A friend was contracted to do some wiring in a local hospital.
They were to order Belcon 1506A as part would run through an
air vent system. Some fool in purchasing decided to go with 1505A.
Same cable except it ain't plenium rated. The supplier wouldn't
take it back, and they had no storage space so he was given, as in
legal transferr with documentation.
The fool in purchasing lost his job.
Must be hard to be on the street when you are 58.

My friend had about as much use for this cable as I do a poke in the
eye. So he gave it to me. This is GOOD, very good cable loss at 1500MHz

is only 9.3dB/100'. Last weekend we helped a mutual handicaped friend
put up a better scanner and SW antenna. We used a laptop,my PRC1000 and
compared the 1506A with standard and low loss 50 Ohm coaxes. Pretty
day,
good fun. While we climbed like monkeys he fixed on hell of a supper.
First cookout of the new year and the food was GREAT!

With an NIB older radioshack diskcone, the one without the vertical
stinger, and a pasternack PL-259 to "F" female adaptor we tried some
tests. The 1505A was better, lower loss and greater noise rejection,
then any other cable we tried. Just for grins I used 50' of 50 Ohm
Heliax and while it was slightly better, heliax is are and expensive.
We also tried some of Beldons normal CATV coax and it was at least
as good as the 50 ohm and was a lot cheaper. His coax run is 50' from
the antenna to the ground (AKA "static" block. With a ~10 run to his
radio desk. He lives about 20 miles from Lexington KY, so we used
distant
(50 miles)NOAA stations and the UKPD/LFFFUCG fire trunking system.
This isn't a state of the art installation. My friend isn't interested
in trying to receive weak distant signals. HE just wants to keep up
with
his old comrades. We could listen to PD/FR and aero comms from a 50
mile
radius. He is tickled pink. Perhaps his ineterest will grow. And
perhaps not.

The foil and copper braid offer much better shielding, going from 96%
for braid, to to 100% for braid foil. This helps keep noise from your
computers from entering the signal path after the coax is in your radio

room. I have an older Contura 40MHz? laptop that the LCD screen is
NASTY.
I mainly use it for my DeLorme GPS but it will control my PRC1000 very
nicely. We learned that routing of coax can be more important then most

radio users think. By passing the recieve coax across the front of the
LCD screen , standard braid only coax started letting RF noise into the
receiver.
I used a "bunch"(10 on each side) of ferrite beads to keep the RF from
traveling up the braid's outer surface. Without the beads, even with
the
coax well away from the PC, we got a few slight birdies. This even
happened with the heliax.

For SW CATV worked as well as any other cable I have ever tried. Our
friend
is on a limited income, long term disability insurance, and it was nice
to be
able to do a first class install without breaking his piggy bank. While
1505A is clearly overkill it works very nice. This left more money for
his radios.
I have loaned him my PCR1000 untill his radios arrive. And it was nice
to use
a TV A/B switch to allow him to change from the diskcone to the 100'
longwire. And yea the 100' longwire overloads the PCR1000 on HF, but a
simple el-cheapo radioshack varaible attenuator, with F in and out
takes care of that. And yes
a 100' wire beats a diskcone for HF reception. Period!

I think the average SWL and scanner user is missing a bet by not
investigating
CATV coax and "F" fittings. There are good weather proof male "F"
fittings
that are much easier, and cheaper!, to make good connections with then
BNC.
Good CATV coax is much less expensive then similar 50 Ohm stuff because
they
make so much more of the CATV cable. Ground blocks are inexpensive and
will
allow one to easily meet the NEC requirement to ground the outer
conductor on
coax. And this stuff is made to stand up to bad weatehr. Cable TV
companies and
Direct TV want their installs to be as trouble free as they can make
them.
If you talk with your local cable installer you can often get odd
lengths of
CATV for the taking. I admit usng the 1505A was overkill , but why not,
we ahd it.
Terry

Belden 1505A is not overkill and is not allowed by DIRECTV or Dish for
installs, it’s an RG-59 type and not known for low loss. It’s bigger
brother, Belden 1694A is an RG-6 “type” and has a bit lower loss. Both
of these are precision 75 ohm cables intended for conveying 270mb
digital video inside a premises and not specifically for outdoor CATV or
Dish use. It also costs more than the lower loss RG-6 used for TV
antenna and Dish L-band, an installer would be wasting money using this
for his installs. You can buy Commscope (standard CATV stuff) RG-11 type
much cheaper than 1505 or 1694 and get half the loss at 1000MHz.
Mike


wrote:
A friend was contracted to do some wiring in a local hospital.
They were to order Belcon 1506A as part would run through an
air vent system. Some fool in purchasing decided to go with 1505A.
Same cable except it ain't plenium rated. The supplier wouldn't
take it back, and they had no storage space so he was given, as in
legal transferr with documentation.
The fool in purchasing lost his job.
Must be hard to be on the street when you are 58.

