So what is the best Coax to go buy then?

[CJTE]

If im gonna be purchasing and installing this myself, what is the best stuff to go with?

I'm clueless. Solid Copper Core. Quad Shield. That doesnt mean anything to me hahahaha.

All I know is, http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10216&cs_id=1021604&p_id=3548&seq=1&format=2 is looking pretty good right now.

[Scott in FL]

You probably won't like the answer. I didn't. But don't cut corners here. The recommended coax is solid copper, such as this: http://www.solidsignal.com/pview.asp?mc=13&p=ULPVRG6SCBLK&d=Perfect-Vision-ULPVRG6SCBLK-Single-RG6-Coax-Cable--1000-ft-(Reel-in-a-Box)--Black-(ULPVRG6SCBLK)&c=Bulk%20RG-6%20Coax%20Cable&sku=ULPVRG6SCBLK

I didn't want 1000', and I didn't want to spend over $100, but I did.

I can also pass along the advice I received from several installers on this forum: call some local installers in your area and ask if you can buy the length you need from them. You might try that.

[bubbers44]

If im gonna be purchasing and installing this myself, what is the best stuff to go with?

I'm clueless. Solid Copper Core. Quad Shield. That doesnt mean anything to me hahahaha.

All I know is, http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10216&cs_id=1021604&p_id=3548&seq=1&format=2 is looking pretty good right now.

The monoprice 1000 ft roll you show above is what I bought two years ago for about 100.00. It worked great. I was drywalling the entire living area so installed two cables for each one needed so I could use the second one if a nail went through one. I still have 600 ft left over that I will never use.

[Scott in FL]

The monoprice 1000 ft roll you show above is what I bought two years ago for about 100.00. It worked great.

According to the manufacturer this cable has a copper clad steel center wire, which is definitely not recommended. This cable would not be Directv approved. The problem regards the DC voltage drop, which is important for powering the LNB and selecting polarization.

My advice: You get what you pay for. Don't go for cheap cable. Spend a little extra and do it right.

[CJTE]

That's why I asked what the good stuff is, because I figured that wasn't it.

Bubbers lemme know if you wanna ship that extra 600ft my way :)

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10216&cs_id=1021604&p_id=3548&seq=1&format=2
That one doesn't mention anything about copper clad steel wire.

[Mertzen]

How many feet do you need. I have some D* approved solid copper wire here. PM me.

[Scott in FL]

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10216&cs_id=1021604&p_id=3548&seq=1&format=2
That one doesn't mention anything about copper clad steel wire.

Click on the "Knowledge Base" tab and you'll see:

Question: Are these copper wire cables?
Answer: No, they are a 75 ohm copper clad steel center wire with aluminum braid and mylar foil shield.

[JimW88@hotmail.com]

I've had good luck with MJ Sales they have solid copper conductor. www mjsales net

I needed 100 ft of Dual for the HD DVR I have in my RV. He recommended Quad shield with a solid copper conductors. Normally dual shield is good enough, but because I will be rolling out and rolling up, walking or even driving on the cable, the quad shield will hold up better. When I ordered the cable I had them install the connectors.

I'm happy with the cable and would recommend MJ Sales to anyone.

[doctor j]

BELDEN 1694a can't be beat.
Expensive but google finds some deals.
You always get what you pay for.
If it's real cheap, THRERE is a reason.

Doctor j

[Herdfan]

BELDEN 1694a can't be beat.


Great for baseband, but 1829BC is good enough for sat feeds.

[doctor j]

OP asked what the "best" was.
I think 1694a fits there.
I agree it's more than what's required but never a bad choice.

Doctor j

[mickcris]

I used the monoprice cable a year ago when I rewired my house. It works fine. I really don't think you will be able to tell the difference.

[CJTE]

Thanks for everything y'all. I'm on my blackberry right now but when I get home I'm gonna re-check this thread and edit this post with my responses.

Thanks for the headsup Herdsfan. Doctor_J, I do in fact want the best coax I can get but I'm also a cheap bastard. What else are you using that coax for (or have in mind) that having the 'best' would benefit you?

[Altcool]

Belden 7916A Single Quad-Shied RG-6 Coax Cable is what i use in 1000 ft spools
Great Cable, Best STB cable IMO, better construction then Perfect Vision cable, though if you want to save some money Perfect Vision cable is the way to go, DTV approves it for all of their installs and it hands down works.

[hdtvfan0001]

Whatever coax you get, its worth the while to get quality stuff....its not like anyone wants to have to replace it once its run....and it will likely be in place a long time....

[Scott in FL]

Just stay away from copper clad steel center conductors. Go with the solid copper, as recommended. Yes, copper clad steel center conductor cables such as Monoprice's may work well for years. They can also cause problems.

RF travels on the outer skin of a conductor, so the thin copper plating is fine for carrying RF frequencies. The problem is the DC power that also must be carried by the coax. Directv's system relies heavily on the DC power from the receiver to power multiple LNBs and switch polarity. Steel is not a great conductor and it is subject to corrosion. So DC power conduction and corrosion protection rely on a thin coating of copper.

I've seen installations fail after a few years due to excessive DC voltage drop, and had to replace the coax with solid copper. Save yourself possible future headaches and spend a bit extra now.

[CJTE]

http://www.deepsurplus.com/1000ft-RG6U-60-Shielded-Solid-Copper-Coax-Cable-WT

That seems to meet the standards im looking for and the price (and the color :))

Thoughts?

[FussyBob]

Home Depot.....

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xhw/R-100655111/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

Solid copper center, Quad-shield, RG6, 1000ft roll.

