RG6 vs RG59 - How Your Coaxial Cable Impacts Your TV Reception

[@AntennaMan]

🔌 Below is an Amazon list I made with recommended RG6 quad shield cables: www.amazon.com/shop/antennaman?listId=4RBGOO8SD5CC 📡 Do you have still reception problems? Consider an antenna recommendation from me below: 👉 www.antennamanpa.com/antenna-recommendations.html

[@5argetech56]

RG11 is super low loss, correct impedance for TV

[@LuigisonsDojo]

I've watched a lot of your videos, but keep getting the idea that there is something I'm missing. Today I learned something new about cables. Thanks! Is there anywhere that you or a viewer keeps track of your recommendations. I want the best antenna, amp, cable, etc. based on your tests and would prefer to use an affiliate link you have. Thanks again. Wow! I'm blind: www.amazon.com/shop/antennaman?listId=4RBGOO8SD5CC but what about ratings/recommendations for specifics.

[@AntennaMan]

@@LuigisonsDojo If someone wants to see how certain models compare to others they need to watch the videos. Otherwise I do offer custom antenna recommendations on my website based on a user's specific reception scenario.

[@howardlangford8087]

Thanks for the update I did get a lot from it. 👍

[@michaelcorkery1929]

This morning I went to Walmart and bought RG 6 quad shield cable. I had problems with channels after the repack. I connected the cable to my new Antennas Direct 8 bay antenna ( very similar to the Channel Master model). I ordered the antenna from Walmart. VHF and UHF come in great. I live in rural NC, a lot of trees. I went from 27 channels to 37 channels. Thank God.

[@nicklewis604]

"...using the cable that came with the cheap antenna I told you not to buy..." lol, I love that. Never comment but love your channel, great information.

[@kapllanvlora6123]

But they buy it anyway 😅

[@sirmoony5633]

I have heard that Cable Matters is a good brand and they have good RG6 quad-shielded cabes.

[@prtcgv5105]

Folks, Tyler volunteers soo much great information on this subject. I'm a lot more informed today than just a few days ago when I stumbled upon his channel. Please don't forget to 👍 his videos.

[@DavidSmith-rv1bg]

I switched to RG6 cabled quite a few years ago. I was using RG-59 on my outside antenna and I was constantly experiencing scrambling on my channels. I was at Wal Mart and decided not to be cheap and brought the RG6 Dual shield. After this no more scrambling. I think it's time to upgrade to quad shield, since it's been a while since I replaced the coax going to the antenna mounted to my porch. Thank You Tyler for explaining this. It's very helpful.

[@medtarikmes1663]

Defference by 5% of signal quality isn't enough cause to push someone to buy expensive rg6 I have cheap lnb & rg5 cable And my signal is 80% quality signal is 52% some channels scrambling of course I think the signal is poor because my rg5 cable is longer (105 meter) .

[@murderface1312]

I can catch 77 channels but was only able to watch around 40. now I can watch all the channels the RG6 quad Shield really made a difference

[@billmarsden8585]

Agree with you 100%. Many years ago, I replaced two 50 foot runs under the house of RG-59 with RG-6 (I'm sure it was just the double shielded) and it helped a great deal. Recently, I added a Channel Master distribution amplifier at the splitter (inside the house) per one of your recommendations. Now I have zero problems with any of my three TVs.

[@AntennaMan]

I'm glad my videos helped you get better reception. Feel free to give a contribution at one of the links below as I spend a lot of time making the videos and responding to these comments: paypal.me/pools/c/8cwRt7M0g4

[@ParkerHarless]

This is a fantastic video! I knew that RG59 cables didn't bring in antenna signals as well as RG6, but I never realized how YUGE of a difference it makes. Thank you Antenna Man!

[@AK-ky3ou]

I’m in the process of cutting the cord, This has been the best most informative channel for ota tips. Thank you

[@DavidBugea]

Makes a huge difference. I learned that when I cut the cord five years ago, and used some old coax cable I had on hand to make a few runs that the high-quality Dish Network coax didn’t reach. Needless to say, I ended up having to redo that work.

[@MrBOB39]

We all learn from our mistakes.. Learning there is No short cuts.. Doing and using the most high quality equipment among all that is needed.. Thus...works far better....so Too lasts much longer without need of tweaking and or replacement )

[@acme9538]

One of the best dudes on KZbin PERIOD . . . . super cool, funny as hell, and very informative . . . the world needs more people like 'Antenna Man' !!!!

[@mitchellcrowe8545]

I truly do appreciate you taking the time to make these videos. This explanation of the RG 6 double and quad coax cables greatly improved my TVs signal strength on channels I was having a hard time getting to come in clearly. Thank you again!

