At KC1XX we also have a 1500-foot feedline run to one of our lowband receiving antennas. We use RG-6 with copper clad steel center conductor, but we install a preamp right at the antenna to compensate for feedline loss and some passive splitting losses at the station. A potential downside of a preamp is degradation in dynamic range in a strong signal environment, so you have to choose the preamp carefully. We have had very good results with some very high dynamic range preamps from Clifton Laboratories (http://cliftonlaboratories.com/current_products.htm). Incidentally I have also measured RG-6 feedline loss numbers that are virtually identical to what Frank has reported.
73, John W1FV -----Original Message----- From: Topband [mailto:topband-boun...@contesting.com] On Behalf Of donov...@starpower.net Sent: Thursday, January 24, 2013 12:11 PM To: topband@contesting.com Cc: Doug Renwick Subject: Re: Topband: Measured RG-6 Loss: Solid Copper vs. Copper Clad center conductor Hi Doug, Quad shielded RG-6 with a copper clad steel center conductor is an excellent choice on 160 and 80 meters as long as the cable lengths aren't very long. Outdoor rated quad shielded CCS RG-6 is more readily available at low prices (typically less than 10 cents per foot) than solid copper center conductor RG-6. RG-6 with a CCS center conductor is a poor choice for the 1500 foot transmission lines to my 160 and 80 meter receiving antennas. I wouldn't hesitate to use CCS RG-6 if my cable lengths were less than 500 feet. 73 Frank W3LPL _________________ Topband Reflector
