LMR200

[roadrage]

I just purchased some low loss RG58 class cable. It is LMR200 from Times Microwave. After some researching I found that for the price it looked pretty hard to beat. I purchased some to try out in my mobile. I will say that for thin coax it is stiffer than I expected but it can still make the bends necessary. The UF version may have been a better idea. I also noticed that it was difficult when I was soldering the PL259s, well, I should say prepping the cable. The foil shielding didn't want to separate from the injected foam insulation. And only costing me $0.49 /ft, it wasn't much more money than the RG8X and I have the confidence in the quality of the Times Microwave name.

The specs of the cable compared to standard RG8X:

Attenuation/100, @ 30Mhz RG8X: 2.0
LMR200: 1.8

Power handling @ 30Mhz RG8X: 350W
LMR200: 1020W

So far I am very happy with my purchase and wanted to pass it on. Anyone considering an amp install should check it out as a better alternative to RG8X.

 

[Beetle]

Any of the regular LMR series will be a good deal "stiffer" than equivalent coax because of the solid center conductor, and as you say, there's a more flexible version that uses a stranded conductor while keeping the rest of the LMR characteristics. At only 0.2 dB less loss per hundred feet at 10 meters it isn't an earthshaking choice compared with 8X. And regardless of what Times Microwave says, I wouldn't use it at much over 500 watts - especially if I had a "terrible" SWR of, say, 2:1.

YMMV.

 

[roadrage]

I didn't buy it for the .2 db difference in loss. On a mobile install I don't think the attenuation between the RG8X and the LMR200 would even be measurable. It hardly is at 100ft. I bought it over the RG8X because of the power handling. 350W vs. 1020W is a big difference. That is supposed to be continuous. PEP was around 1.5KW. Not that I would run it at that, but if TM claims 1020W and it can only do half that, it is still better than the 350W from the RG8X. I see lots of posts of guys running 500W amps through RG8X and thought that I'd offer a price equivalent alternative that handles more power. I purchased 35' of LMR200 shipped to my door for $25 which isn't bad. Shipping was about 30% of the bill. So the cable itself was only about $17. Only a dollar or two more than the RG8X.

 

[W5LZ]

Unless Belden has changed the characteristics of RG-8X in the last dozen or so years, I know it will handle more than 350 watts (no matter how you measure it). I know several people who routinely ran more than twice that power level using RG-8X (and me too). It depends to a great extent on the load/antenna on the end of that stuff, how well it's tuned for the frequency in use.
- 'Doc


I know it's blaspheme but you can do the same thing with RG-58. Not the later stuff from the 'Shack', but good quality stuff like Belden. That's not a recommendation, just what I've seen and done in the past.

 

[roadrage]

You are correct. I wasn't using Belden's attenuation chart. I was using the chart from a vendor (Universal Radio) and their chart is, apparently, incorrect for both cables. Though, the RG8X they sell may not be Belden 9258.

I checked out Belden's web site and the power handling is higher than 350W at 30 MHz. Belden didn't list 30 MHz on their chart. They did list 50 MHz at 350W. And for comparison, Times Microwave's web site listed LMR200 for 590W at 50 MHz. So the LMR200 still has a higher power rating for about the same price.