I think they also sell 500ft rolls in stores...

[BattleZone]

I know what the Home Depot ad says, but the actual cable that I've seen at (over a dozen) Home Depot is all copper-clad steel. That may or may not have any bearing on what you'd get if you ordered from the website, but be cautious and suspicious...

[CJTE]

I know what the Home Depot ad says, but the actual cable that I've seen at (over a dozen) Home Depot is all copper-clad steel. That may or may not have any bearing on what you'd get if you ordered from the website, but be cautious and suspicious...

There is a big green checkmark that says 'online only'

[FussyBob]

I know what the Home Depot ad says, but the actual cable that I've seen at (over a dozen) Home Depot is all copper-clad steel. That may or may not have any bearing on what you'd get if you ordered from the website, but be cautious and suspicious...

Agree to watch carefully what is avialable at the store. I just looked at what I bought from Home Depot (store) a year ago and it was Quad RG6 with soild copper wire, paid $47 for 500 ft.

[FussyBob]

There is a big green checkmark that says 'online only'

Seems to be a popular product if you search Google for the Mfg. p/n.

Some pricing.....

http://www.google.com/products?hl=en&source=hp&q=RG6/UQ/1000B&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=3ajPSuLuJofS8Qb9xtz-Aw&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&ct=title&resnum=4&ved=0CCIQrQQwAw

[dreadlk]

BELDEN 1694a can't be beat.
Expensive but google finds some deals.
You always get what you pay for.
If it's real cheap, THRERE is a reason.

Doctor j

+1 on that, very expensive cable but it boosted my signal by 5 points.

[bobnielsen]

Belden has a very good reputation in the cable field. I've been using it for around 50 years. Commscope isn't bad either (the Directv installer used this for my HD upgrade. For most satellite installations, quad shield is overkill. Use compression connectors, of course.

[peano]

Belden 1694A gets my vote.

[PCampbell]

If you have a local electronics store (not Radio Shack) and they are hard to find nowdays they will sell cable by the foot. I do not know where you are located but we have a place in Westland Michigan that sells RG6 by the foot. I just bought 250 feet.

[CJTE]

If you have a local electronics store (not Radio Shack) and they are hard to find nowdays they will sell cable by the foot. I do not know where you are located but we have a place in Westland Michigan that sells RG6 by the foot. I just bought 250 feet.

Radio Shack "The Shack" is not an electronics store. It's like the 7-11 of Electronics stores.
Here in vegas there probably are a few "specialty" electronics stores but mostly it's Best Buy, Radioshack, and Frys Electronics. CompUSA and Circuit City have closed up. But those aren't the type of stores you're referring to.

The problem is I don't have measurements, and I like to buy things in bulk. I think I'm gonna go with that 1000ft spool for about $90 after shipping that I linked to earlier.

[Herdfan]

Have you looked at an electrical distributor? A quick check finds a Graybar and several others. Wire is heavy and costly to ship. You might want to check locally before ordering.

Graybar carries Belden and if they don't have the one you want, they will usually order it.

[FussyBob]

Radio Shack "The Shack" is not an electronics store. It's like the 7-11 of Electronics stores.
Here in vegas there probably are a few "specialty" electronics stores but mostly it's Best Buy, Radioshack, and Frys Electronics. CompUSA and Circuit City have closed up. But those aren't the type of stores you're referring to.

The problem is I don't have measurements, and I like to buy things in bulk. I think I'm gonna go with that 1000ft spool for about $90 after shipping that I linked to earlier.

That solid copper core, quad shield wire is a great buy and perfect for what you want to use it for.

[CJTE]

Just purchased:
http://www.deepsurplus.com/1000ft-RG6U-60-Shielded-Solid-Copper-Coax-Cable-WT

Cost me about $86. Started thinking I really wish I could find a dual line spool but for 500ft at the same cost... Since my labor is free, I'll just spend the extra time running the additional line.

The superintendent has made me aware that the coax lines currently in the house (there are 3) are run straight from the demarc to the rooms. That means I have to run 1 additional line to the demarc for DirecTV, and one additional line for Cox (Cable Internet).
Then I have to cut and put barrel connectors on the cables that are in place so that I can bring them all down to a central area. I'm much more of a fan of straight runs but since I have a limited time to do all of this, if anything goes haywire I'll have to fix it after the fact, for now, splices will have to suffice (although I definitely plan on cutting the lines through the firechase to length, as I imagine it will be a lot harder to fix those lines than fixing lines to the bedrooms).
So, the RG6 is on its way (from So. Cal, should be here by friday) the CAT6 is in storage ready to go... I'm excited. A little nervous (like I said, I'm getting pinned into a time window). Thankfully I have some construction-competent friends to help me along the way... I'll let y'all know how it turns out.

[doctor j]

http://www.swhowto.com/

Excellent source for many of your questions.
Good luck.
I did my house, 3 stories, 10 rooms some with more than 1 site. Over 2000 ft of Coax and almost as much Cat5e(best at the time).
Several weeks but planning ahead and overdoing has made many "configuration" changes easy.

Doctor j

[AZsatTech]

The only cable that is currently DirecTV approved is Perfect Vision, solid sopper conducter, 60% braid. Pretty much any RG6 that has a solid copper conductor, and is swept tested to 3Ghz will work just fine. Make sure you use the correct connectors and F81 barells.

[CJTE]

I got a couple barrel connectors from an installer (and intend to get a few more).
I got 2 bags of compression ends from an installer (atleast 25 pcs per bag)

The cable arrived today.