Video Cables Etc

[Jamie Bradford]

I know I have probably asked this question before but I need a refresher course…..

What is the difference between a Video Cable and an RJ6 ?

Last year we used an existing yellow video cable to transmit off air & cable to the front tv - RCA to F connectors were used. Does the video cable have the same capacity and is it just as good as the coax? Also - since it now transmits both video & sound why did it just transmit video when used as a video cable???

Thanks

Jamie

[Gil_J]

Jamie,

RG-6 and RG-59 are the commonly used coax cables for the distribution of RF signals for video systems. The biggest difference between the 2 is the gauge of the center connector with RG-6 being a larger gauge. This larger gauge is important if you are running power down the cable as would be the case for satellite terminals and some amplified over the air antennas. RG-6 also has less loss and therefore is preferred when running longer distances. Although there are higher quality RG-59 cables that approximate the shielding and loss characteristics of RG-6, it's best to just go with RG-6. The connector most widely used for RF in AV systems with over the air or satellite systems is the F-type connector.

RCA connectors have been around forever, well since the 1940s. They are still commonly used for audio, composite video, and RGB video connections. The cable used with RCA connectors is not specified and can vary with the service being transmitted over the connectors. In most cases, the cable contains one twisted pair of wires. Although not common, coax cables can be terminated on RCA connectors. FWIW, a quality RCA connectorized video cable can support over the air TV broadcast over short distances. RCA connectors don't support shielded cables, so interference can be a problem with these cables when used to carry broadcast TV signals.

Sometimes it's just too difficult to replace existing twisted pair cable. So, you can just use the cable in place and hope that it works and it often will, at least some times. Another other option is to use a balun at each end of the twisted pair. Some baluns support NTSC/ATSC (TV Broadcast) and most come with BNC connectors. A BNC to F adapter would be required. Although I haven't looked for active ATSC over twisted pair modulators, they likely exist as well.

When you're ready to run coax let me know and I'll come over and cheer you on as you figure out how to route the cable. I just did the same and it was not initially easy to figure out how to route the cable. With an inspection camera and some patience I pulled it off and I'm sure you can too.

[Joe Camper]

Gill the Hs r no where near as difficult as the xls running lines.

[JIM KELLER]

Jamie,

RG-6 and RG-59 are the commonly used coax cables for the distribution of RF signals for video systems. The biggest difference between the 2 is the gauge of the center connector with RG-6 being a larger gauge. This larger gauge is important if you are running power down the cable as would be the case for satellite terminals and some amplified over the air antennas. RG-6 also has less loss and therefore is preferred when running longer distances. Although there are higher quality RG-59 cables that approximate the shielding and loss characteristics of RG-6, it's best to just go with RG-6. The connector most widely used for RF in AV systems with over the air or satellite systems is the F-type connector.

RCA connectors have been around forever, well since the 1940s. They are still commonly used for audio, composite video, and RGB video connections. The cable used with RCA connectors is not specified and can vary with the service being transmitted over the connectors. In most cases, the cable contains one twisted pair of wires. Although not common, coax cables can be terminated on RCA connectors. FWIW, a quality RCA connectorized video cable can support over the air TV broadcast over short distances. RCA connectors don't support shielded cables, so interference can be a problem with these cables when used to carry broadcast TV signals.

Sometimes it's just too difficult to replace existing twisted pair cable. So, you can just use the cable in place and hope that it works and it often will, at least some times. Another other option is to use a balun at each end of the twisted pair. Some baluns support NTSC/ATSC (TV Broadcast) and most come with BNC connectors. A BNC to F adapter would be required. Although I haven't looked for active ATSC over twisted pair modulators, they likely exist as well.

When you're ready to run coax let me know and I'll come over and cheer you on as you figure out how to route the cable. I just did the same and it was not initially easy to figure out how to route the cable. With an inspection camera and some patience I pulled it off and I'm sure you can too.

When I read something like this I realize how much I don't know.....