080p compliant (that is what you want, yes, even for blu-ray). You don't need the fancy cable. I don't care what the sales person told you. They get a kick-back for every fancy-packaged-expensive-cable they sell, so sure they'll tell you the world will stop spinning if you connect any other cable to your new blu-ray or plasma TV. They want their piece of that monster price in their greedy little pocket.

If I haven't' convinced you yet, just go down and visit WhataCable! They have a showroom and they can show you their cables and explain how you will get exactly the same beautiful image from your blu-ray, at the same amazing 1080p resolution, with the high-quality WhataCable! HDMI cable, as you will with any other cable on the market. HDMI sets the standards, and WhataCable cables comply to their specifications. What-a-Cable is located in the heart of Utah County, in Orem and it's easy to get to. Take the Center Street exit off of I-15. It's just west of the freeway off of Center Street at 77 South Mountain Way Drive, Orem, UT 84058. They are open Mon-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. You'll be glad you went by. http://www.whatacable.com/

Until Next Time -
The Cable Guy

Displayport-to-DVI-display-port-dp-cable-adapter-converter

So you have one of those funky Displayport connectors on your Dell computer. You've been told how great it is and that you can get 1080p resolution, but you can't find a monitor with the display-port (DP) to connect it. Well, WhataCable! in Orem, Utah just next to Provo, and close to Salt Lake City, has adapters in stock that will convert the DP to a DVI cable. http://www.whatacable.com/ You can order them online for about $15, or you can go to their office /showroom directly and pick them up at will call. They are located at 77 South Mountain Way Drive in Orem, UT. That is just west of I-15 off of Center Street. WhataCable! also carries a huge selection of DVI cables. A DVI cable in Utah will cost you anywhere from $40 to $80 at a retail store. WhataCable will save you a ton of money. Buy factory-direct from www.whatacable.copm and keep the extra change. A 10 Feet DVI fromWhataCable will cost you about $14. So with a 10' DVI cable, and the Displayport to DVI adapter, you're out the door for under $30 plus tax, which is still less than you'd pay for just the DVI cable down the street at any of the retail stores. Keep WhataCable in mind for all your cable needs and tell a friend. Friends don't let friends buy cables from the big retail stores!

Until next time -

The Cable Guy

Display-port-to-HDMI-DP-displayport-adapter-converter-cable

So you have one of those funky Displayport connectors on your Dell computer. You've been told how great it is and that you can get 1080p resolution, but you can't find a monitor with the display-port (DP) to connect it. Well, WhataCable! in Orem, Utah just next to Provo, and close to Salt Lake City, has adapters in stock that will convert the DP to an HDMI cable. www.whatacable.com You can order them online for about $15, or you can go to their office /showroom directly and pick them up at will call. They are located at 77 South Mountain Way Drive in Orem, UT. That is just west of I-15 off of Center Street. WhataCable! also carries a huge selection of HDMI cables. An HDMI cable in Utah will cost you anywhere from $70 to $100 at a retail store. WhataCable will save you a ton of money. Buy factory direct and keep the extra change. A 10 Feet HDMI from WhataCable will cost you about $15. So with a 10' HDMI cable, and the Displayport to HDMI adapter, you're out the door for $30 plus tax, which is still less than you'd pay for just the HDMI cable down the street at any of the retail stores. Keep WhataCable in mind for all your cable needs and tell a friend. Friends don't let friends buy cables from the big retail stores!

Until Next Time

The Cable Guy

United-Auto-Union-bail-or-jail?

Are we seriously thinking of handing billions of dollars to the big 3 automotive manufacturers? Isn't this just perpetuating the real problem with the U.S. auto industry? The problem with the U.S. auto industry, i.e. GM, Ford, & Chrysler is not the quality, though it may have been in the past. The problem is not the designs. Chrysler has been extremely innovative. Ford has brought the love of the muscle car back with its retro-Mustang. The U.S. is the world leader in trucks. Blue collar America goes to work every day in a pick-up. I own a 1969 Chevy pick up and I love it. So then the problem with the U.S. auto industry is just all about gas mileage right? Not even. Again, we are a leader in Hybrid and Electric cars. GM has made huge strides here. The real problem? Well, the dirty secret that nobody wants to tackle, including congress and the president, is the United Auto Workers. (The UAW). Yes, the union is our worst enemy. We have these unions that bully the company into paying ridiculous wages that are not in line with the job skills and make us uncompetitive in a world market. Back when every car on the road was American made, the unions could set the false wage, and the playing field was level. Now, who makes the best and least expensive cars? Japan? Korea? Germany? China? You name it. Wherever there is no UAW union dictating what a company should pay its people. So they are more competitive because the wages are really low in other countries right? Wrong. Cars are being built in America and these people who are Americans make good wages building them. But these foreign owned auto makers are not forced mafia-style into paying wages that are out of line with the current market and economy.

So let's bail out the poor auto industry and ignore the real problem.... Sounds great. Maybe with that bail out money, we'll increase the wages even more. Pad the retirements. All that instead of putting money where we need to, into R&D. We could easily out-build the foreign auto-makers, make cooler cars, that are extremely dependable, and fuel-efficient, if the friggin UAW union would just be outlawed. They should be put in jail for fraud. They are an antiquated organization that needs to be banned from our capitalist country (what's not been socialized) and allow good old American entrepreneurs and companies to thrive without jumping through all the hoops and red tape that unions create.

Until next time
The Union-free Cable Guy
www.professionalcable.com