• You can now help support WorldwideDX when you shop on Amazon at no additional cost to you! Simply follow this Shop on Amazon link first and a portion of any purchase is sent to WorldwideDX to help with site costs.

Rg8u vs Rg58 Coax question

Festus

Member
Dec 31, 2018
1
0
11
44
Hello, Im not sure what forum to post this question. I am needing to know which coax would suit my needs best. I live in Kentucky and we run mountain lines for our antennas. It is 1000ft to the top of the hill where my cb base station antenna is at. I currently am running the big tv coax that is on the poles with the guy wire up the side of it. I have 50ft of rg8u coax on each end of it with a standing wave on 1 on all 40 channels. It has been up for 25 years with no problems. I was thinking of putting up new line and thought about running just straight coax to the top of the hill. I run no power just legal output. Would rg58 coax suit my needs or would rg8u be better. There is a huge difference in the price per roll. I dont talk skip just local contacts. What is everyones thoughts on this before i buy. Thanks alot.
 

when i lived in powell county years ago,, some cbers ran 450 ohm ladder line up the mountain with matching baluns at each end and usually a starduster on a mast above the trees at top of mountain,,,
 
  • Like
Reactions: secret squirrel
questions you need to ask yourself?

1. Is it working for what you want to do?

2. What would the goal be it you change to new coax?

If you are planning on upgrading then give some thought to Midnight Special's recommendation of the ladder line with baluns on each end.
I heard many stories of my father telling me of running the old 300 Ohm TV antenna line up to the top of the hill, back in the the day when they walked uphill to school both ways.
 
stock power through 1000ft of rg58 would be terrible even rg8 would be very lossy,
with that length coax you will measure a low vswr at the radio even when the vswr is high,

that tv coax must be good stuff.
 
Best stay with the mountain wire. If you can avoid vandals, then look at slapping a remote station up there.

Can't remember if it was discussed here, but I recall reading a spectacular mountain wire post. It was a very lively thread with many naysayers, but was laid out well with pictures. We're you part of that discussion?
 

dxChat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • dxBot:
    Tucker442 has left the room.
  • @ BJ radionut:
    LIVE 10:00 AM EST :cool:
  • @ Charles Edwards:
    I'm looking for factory settings 1 through 59 for a AT 5555 n2 or AT500 M2 I only wrote down half the values feel like a idiot I need help will be appreciated