[@mikemassey7458]

Great. Information and presentation I recently went ota using some of your recommendations and I’m feeding 4 TVs approximately 40miles from towers I recieve 34 channels. And I’m loving it. Thank you 🙏

[@AntennaMan]

I'm glad my videos helped you get better reception. Feel free to give a contribution at one of the links below as I spend a lot of time making the videos and responding to these comments: paypal.me/pools/c/8cwRt7M0g4

[@g00glian0]

Great info! I'm an amateur radio operator and I've been wondering about these cables. I'm fired up now to know this information. Woot! Can't wait to watch more of your videos. Excellent presentation and delivery. Straight to the f'ing point! I love it.

[@qqqqq11111qqqqq]

Once again Tyler you have shown why you’re the Man. Great video. Keep up the good work.

[@stevengoodman3636]

Thank you for your channel. I have two Clearstream antennas. The Eclipse and the 2V (both are used indoors). They both let you change out the cable. The 2V is connected to my computer tuner with a cheapo RG6 cable (connectors on the ends seem weak). The Eclipse is hooked up to my tv in the kitchen with an even cheaper RG59 cable. I switched them both to RG6/U Quad Shielded cables six feet in length each. It improved the reception on both! I'm getting more channels and some weaker ones are coming in stronger and not pixelating. Thank you for this terrific information.

[@AntennaMan]

I'm glad my videos helped you get better reception. Feel free to give a contribution at one of the links below as I spend a lot of time making the videos and responding to these comments: paypal.me/pools/c/8cwRt7M0g4 www.patreon.com/AntennaMan

[@monstrok]

This topic is so important and so little understood by most consumers. Well done. Could you cover methods of getting outside antenna cables into the house?

[@AntennaMan]

Unfortunately I can't due to liability reasons. I already have one lawsuit threatened against me. I don't need another when someone drills in the side of their house and hits an electrical line.

[@collef1136]

Love your comments in every video... the antenna I told you not to buy 😂. Thank you so much. I’m in Canada and researching before shopping. Now I feel more confident! Thanks so very much. I wish you lived here. I’d call you for my install

[@jstreutker]

Hi. Please consider releasing more videos on the topic of how badly such a cable will age over time, especially outside (my antenna lead is 50 feet long because it's on a 40-ft tower and we've had it for 25 years). My reception is fantastic, but I always like to consider squeezing out more performance. Also, I'd like to learn how to install cable connectors onto RG-6 cable myself. I know that's more technical than your normal video, but I'm sure there'd be more people interested. Thanks.

[@gregoryfaulkner5345]

Wow. Only Tyler puts out videos like this one. Very enlightening. Most fringe OTA viewers like me have known for many years that quad shield RG-6, and, in some cases RG-11 outside upstream of a pre amps are the recommended cables, but now we know just what a difference cable choices make in a direct comparison real time. In my situation, just that small improvement from dual to quad shield could be the difference between reliably receiving 5 signals or 8. I've got a short piece of RG-59 currently that I had to employ when I incorporated a splitter, because for some reason I've got about a dozen sections of RG-59 and no RG-6 for spare sections of cable. The split has hurt reliability of two of my signals. I've got plenty of quad shield under my house but have yet to get a compression/cutting tool. I can't find anything locally so I'm going to have to break down and order something online. I'm wondering how much of my current degradation can be helped by swapping that 3' section of RG-59 for a 1' section of RG-6 quad shield?

[@w8lifter1]

I replaced the rg59 with 300 ohm polyfoam flat lead.A considerable improvement.0.9 db loss for every 100 feet at 500 mhz and a good imp match at the antenna.

[@abrundag]

Well you explained why the TV in my kitchen keeps breaking up (guess what it was plugged into) and answered the questions I didn't even ask (where to get cables). Hope there's something in it for you if I order it off that site. Gonna give the RG6 Quad shield a try. You rock!

[@abrundag]

Question for ya. Do you recommend using cables with the ends already attached even if the excess length needs to be coiled up, or getting the tools and ends and cutting them to size?

[@AntennaMan]

It's better to use tools and shorten them rather than have excess cable.

[@abrundag]

@@AntennaMan Eagerly awaiting your next video on what tools to use and how to do it!

[@bullwhipjesus]

I actually use rg11 triple shielded on my setup, works perfectly rain or shine everytime! This paired with a TiVo Bolt OTA, I'll never go back to cable TV again.

[@mikecarter4572]

I have the Tivo bolt ota too. Best thing since slice bread. Wouldn't take a new Chevy for it

[@MrKevinkendall61]

I changed the cable and gained 5 more channels thanks man

[@digitalmediafan]

You’ve answered my question I ask a few weeks ago. Just bought some here in the UK. I am expecting wondrous reception now. Thanks

[@BruceMallett]

Thank you for this, ordered the Quad shield from your link and finished installing it an hour ago. I never thought about the cable and this gave me a good improvement in signal.

