5 Different Types of Coax Cable Explained

Coax cable or coaxial cable is a kind of heavy, durable cable used for various types of residential and commercial installations. Coaxial cable is most familiar to many consumers as the conduit that carries cable television signals into homes and businesses.

Coaxial cable has an inner cable surrounded by an insulating agent, generally light plastic. A thin metal shield surrounds the insulator, with another insulating and guard layer around the shield. Coaxial cable is flexible and can run through many different types of spaces to deliver quality digital signals.

Types of Coaxial Cable

Coaxial cable can carry digital signals for the internet and other new technology as well as cable television. Some different types of coaxial cable have different uses in a residential or commercial project.

• Hard Line Coaxial Cable - Hard line cable is often used for high signal strength applications, for example, in radio transmitters or other devices. Hard line is typically up to or more than half an inch thick. Those who need hard line for heavy duty signal transmission can find it in a variety of popular brands where manufacturers produce this kind of coaxial cable for specialized kinds of installations, with specific properties and capacity.
• RG6 Coaxial Cable - RG6 coaxial cable is one of the most familiar kinds of cable used for relaying cable TV and other signals. RG stands for “radio guide” and references the capacity of the cable. However, as consumer advocates have pointed out, an RG rating does not often accurately indicate the overall quality of the cable or the materials that it is made with. Since RG6 provides for High Definition signals, techs from cable companies are replacing a lot of RG5 cable with RG6 in the homes of clients. As the current standard, RG6 is a desirable cable rating for today’s home and commercial entertainment systems. RG6 comes in several varieties, some of which have more waterproofing for underwater or moisture prone areas of installation.
• Semi-Rigid Coaxial Cable - This type of coaxial cable has a harder shielding metal, and is less flexible and less versatile for installation. It may be useful in situations where cable does not have to snake around various obstacles.
• Tri-axial Cable - This kind of extra strength cable has additional shield layer to discourage electromagnetic interference. This can be helpful in areas where the cable may be vulnerable to high strength electromagnetic forces.
• Twin-Axial Cable - This paired cable represents another alternative to conventional coaxial cable for a number of different types of installations.

Those dealing with coaxial cable applications must guard against “leakage” where problems with the cable cause signal strength to deteriorate and leak into the surrounding area. Cable leaks are something that cable companies pay attention to within the public system of coaxial cabling that takes cable TV signals to individual clients.

Knowing about different kinds of coaxial cable can help homeowners and others make choices about how to install cabling in their homes or in small business setups. Some issues with quality of cabling can make a difference in the effectiveness of locally installed cabled technology.