RG-58/U is a specific type of coaxial cable often used low-power signal and RF connections. The cable has a characteristic impedance of either 50 or 52 Ω. "RG" was originally a unit indicator for bulk RF cable in the U.S. military's Joint Electronics Type Designation System. There are several versions covering the differences in core material (solid or braided wire) and shield (70% to 95% coverage).
Most two-way radio communication systems, such as marine SSB, CB radio, marine VHF, amateur, police, fire, WLAN antennas etc., are designed to work with 50 Ω cable.
RG-58 cable is often used as a generic carrier of signals in laboratories, combined with BNC connectors that are common on test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscopes. However, interconnecting equipment with multiple coax cables can lead to ground loops, which may pick-up 50-60 Hz fields from the AC mains.
RG-58 in versions RG-58A/U or RG-58C/U was once widely used in "thin" Ethernet (10BASE2), where it provides a maximum segment length of 185 meters. However, it has been almost completely replaced by category 5 cable/category 5e cable (unshielded twisted pair) and Wi-Fi in networking applications.
RG-58 cable can be used for moderately high frequencies. Its signal attenuation depends on the frequency, e.g. from 0.11 dB/m at 50 MHz to 1.4 dB/m at 2 GHz.[1]
References
- ^ Coaxial Cable Loss and Dynamics by Benton County ARES/RACES
See also
- RG-59 -- A similar cable but with an impedance of 75 Ω
- Coaxial cable
- BNC connector -- common connector for RG-58 cables
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