[@AntennaMan]

I'm glad my videos helped you get better reception. Feel free to give a contribution at one of the links below as I spend a lot of time making the videos and responding to these comments: paypal.me/pools/c/8cwRt7M0g4 www.patreon.com/AntennaMan

[@dpratt1949]

Went from 29 to 39 channels with the proper coax! Thank you antenna man!

[@bobh.4580]

Hey Tyler as I watch your videos I'm learning more and more. This new ATSC 3.0 sounds like it's going to do a lot more than I thought. I can't wait.

[@4gauge10]

I use Andrew 1/2"inch with Andrew step down fittings Tyler.Ungodly expensive,but this is military grade coaxial cable.The loss is about 1 db at 100 feet on my custom built 22'foot UHF monoband antenna.

[@v73c]

Well done. The numbers don't lie. Thank you for showing the real world differences.

[@Craig1967]

For an even more dramatic demonstration, use an RF channel that is high up in the UHF band rather than VHF. The losses are much higher as you go up in frequency.

[@catherinealred7532]

Thank you! Quad shield rg6 took me from 4 channels with pixilation to 9 stations coming in strong!

[@AntennaMan]

Thanks for checking in. I'm glad my videos helped you get better reception. Feel free to give a contribution at the link below as I spend A LOT of time making the videos and responding to these comments: antennamanpa.com/support.html

[@genesky61]

Truth and Quality. Practical and Useful Information. The RG of example RG-6 coax. RG is short for Radio Guide. A military designation from the 1930's. The coax or antenna wire , guides the signal from the antenna to the receiver. Concerning the connectors on the ends of coax. The fine thread of the connectors is what was used in those days. From then to now the connector thread was to be changed to a more course thread for ease of screwing on the connector and removing. However each attempt did not catch on , so now is still the fine thread.-

[@genesky61]

Truth and Quality. Practical and Useful Information. Ok , about triple and quad shield coax , requires more preparation and finesse to put on the connectors. If done in a haphazard manner , you will not like the results.

[@brianpercival1829]

That was an eye opener. I will replace the cables down the road when I can afford new cables.

[@MrBOB39]

Also... The type of F connectors you use.. As well as how you crimp them on is importent as well. Both in making your own or buying pre made ones

[@XMguy]

Very interesting. I knew RG-59 was crap. I didn’t expect such improvement with quad shielding. I use cable tv (provider) quality cable. So it’s usually standard RG-6. I might have to invest in quad shielded since my run from antenna to amp is about 100FT.

[@MrBOB39]

Then instead of RG 6...use RG 11 rg 6 is only marginally ok for 100 plus feet... Of course RG 11 is both more expensive.. Plus harder to work with ( doesn't bend as easily ) And the RG 11 connectors are expensive and large as well However Quad Shilded RG 11 indeed works quite well. I have been using RG 11 for 25 plus years

[@AntennaMan]

I agree if you are going 100 feet depending on how weak your stations are with might be worth trying RG11.

[@XMguy]

Antenna Man I’m 75 miles from Nashville TN. The signals are 2 EDGE. Antenna is CM3020, Height is 15’. I am assuming this won’t bring in non existent channels I don’t get now, just stabilize what I get now?

[@ParkerHarless]

@@XMguy I'm also in Nashville, but I'm about 5-10 miles from the Big 4 station transmitters.

[@robh5409]

@@XMguy If you are already using RG6, then I'd say no. Maybe try to get that antenna higher if possible. I'm out in Paris(38242) and Nashville locals are completely out of reach for me, so I'm limited to the Jackson locals.

[@texasgonzo67]

I started in commercial broadcasting in 1983, and always hung out as much as possible with the engineer (a REAL ONE) that designed and built the stations. Even with decades of obtwining knowledge messing with CB's, Ham, Sat and OTA TV, I never knew the differences were THIS dramatic among coax types. I'm obviously having signal hell or I wouldn't be here. After watching this, I feel really stupid having both RG6 AND RG59 in my cable run. Different velocity factors definitely affect transmitters and SWR readings... seems it'll totally screw with TV signals as well! Off to replace my run with quad RG6 Sat cable (with the external ground lead). Thanks PA Antenna Man!!! (Married a Burgh'r myself btw).

[@nighthawkvc25a]

Thank you, Tyler, for finally covering this topic 😁

[@lenovovo]

Thanks Tyler for educating me on the cable differences. I have only been using the plain white cable and now I know why I have been getting the reception that I have always questioned. Tyler, you are a brain. :-) Oh yeah, I hope that you have a very happy Valentines Day! Don't eat to much chocolate now. :-) -Mel

[@chrisgraham2904]

The white coaxial cable is only suitable for indoor use and not approved for anywhere hidden inside the walls. The back cable is protected from deterioration form UV light.

