How to Test Coaxial Cable: Continuity and Loss Measurement Guide

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@Mary-wk6of 2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much The Smokin Ape! I really enjoy your videos! I will be studying for my Advanced Amateur Radio Certification in September ☺️📻

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

Glad you liked the video Mary, good luck on the test 👍

@Mary-wk6of 2 ай бұрын

@@TheSmokinApeThank you!☺️

@barryzoll9772 2 ай бұрын

Great information Ape. Thanks and 73

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

Thanks Barry 👍

@Swamp-Fox 2 ай бұрын

Great video Ape! I often take for granted that the coax I have on hand will work "good enough" for my application. I really should pay more attention do more testing.

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

The first time I tested a run of 58 and saw the loss I about fell on the floor 😮

@JDHood 2 ай бұрын

You always get good info across with a minimum amount of fluff and that's appreciated! And I noted you had that much loss over about 17 feet of coax. Imagine if it were for a dual-bander at the house that needed 50 or 100 feet to reach the antenna... Yowza! It's like they say, good coax ain't necessarily cheap, and cheap coax ain't necessarily good.

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

Hey JD. Yeah, 100’ would be terrible! Thanks for watching 👍

@MM0OPXFieldRadio 2 ай бұрын

Nice one Ape. Did this the other week but was just lazy and used my Rigexpert.

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

😮 I’m kidding. Thanks for watching Colin 👍

@temporarilyoffline 2 ай бұрын

That's the way we do that!

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

Damn right!

@KO4VNX 2 ай бұрын

Okay, this is useful info! When I QRP, I don't want to lose 1 DB! Going to test my feed lines now!

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

Haha, good luck!

@t.j.speakman7723 2 ай бұрын

Thanks APE, My lawn crew tests all my coax for me. lol

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

Haha, thanks for watching TJS 👍

@BigJohnsHamShack 2 ай бұрын

Ya just don’t miss bud. Awesome video.

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

Thanks Big John 👍

@mj-dd2fb 2 ай бұрын

2:36 Zooms in by moving meter closer to camera .. Love it!

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

Like a boss!

@mj-dd2fb 2 ай бұрын

@@TheSmokinApe 🤣🤣🤣

@DonzLockz 2 ай бұрын

Nice stuff Ape. As an ex sparky, I'd test cables with a megger at 1kv to check insulation resistance. I dont know if those test leads would take 1kv.🤔

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

Howdy Don!

@rongibbs1778 2 ай бұрын

How does the nano vna compare to your using the spectrum analyzer, or can it

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

You can do the same test with the Nano: Unveiling the Truth: Measuring Coax Cable Loss for Ham Radio Beginners kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZnYYaKkg8ypebs

@robertmeyer4744 2 ай бұрын

I figured my spectrum was like yours. Mine not the X but is the plus one. almost the same. Well that RG 58A/U is pretty bad at UHF and would heat up under higher power levels. It will also cut your recieve . Good to test coax that way. They go bad either age of from bending or heating. I got some RG58C/U and has about half that loss. still some loss . but usable under 15 FT UHF . Made for British Military. I got big roll MIL spec Came from London ,England . It is RED and it don't melt when soldering. High temp. Now you can show us a TDR test and use that coax the lawn mower got. will give you the length to the break. I mow my own grass . not hard. Some of them weed wacker line can cut right through coax. The outherthing that hurts coax is driving over it. may not short but makes it loosey . Your test is great for that . Water getting into coax is bad as well. That is why you should test old coax and new before you use it. 73

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

Hey Robert, I agree. Test that coax! Thanks for watching 👍

@metzidis 2 ай бұрын

What feed line is preferred ?

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

It really depends on the length of the run and the frequencies you intend to operate on, there isn’t a “best” for everything.

@carypeaden4147 2 ай бұрын

Could you preform this cable testing with a NanoVNA? I ask because many of us have (or can afford) a NanoVNAs but I think your test equipment is probably more expensive than a NanoVNA.

@hazer72 2 ай бұрын

I was wondering the same thing.

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

You can using an s21 logmag measurement, here is a video: Unveiling the Truth: Measuring Coax Cable Loss for Ham Radio Beginners kzbin.info/www/bejne/pZnYYaKkg8ypebs

@hazer72 2 ай бұрын

@@TheSmokinApe thanks professor Ape!

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching 👍

@Andy-up6li Ай бұрын

Hello. Ape I have a question. What's you take on making jumpers for your meters or antenna switches and so on. I always have used 3 foot jumpers , is there a difference in marking a jumper at a certain wavelength just for using it for a meter or antenna switch. I know if you are making a matching stub you would do the math and make one for that.

@TheSmokinApe Ай бұрын

@@Andy-up6li It’s probably worth pondering but I have always used 3,6 and 9 foot jumpers 🤷

@Andy-up6li Ай бұрын

When i was on the cb ride There was always a thing of nulling your coax. Never really looked in to it.

@halcollins4293 2 ай бұрын

PLug259 SOcket239 Like a wall plug, it has a pin(s) sticking out that the socket receives.

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

It’s the number I always get twisted

@randykitchleburger2780 2 ай бұрын

My SWR starts off good. After a minute or two it raises to 5+. Lmr 240. Water in the cable?? It's not the radio.

@TheSmokinApe 2 ай бұрын

It could be water but something is definitely wrong

@randykitchleburger2780 2 ай бұрын

@@TheSmokinApeI should add that I see a 26 ohm short across shield to core now. I have had this issue before and removed some of each side and resoldered my Pl259. Evidently it didn't help. Eventually it becomes resonant again after some time left alone. It's not the antenna either. I'm just wondering how this happened. It's ultraflex and doubt I've been to too far.