[brj]

At various points, my house has had coax run for antenna, cable and satellite.  I was up in my attic yesterday looking at the mess of random runs all over the place, and I'm getting dangerously close to rerunning everything in an organized fashion.  With that in mind...

1) Is RG-6 coax good for antenna, cable and satellite?

2) Is there anything to look for in coax?  For example, does single vs. double shielded really matter?  Any particular brand recommendations?  Are there different grades?

3) Are there brands or models of F connectors and splitters that are considered superior?  (I've had problems in the past with splitters, even so-called shielded ones, acting as antennas.)

4) Does anyone have a recommendation for a good coax cable stripper?  I've got a cheap one around somewhere, but I'd just as soon replace it with something less frustrating and more effective.

Thanks for any advice!

[ctviggen]

I've used simple RG-6 and never had a problem, particularly with satellite signals.  However, RG-11 is better for longer runs (better impedance/foot)and the shielding could help for congested areas.  I bought tools from Radio Shack -- they make an adjustable stripper, and you need a nice crimper to do any of these projects.  I think Home Depot has similar tools. Use weather proof connections outside.  While supposedly there are good splitters, I'd just use the fewest of them as possible (note that splitters typically don't work with satellite).  Make sure everything is properly grounded to the correct spot.  As much as possible, have one entry point and run independent wires to that point.   I've installed satellite systems on two different houses and would install another in my current house, if I didn't have huge trees blocking the signal.

[timkeeler]

To add to Bob's advice, I recently rewired my whole house and definitely noticed an improvement in signal quality (digital cable).  My house previously had a random mix of cheap coax.  Some of it didn't even have a solid copper core!  

I used Belden 1694a coax with Canare FP-C53 F Connectors and also made some component video cables with the same coax and Canare RCAP-C53 RCA Connectors.  I used a Paladin 8000 crimper with 2649 die (Paladin 8003 as a set).  Not a perfect fit on the outer crimp sleeves (a little too small) but good enough (especially if covered with heatshrink or a rubber boot) and much cheaper than the Canare crimper and die.  

I bought all my supplies at Westlake Electronic at very competetive prices:
http://www.westlake-electronic.com

I used a cheap Radioshack coax stripper along with a razor blade to carefully cut the coax jacket, shield, and dialectric to the proper lengths.  The Canare stripper would have been more convenient and less time consuming.  Also make sure to get a good coax cable cutter like the one from Paladin so you don't over compress the dialectric.

For the splitter, use one with at least 1000 MHz bandwidth and as few outputs as possible.  I picked one up at Home Depot for about $6 that is made to use with a satellite setup that is working well for me.

Additional info:
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/cables/messages/96817.html
http://www.bus.ucf.edu/cwhite/theater/diycable.htm
http://www.geocities.com/teddrain/diy_cables/index.html

[brj]

Thanks for the comments so far - much appreciated!

Wow... now that I've started some Google searches based on your comments, it appears that I opened a larger can of worms for myself than I was expecting.  I'm sure that all of the offerings are quite good, but I still wasn't expect so many options!

On the RG6 front, it appears that 1695a (or 1694a for non-plenum) is definitely the top Belden contender (with Canare and others having their own top performers).  A clear RG11 winner doesn't appear as obvious, but I'm still looking.

And here I thought that no one could argue about coax nearly as much as speaker cables or IC's!

[brj]

Another thought...

Right now, it looks like I'll have 3 primary in-wall runs of 3 cables each (satellite, cable and antenna).  Thus, I'll have to split the satellite, cable and antenna signals 3 ways each.  Obviously, I'll have to use F connectors on the ends that connect to my components, but is there any reason that I shouldn't use BNC connectors for all of the connections in my attic?  They certainly would be nicer to use.  From some quick online searching, it appears that BNC splitters exist, although they appear harder to find.

Comments?

Thanks again!

[MaxCast]

Keep in mind some of that stuff has non-copper shield so you will not be able to solder it to connectors of any type....yep, I found out the hard way

[ctviggen]

I thought you couldn't split satellite signals?  With Dish you can't.

[brj]

Keep in mind some of that stuff has non-copper shield so you will not be able to solder it to connectors of any type....yep, I found out the hard way

Oops!    Thanks for the warning!

I thought you couldn't split satellite signals? With Dish you can't.

I think that you can split the signal, but you can still only control it from a single receiver.  In my case, I could probably live with that for a while, but either way, I want to run the cable in wall to allow multiple receivers/dishs at a future time.

[ctviggen]

I forgot about the coax cutter -- I have one of those, too.  Also, if you're outside, use weatherproof connections.  I also recommend a "fish tape" that you can use to pull the cable through the wall.  Additionally, if you're drilling into the wall (I forget what the top of the wall is called; you usually have two boards put together there), you'll need a wood drill bit and might need a longer drill bit than typical.  I plan on rewiring the cable in my house, too, as they did a terrible job.

[Brian71]

Bob,
It's called a top plate.

Brj,
I use and have used both Canare and Belden. Currently, I've been using the Belden 1694 and 1695 for audio and video cables because it's smaller and more flexible than RG-6.  I use them with Canare connectors.  
For the RF runs (sat, antenna, etc), I usually use RG-6 quad shield.  I use a number of different compression F connectors for the RG-6, as I've acquired a bunch of different brands.  

Westlake seems to have the best prices too from what I've found.