This is the same Larry that says that he has a 150 watt VHF amplifier
to switch in the antenna line if he can't be heard.
Yet he recommends using lossy rg58 cable. Old surplus stuff at that!
When cable ages it does not always do so gracefully. The dielectric
breaks down and the losses can be considerably higher than new cable.

For the amount of work involved and the minimal cost of 100 feet of
RG8 type cable, use the best NEW cable.
RG8 with polyethylene insulation is the way to go unless you have a
size restraint. And forget the aluminum wrap shield stuff. You are
asking for trouble in the marine environment with aluminum.
You do not need "high shielding" for a VHF radio.
Foam insulation is not a good idea on a boat though. The center does
migrate at bends. It is also very difficult to install connectors on
foam cable. The heat from the soldering iron melts the insulation
quickly and lets the center wire move to the side. Sometimes even
shorting it.

Regards
Gary


On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 18:53:08 GMT, Brian Whatcott
wrote:

I recommend checking with suppliers' specifications for cable
construction materials: solid or stranded? solid or foam insulation?
%coverage of shield? Tape wrap? Non-acid outer sheath? before
blindly implementing Larry's recommendation below on choosing
cables. Yes: let's call it a reality check.

Brian W



On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 05:54:58 GMT, (Larry W4CSC) wrote:

... 55' mainmast has a Shakespeare 1/2 wave VHF antenna on top
with about 75' of RG-58A/U military surplus cable///
If I had to start from scratch, and couldn't buy a 500' roll of
surplus RG-58A/U for $10 at my local thrift shop...

I recommend using VERY flexible, and reliable,
Polyethelene-cored, finely stranded center conductor RG-58A/U (not
RG-58/U which has a solid center conductor) for your purpose. All
those fancy loss charts mean nothing when the fancy foam cables are
pulled through a sharp turn, somewhere. Hell, you can wind RG-58A/U
in a hangman's noose and it'll still work great! REALITY CHECK!!