[@bernie-be]

There ppl who know how to do their job !! And then is this guy who tell tho other ppl how to do it !!! Hands down my friend !! I have no idea what are u talking about but I’m watch the entire video !

[@alcornelisse9107]

I am about to use RG6 quad Shield Been using rg59 since day one of the digital takeover after watching Taylor the antenna man I will be back to post my results I'm so excited about see the difference took since 2007 to get this far I am about to step into the 21st century wish me luck

[@genesky61]

Truth and Quality. Practical and Useful Information. Many years ago there was no RG-6 coax cable. Only RG-59 and RG-11. RG-59 is thin and flimsy. RG-11 is thick and more stiff. So as a compromise RG-6 is in between RG-59 and RG-11. Some wonder where the term RG came from. RG is short for , Radio Guide , Military designation of the 1930's. A Guide , guides and transfers the signal from the antenna to the receiver. Concerning the signal transfer situation RG-11 is better then RG-59 or RG-6.

[@allenshepard7992]

Thanks for the video and the side picture of the three cables.

[@tel1jla]

Thanks for the tip! I replaced the coaxial cable that came with the Mohu Supreme antenna with RG6 quad shield from Phat Satellite. Now the weak channels are coming in fine.

[@AntennaMan]

Thanks for checking in. I'm glad my videos helped you get better reception. Feel free to give a contribution at one of the links below as I spend a lot of time making the videos and responding to these comments: paypal.me/pools/c/8cwRt7M0g4 www.patreon.com/AntennaMan

[@pamn9954]

I tried it on mine and got the RG6 and tried it with my old antenna and wow it sure made a better pic no pixeling and even more stations !!!! Can't wait to get my new antenna up !!!! I finally found a way to get it up 30' high on my tower my tree trimmer guy said he would put it up with in 10 days !!!!!!

[@cdelucamobile]

Great video Tyler! I had no idea the cables can make a huge difference in picture quality. Thank you!

[@raymondmartin6737]

I too learned this as an amateur radio operator, such as LMR-400, RG-8U, RG-8X, and RG-58, which are mainly 50 Ohm cables for antenna matching. I think most cable for TV antennas such as RG-6 match at 75 ohms. Also the inner insulation over the inner core wire, solid or stranded, is made of different materials such as foam.

[@writerpatrick]

I remember when RG58 was used for TV, although I didn't realize it at the time. The RG59 was an improvement.

[@MrBOB39]

LMR 400 is a minimal needed coax feedline for typical cb.... I use Andrew's Heliax 7/8 inch for cb..and 2 & 7/8 inch feedling for ham radio HF/VHF/UHF coax feedline

[@lanceb940]

Thanks, I’ll be upgrading soon to quad shield

[@cantinasongband]

Never change, Antenna Man. Never change.

[@CraigFogus]

I only use RG6 quad shield pure copper cable. That being said, not all RG6 dual shielded and RG6 quad shielded cables use pure copper. It's sometimes hard to find the pure copper cable. It's always more expensive but worth it. It's the same thing with cat 5, 6, and 7 ethernet cable. Great video as always!

[@medtarikmes1663]

How i find rg6 pure copper And how is the price by meter

[@richardbrobeck2384]

for sure I have been running a tv and radio repair and sale business that was started in 1940s I took it over in the mid 80s

[@boris9331]

100's Thousands of places wired up with copper clad steel RG6 around the world. Do the measurements using a signal meter showing power and MER/BER levels, loss difference is negligible in your common run.

[@CraigFogus]

@@boris9331 I didn't say anything about signal loss as to why I prefer pure copper. The main reason is corrosion. That thin copper coating is easily nicked. Once nicked, the inner steal will begin to corrode. This is especially apparent outdoors. Eventually, it will corrode enough for total signal loss when the conductor breaks off or simply disintegrates. The amount of time troubleshooting this greatly outweighs the cost difference. Been there. Done that.

[@jorgetoloza269]

Bro these videos keep getting better n better....thank u...my reception is crystal clear....

[@charlesdahmital8095]

I was given a cheap 9$ antenna. It had the thinnest 3' cable I have ever seen. Received 3 good and 3 iffy channels out of 21 sitting next to the TV. Took apart the unit, the cable was soldered to a board. I replaced the cable with a 10' length of rg6ds I had. Cut off one of the ends and soldered that to the board. I now have 20 out of the 21 channels with antenna sitting just over the TV in the attic.

