RG59 COAXIAL CABLES

When should I use RG59 versus RG6? First let's discuss what RG means and what do the numbers stand for. All of the common RG designations apply to various types of coaxial cable. Coaxial cable is a general classification. Any cable that has two conductors which share a single common axis is a coaxial cable. This cable has a center conductor, along with a shield, the dielectric keeping the two apart, and an outer jacket wrapping. All common video cables are coaxial cables, though sometimes it may be harder to tell this than at others. An example is an s-video cable, which is usually two mini-coaxial cables in either a zip-cord arrangement, or a common jacket.

The RG designation originated in old, long forgotten military specifications; RG stood for Radio Guide and the numbers are almost completely random. Most of the cables today are called RG-# “type”, which means that they do not strictly conform to the specifications of the original Radio Guide.

Coaxial cable is the usual means of transferring video signals from one piece of equipment to another. Coaxial cable may be called simply "coax". Coaxial cable is the most commonly used cable, but also the least costly, most convenient, most reliable, and the easiest to maintain, in the way of transferring electronic images in a CCTV system. Coaxial cable is available from numerous manufacturers and comes in a large variety of shapes, colors, sizes, capabilities and specifications. The coaxial cable type that is the most commonly recommended is RG59/U, but this standard really represents a cable family with largely differing electrical characteristics. Other varieties that are like RG59/U are RG6/U and RG11/U. These varieties are used mainly in video work and CCTV. Though each cable group is similar in many ways, each group has its own electrical and physical characteristics, which must be considered. All three coaxial cable groups are included in the same general family classification for coaxial cables. The RG reference is the cable specification for use as a "radio guide ", while the numerical value helps differentiate the specifications of each individual cable. Although each cable has its own number, characteristics, and size, there is no difference in the way these different numbered cables work.