BobNH
Member
I have found RG8X cable to always work for me, at least in my limited experience. Limited impedance, and sturdy flexible cable. The Firestick one above is RG58A/U, the below is from their site. I wonder why they don't make one like you posted but use RG8X instead?
And for the insanely geeked out, that velocity factor is also a number to take into account when setting up your attempt at perfection. Which no one will ever achieve.
RG-58 type: This type of coax is used for single antenna installations and for jumper wires that go between the radio and a test meter (SWR meter). The RF resistance of this type of coax is 50-ohms. Within this group you will find coax labeled with RG-58 or RG-58/U. These cables have a solid center conductor. The second type is RG-58A/U and they have a center conductor made up of many thin wire strands (normally about 17) that are twisted together to form the center conductor. The common outer diameter for this type of cable is about 0.20".
RG-8X: This type of coax is also used for single antenna installations or jumpers between pieces of equipment. Sometimes it is referred to as "Mini-8. Like the RG-58 type coax, RG-8X also provides 50-ohms of resistance. In short, this cable could be called hi-performance 50-ohm cable. It always has a stranded center conductor and a high shielding percentage. It will also handle higher power (wattage) and has a higher propagation velocity. For the general user, it is more than what is required. However, if you are using amplifiers or just like to get the absolute most from your set-up, it will deliver. The outer diameter of RG-8X is typically about 0.24".