[@politicaloptics]

Thanks, You!!! I have been using the ClearStream Eclipse for OTA. It's OK. More important, after watching this video. I realized using their supplied cable isn't a good idea. I have a box of cables from my past iteration. Took your lead, switched out their cable. I am now able to pick up VHF channel ABC 7 in NYC. PBS 13 VHF isn't working. This is a luxury problem because PBS 21 is on the UHF band. Thank you for your hard work, knowledge, and enthusiasm. WIth your help, it's been a productive few hours, and I can continue to use the ClearStream Eclipse.

[@AntennaMan]

I'm glad my videos helped you get better reception. Feel free to give a contribution at the link below as I spend A LOT of time making the videos and responding to these comments: antennamanpa.com/support.html

[@burdesh]

Nice work Antenna Man! Best overview on coax cables I've seen yet! Appreciate your instruction. Thank you!

[@Fender178]

You got that right about Coaxial type mattering because we had an RG6 cabling when we first setup our Digital antenna and it worked fine for that even through the older OTA DVR that we have setup before and this is even before we raised our antenna and setup our antenna properly and also before we setup our Tablo OTA DVR. Once we had it setup properly and have our Tablo setup and working and still using RG6 quad shielded cable the channel BUZZR had 3 dots then we upgraded to RG11 and man that version of coaxial cable was so difficult to work with because of how thick it is but the end results were worth it because it gave a huge boost to our signal strength like no body's business. However we didn't ground it right away which I believe caused issues earlier in the week because of the hot weather and high pressure Buzzr was lost completely but came back after a few rescans but once it was grounded it has been solid but the weather pattern changed however and due to that further testing is required but I do believe currently that it is solid. However the downfall of RG11 cable is that is more expensive than RG6 cabling. So I only recommend that type of cabling for users who are having severe signal issues and have patience and money to do work with that cable type.

[@Haroldnca]

Looks like the RG59 is perfect for watching the 700 Club.

[@KeepEvery1Guessing]

First, yes, cable quality makes a world of difference. And the longer the cable, the bigger the difference. A particular type of coax has a loss of signal strength per unit length. Usually specs are given per 100 ft. If you have a cable that reduces the signal by half for 100 ft, then with 200 ft you will only get 1/4 of your signal. But loss is also frequency dependent. A loss that you wouldn't notice at RF channel 2 can be a killer at UHF. (Loss is always worse at a higher frequency. Yes, it's good to get the antenna higher (as a rule of thumb), but that also means longer cable, and you have to run the numbers for the trade off. You can make up for cable loss with an amplifier but it is best to put the amplifier close to the antenna, where the fraction of signal + noise represented by the amplifier's noise (they all have it) is smaller, because the signal is larger. If you are close to some strong signal sources (even some non-TV signal sources), the amplifier may not help (may "block" on the strong signals - a "trap" may help), so you must evaluate each situation (hire an antenna man). Also beware that better cable is fatter and less flexible in general, and doesn't take kindly to sharp bends. And seal the outdoor connections well - coax with moisture inside will have much more loss - and electrical tape isn't going to cut it. Now to some points of disagreement. The copper clad steel center conductor is not a problem in this application. Even we Hams don't worry about it until we get below 10 MHz. "Skin effect" is the tendency of RF to flow on the outside surface of the wire. This is because conductors shield things from RF (that's one reason why we want shields on coax in the first place). And the surface copper shields the steel core from RF. The higher the frequency, the shallower the penetration. So it doesn't matter that the steel isn't very conductive. What does matter is the smaller diameter, because for a given skin depth, the cross sectional area of the conducting path increases with diameter, at that reduces the resistance that the signal faces. But to keep the same 75 ohm impedance, if you make the center conductor bigger (and keep the same kind of dielectric), you have to increase the inside diameter of the shield. Part of why the better cables are bigger. Also, quad shield may have advantages mechanically and for lightning (nearby, not direct) protection, it is the foil layer that does the lion's share of the shielding. Skin effect applies here too so the signal if flowing through the inner surface of the shield, skin depth thick. The reason that we get away with aluminum here rather than copper (or better yet, silver) is that the skin depth times the (inner) circumference of the foil gives an area so much bigger than the conductive area of the center conductor than, even when degrading it for the lower conductivity of aluminum, this resistance is still a drop in the bucket. The dielectric used makes a difference, but there are trade offs of durability and flexibility as well as loss. The key, at least for TV, is loss per 100 ft (or other reference distance, I don't know what they use in metric countries), taken together with durability. The shelf card at your big box store isn't going to help you with that. Hire an antenna man.

[@writerpatrick]

You can use electrical tape to seal, but you have to heat/burn it to melt it a bit.

