Source for High Quality Parts...

[cschlik]

I am in need of 2200mhz or better RG-6, good water tight connectors and an appropriate grounding block for a dish pro install. Local stores around here just cary the standard stuff. Any suggestions on a quality supplier would be appreciated. If you know of one in the local St. Louis area, all the better!

Thanks,

Chris

[DarrellP]

I ordered a 1,000 ft roll of 3 GHZ RG6 Quad shield from Smarthome.com and it cost $119. I just got done installing the first 2 dish runs and so far, so good.

[waydwolf]

Originally posted by DarrellP
I ordered a 1,000 ft roll of 3 GHZ RG6 Quad shield from Smarthome.com and it cost $119. I just got done installing the first 2 dish runs and so far, so good.

*rolls eyes*

    People who sell satellite supplies like to crow about sweep testing their cable and compare it to cable company cable, but the fact is most cable company cable only shows sweep testing to 1Ghz because that's quite a bit higher than almost any cable company ever operates and they are the majority user of the cable. Cable company cable doesn't magically turn to crap after 1Ghz.

    RG-6 is pretty much RG-6 and small differences in exact dielectric composition and so on don't matter a whole hell of a lot to you. The standard Belden quad-shield RG-6 many cable companies use is more than fine for satellite.

    What are the most important factors? The shielding coverage across the band you're concerned with(950Mhz to 2050Mhz so quad shield becomes a good idea as time goes by and the spectrum becomes more crowded and shared), the condition of the stinger(no scratches or scores), the cable itself when installed(no kinks, no tight bends or loops) and the fittings used(low insertion loss, high return loss, low ingress).

    Also, IIRC, as you go higher in frequency, the closer to the outside of the conductor the transmission travels so stinger size, composition, and physical condition become more important as you get to 2Ghz. But many stacked installations have been done with dual shield RG-6 and no problems. I don't see DBS consumer satellite IF going beyond 2050Mhz any time soon. Fiber-optics would be more likely first.

    RG-59 dual shield has worked in many places, but I wouldn't try to run it more then twenty-five feet and never in a noisy environment. RG-6 has less loss per foot than RG-59 but RG-11 has less than that and how many people run RG-11 from their dish to the receiver?

    As an aside, we in cabling frequently have joked about selling RG-11 jumpers as "Monster Coax" to the gullible with too much money on hand and some have sold six foot jumpers for fifty bucks.

    Radio Shack sells perfectly useable RG-6, but I would recommend better fittings than standard hex crimps although they are still the mainstay of the average installer.

 

[Mike123abc]

Lowes sells RG-6 in both bulk and precut lengths (up to 100 feet) with water tight connectors on them. Easy spot to get cable if you need it.

[Mike500]

Checkout these Ebay auctions on a Snap-N-Seal kit, approved by Dish Network for DishPro and 3 Ghz grounding blocks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=32848&item=3006352894&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=32848&item=3006349104&rd=1