[@MrBOB39]

You Know Quite a bit more then 99% of the Population. What you spoke of goes way over the heads of Most..lol But yes.. If one Truly wants to do as Best as they can.. Hire an Antenna man ( or I will say an Antenna Nerd.. but more Specifically an Ham Radio antenna Expert-Nerd ) I have been using RG 11 coax for 25 plus years.. I use Andrew's Heliax 7/8 inch feedline for CB.. I use Andrew's Heliax 2 & 7/8 inch feedline for HF/VHF/UHF ham radio use

[@devilsatan2973]

@@MrBOB39 I would offer that a large portion of the population are not the brightest anyway! So most things(tech AND otherwise) go over their heads sadly. Hope to hear ya on the bands sometime! 73 de kd7cjo

[@YasirUddin07]

Thank You dude I Just ordered an rg6 Quad Sheild Cable, Hope it gives an improvment to my terrible reception Keep up the good work :D

[@tubefreeeasy]

I’ve purchased pure silver core coaxial cable to use on my tv cable box and modem. I’m sure it’s helped the visual and audio clarity I get to soak in.

[@irpat54]

thanks tons, I never even gave coaxial cable type a thought, but what you showed makes tons of sense...

[@riverraisin1]

Same here. I salvaged the old Directv white coax when I dumped them. I used it for my OTA antenna on my roof, but I lose half the channels when the leaves grow out on the trees in summer. I'm going to switch and see if it helps.

[@richardcallihan9746]

Very informative. Very well presented analytically and visually, well done. Also informative for cable/sat. installations. And building with outdated cable runs with RG59 that wasn't even meant to have the current higher frequency signals running thru them. I haven't watched all of your videos yet but would like you to comment on those twist-on type F connectors that all but and do completely sever the braided sheild connection. If you have ever taken one of these connectors back apart you would see the threads just shears off the braid at the cable jacket stop point. I'm also very conscious of not compromising the braid when prep stripping cable for compression crimpers, which requires finesse, diligence, practice, not to nick or score the braiding however, you strip the cable.

[@richardhaas39]

45 years ago, in the military maintaining an antenna array of about 200 quarter-wave antennas where all of the signal paths had to be identical as much as possible we compared cable runs with a Hewlett Packard time domain reflectometer. It let you look at the cable as the signal would see it, i.e. is the connection so inductive that it causes reflection, etc. It is overkill for someone installing one cable once but if it is your day to day job there are reflectometers for sale on Ebay.

[@johnd942]

Great presentation! Well done.

[@Robert-sl7jo]

RG6 Quad Shield Cable with a copper coated steel (CCS) center conductor works perfectly fine with an indoor amplifier because TV frequencies tend to travel on the outside of the cable, called the 'skin effect'. However when using a preamp the center conductor should be solid copper from the power inserter to the preamp as the cable is carrying voltage as well as TV frequencies and copper is better than steel at conducting electricity. Last year my Channel Master CM-7778 preamp and inserter burnt out in 6 Months using CCS coax, I didn't realize this fact. The CCS coax currently is running from the CM-4228HD antenna to the CM-3414 indoor amp and signals couldn't be better. Also, solid copper is twice the price of CCS and both cables are usually sold in rolls of 1000 feet.

[@laurencek.1580]

Thanks for the info and review Tyler. Now I have to double check my coax line. I think you could’ve made it more interesting if you added a RG-11 line into the review.

[@MrBOB39]

I have been using RG 11 for 25 plus years

[@BlainsTube]

I'm with you... add RG-11 into the mix. I understand it's thicker & stiffer, most people can't/won't use it, but seeing the results would be very informative.

[@1noryb]

Might be interesting to add twinlead and 600 ohm ladderlead with tuned baluns to the mix.

[@genesky61]

Truth and Quality. Practical and Useful Information. There is something about the word >> Quad

[@fevengr9245]

Well, I just added a new item to my to-do list. Good info! Thanks Tyler

[@bullwhipjesus]

If you are really serious look into rg11 cable it's commercial grade designed for runs 500'. It maybe overkill but you won't have any issues due to the cable. You can find it on Amazon/eBay.

[@tecunumantonatiu4484]

All this time I didn't know there were different kinds of coaxial cables Great tutorial. THKS...

[@dannyshortwave]

Great video. Excellent presentation. Thank you Tyler.

[@MrMikey1273]

I'm glad i used quad shield cable. I'm still using preamp because my cable run is probably over 50 feet from above the 3rd story to the 1st floor.

[@druliefw]

I was surprised at the difference in as little as 25 feet between the RG59 and the RG6.

[@druliefw]

@Fact Checker good point

[@genesky61]

Truth and Quality. Practical and Useful Information. Very good comparison RG-59 , RG-6. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Moving on up to a even better coax is , RG-11 coax , has less loss and better signal transfer. Solid copper center wire is better then copper covered steel. Mainly because copper is better at conducting the low DC voltage that preamplifiers use. And same situation , Quad shield is better then Dual shield. However know this qualifier , Quad shield is really used in high noise environments , electrical , electronic , in a situation of alot of lightning strikes all the time. Mostly dual shied will do fine for every day normal situations. And yes you can use quad shied every where , it's Ok , won't hurt any thing. The situation with quad shield is requires more careful preparation when installing the connectors on to the coax. Doing it in any way , haphazard , will not work out to well. Well you will understand when you do it. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Cooper covered steel center wire is used by Cable Tv because the steel center wire is stronger , Cable Tv has long spans of over head coax to the house / building , so the coax is required to be strong.

[@MrBOB39]

Well put.. Few understand that though.. Even fewer Appriciate the Better Quality afforded by RG 11 ( or willing to pay for such better quality ) but I have been using RG 11 for 25 plus years

[@genesky61]

Truth and Quality. Practical and Useful Information. Willing to pay for?? Come on now don't scare the Humans. The RG-11 is not that much more , not a break the bank item. In the over all situation it,s only a few dollars. Here in the USA we all through away dollars every day. That above said. RG-11 , dual or quad shield is good for long runs of coax like say around - 75 - 100 feet and more distance. For short jumpers like , 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , feet and such the RG-11 is a bit stiff and not that flexible. So I use RG-6 dual or quad shied for some what short run situations. You can evaluate the situations for your self. But to make a point , do not insist on using RG-11 for 1 foot jumpers. So why do I say this ?? , because I am 70 years old and I know the Humans , they can become obessed and a little crazy and go off the deep end. And also to make a point that most every one should know by now. Only use Compression Type Connectors on the ends of coax for coax that is used outside. Not the old type crimp type connectors.

[@mazzerb2894]

Just learning bout TV aerials and wanting to extend my coaxial cable so can have a TV in my bedroom too x

[@jon_puhalski60]

The dual shield cable looked like it had water damage, the center conductor seem to have some black on it. That's probably a more likely cause to losing that much signal over 25'. But good vid keep them coming

[@georgemcnair3647]

I started in the 300 ohm days. Back when I installed my antenna in Portland, I initially did not understand the difference. I had to learn the lesson the hard way. Note: I learned my antenna craft from my grandpa, he was an amazing individual. Unfortunately, his knowledge did not extend past the 70's.

[@TSemasFl]

Basically it's the resistance of the center conductor. The shields are supposed to be grounded. Shielded cable is to protect from outside eddy interference, but if the cable is not going to be run along side like 120VAC, then using shielded cable shouldn't matter. But the shield cannot do it's job if it isn't grounded, to a ground. So back to the center conductor. The conductor with the least amount of resistance will give you the best signal to your tv. This is where your multimeter will come in handy.

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

I noticed that even a four foot section of the wrong coax in series with RG6 can significantly lower your signal strength. Thanks for showing your test results.

[@GrantsPassTVRepair]

@Fact Checker Not necessarily. The coax I used did not have any shorts or opens., It must have been an impedance mismatch for the frequencies I was trying to pass through it.

[@jcxme]

Thank you, thank you and thank you for your time to educate us in this matter.

[@kspan17]

Great video. Thank you for all that you do to help keep us informed.

[@georgebaker8108]

thank you i have 3 lengths of rg59 cable and been complaining about signal lose. now i have to buy new cables and i will see better tv. problem is i don't watch much tv so it will have to be when i have other problems.

[@SpeakerBuilder]

Bu;yer beware. I purchased and installed a quad shield RG6 cable to replace the very old RG6U cable that I have been using (its a few decades old), this to improve the signal and eliminate ghosting I have been getting. The new cable resulted in loss of half of the channels I was receiving, and putting the old cable back I got all my channels back. Amazing that a new RG6 quad shield cable hardly worked at all. Just because a cable is labeled quad shield does not mean it is any good. What an amazing difference the cable quality makes.

[@brodiegamboa8092]

I never liked using RG59 cables, they're terrible, always have been using RG6 cables in order to get better reception. But with different types of RG6 cables, sometimes it can still be a difficult choice for average consumers because the packages don't really compare or clarify how reliable these cables are compared to others. (They ALL say you'll get better reception with these cables.) This video is a real clear comparison between these cables. I'll definitely keep this in mind when getting new cables. Great video, and very helpful, keep up the good work!

[@trackstumper8333]

Great video Antenna Man. You know your stuff. Made me way more aware for our TV stuff. Thank you

[@geowidman]

Great video, and thanks! Typo in top notes: "You have what I'd consider a junk RG6 cable, RG6 dual shield, and RG6 quad shield." Should be "You have what I'd consider a junk RG59 cable, RG6 dual shield, and RG6 quad shield."

[@AntennaMan]

Thanks for the heads up.

[@CopCat34]

Great video on explaining the importance TV antenna cables. Keep those videos coming.

[@blasterbattles4066]

THANK YOU!! This greatly improved my reception!!!

[@AntennaMan]

I'm glad my videos helped you get better reception. Feel free to give a contribution at one of the links below as I spend a lot of time making the videos and responding to these comments: paypal.me/pools/c/8cwRt7M0g4 www.patreon.com/AntennaMan

[@motherbug2001]

I always learn something from you Tyler...thx YOURE THE BEST!!!😎

[@Greg-et2dp]

Antenna man your utube videos are awesome my friend

[@aaronsollman]

So this is what Michael Cera's been up to since Superbad. Nice.

[@ElevatorWasher5000]

I just changed the cable on my tv antenna and now all the channels pretty much come in well but the downside is I have to adjust the cable since it pulls on my antenna

[@dice12tx]

Damn! Great video! I'm heading out now to re-wire my antenna....... :-0

[@RobertEmery]

I got lucky... found this video today, but I replaced my antenna cable yesterday... with RG-6. 👍

[@bazil4146]

I have those generic flat antennas that you told me not to buy but I bought it anyway (to be fair I bought it before I discovered your channel). The cable so thin and sensitive. The way I laid the cables on the floor can make a difference between gaining CBS and not gaining CBS, even if the antenna is in the same place.

[@3029dz]

I am using RG11 for main runs to improve signal over RG6. :)

[@WPGinterceptor460Interceptor]

RG11 is an underground cable..im using Beldon 1694A

[@uniblab2006]

Most informative demo. Excellent job. Thank you.

[@1ronhall]

Excellent advice and counsel, Tyler!!

[@mikekennedy3173]

Great tutorial.. I just recently asked this question, but you have explained it very well. I have a Klein tool that does RJ 45 I am thinking it has a coax crimp tool on it? Thanks again for your explanation.

[@fionafifi7029]

Oh man I'm glad i have these videos to watch but it's like i gotta take college courses to pick an antenna that's right for me lol. Just a funny thought I had

[@joemartin6439]

I am at 34223 Florida . In Polynesian Village one mile from Gulf of Mexico. Many miles fromFort Myer and Tampa towers. In a month QXC will have marvelous TV a and Internet. 1 have tried two antennas and 100’ quad coax shield cable . Can get any channels on my LG flat screen dump tv 58”. Thanks for your insight

[@allanpatterson7653]

Then there is RG11 The best preamp I made out of a tuner from a VCR in a heated enclousure. Rather than using a broadband amp the tuner focused on one frequency and transmitted it at a lower frequency resulting in lower cable loss. This allowed me to put the antenna up very high and run a long cable. Hetrodyne the frequency back up to something usefull and it worked pretty good. More work than I would usually bother but it was a project.

[@bnaivar]

Tyler: While you are correct about using RG-6 Quad shield cable, it doesn't have to be a solid copper center conductor to get good signal. Like AC voltage, RF signals travel on the outer skin of a conductor, so copper cladding works just as well as solid copper. ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_effect ) If you are powering a preamp with DC voltage, then yes you are correct. DC travels down the center of the conductor and solid copper would be better. When I bought my house, the building contractor had wired all of the TV outlets with 40% shielded RG-59. I used it as a pull string to replace it with RG-6 Quad. :)

[@georgebaker8108]

Thank you it will help me a lot. my local action has 50ft cable for cheap so i will buy two. i will have to put connectors on one so i will look at your cable end installation thanks

[@AntennaMan]

I am not a yes man. I provide an independent analysis of antennas even if it's sponsored. Numbers don't lie, I can't fake how the antenna brings in the channels on the signal meter. Despite the fact this antenna has no affiliate program, I still recommend it a lot because it works very well for the VHF band. If you think otherwise, good luck cutting the cord on your own.

[@Nicholas_Chris]

RG59 is a disaster. Even back in the analog TV days, the RG6 provided better picture than RG59. I tested RG59 cable, combining OTA TV and Satellite TV with diplexers. OTA TV had acceptable signal but satellite TV was a disaster. Most of the satellite channels were breaking up. Even with a SAT amplifier RG59 still was a disaster. Meanwhile the RG6 dual and quad shield didn't had any problems. The tri shield especially quad shield has better signal strength than the dual shield. I recommend a quad shield RG6 cable for long distance. As for cable TV with the RG59 most of the UHF channel either had pixels or had no picture at all. Only RG6 is working fine. RG59 is mostly used for RCA or component cable. The video explains very well the differences between these two cables.