My friend had about as much use for this cable as I do a poke in the
eye. So he gave it to me. This is GOOD, very good cable loss at 1500MHz

is only 9.3dB/100'. Last weekend we helped a mutual handicaped friend
put up a better scanner and SW antenna. We used a laptop,my PRC1000 and
compared the 1506A with standard and low loss 50 Ohm coaxes. Pretty
day,
good fun. While we climbed like monkeys he fixed on hell of a supper.
First cookout of the new year and the food was GREAT!

With an NIB older radioshack diskcone, the one without the vertical
stinger, and a pasternack PL-259 to "F" female adaptor we tried some
tests. The 1505A was better, lower loss and greater noise rejection,
then any other cable we tried. Just for grins I used 50' of 50 Ohm
Heliax and while it was slightly better, heliax is are and expensive.
We also tried some of Beldons normal CATV coax and it was at least
as good as the 50 ohm and was a lot cheaper. His coax run is 50' from
the antenna to the ground (AKA "static" block. With a ~10 run to his
radio desk. He lives about 20 miles from Lexington KY, so we used
distant
(50 miles)NOAA stations and the UKPD/LFFFUCG fire trunking system.
This isn't a state of the art installation. My friend isn't interested
in trying to receive weak distant signals. HE just wants to keep up
with
his old comrades. We could listen to PD/FR and aero comms from a 50
mile
radius. He is tickled pink. Perhaps his ineterest will grow. And
perhaps not.

The foil and copper braid offer much better shielding, going from 96%
for braid, to to 100% for braid foil. This helps keep noise from your
computers from entering the signal path after the coax is in your radio

room. I have an older Contura 40MHz? laptop that the LCD screen is
NASTY.
I mainly use it for my DeLorme GPS but it will control my PRC1000 very
nicely. We learned that routing of coax can be more important then most

radio users think. By passing the recieve coax across the front of the
LCD screen , standard braid only coax started letting RF noise into the
receiver.
I used a "bunch"(10 on each side) of ferrite beads to keep the RF from
traveling up the braid's outer surface. Without the beads, even with
the
coax well away from the PC, we got a few slight birdies. This even
happened with the heliax.

For SW CATV worked as well as any other cable I have ever tried. Our
friend
is on a limited income, long term disability insurance, and it was nice
to be
able to do a first class install without breaking his piggy bank. While
1505A is clearly overkill it works very nice. This left more money for
his radios.
I have loaned him my PCR1000 untill his radios arrive. And it was nice
to use
a TV A/B switch to allow him to change from the diskcone to the 100'
longwire. And yea the 100' longwire overloads the PCR1000 on HF, but a
simple el-cheapo radioshack varaible attenuator, with F in and out
takes care of that. And yes
a 100' wire beats a diskcone for HF reception. Period!

I think the average SWL and scanner user is missing a bet by not
investigating
CATV coax and "F" fittings. There are good weather proof male "F"
fittings
that are much easier, and cheaper!, to make good connections with then
BNC.
Good CATV coax is much less expensive then similar 50 Ohm stuff because
they
make so much more of the CATV cable. Ground blocks are inexpensive and
will
allow one to easily meet the NEC requirement to ground the outer
conductor on
coax. And this stuff is made to stand up to bad weatehr. Cable TV
companies and
Direct TV want their installs to be as trouble free as they can make
them.
If you talk with your local cable installer you can often get odd
lengths of
CATV for the taking. I admit usng the 1505A was overkill , but why not,
we ahd it.
Terry

Sorry if this doubles, but 12 hours after I post my first reply it
still wasn't
up.

The 1505A was "free". My friend is on long term disabiltiy insurance.
His interests are fairly limited at this time. He wants to monitor the
FD
that he worked in for 20+ years and they have gone to trunking.

I would have gladly bought him the correct cable, but his is very
stuffy
about charity. He is OK with helping others, but has a very difficult
time accepting if from others. Between he and his wifes saving, the
procceds
from the sale of ther fancy home, and money saved by movcing to a much
smaller town ~20 miles away from Lexington, they get by in a fairly
comfortable life style.

His brother found a NRD525? in what appears to be mint condition.
His wife found a Pro2067 at a flea market for next to nothing. The
Radio Shack diskcone was sitting in another friends collecting dust.
He dropped out of scanning 15+ years ago.

The Belden PDF spec sheet for 1505A says that the black is suitable for
exterior use. If his scanning interest grow, and the need arrises I am
for
certain going to put better, as in lower loss, cable up. But for now,
he has
a very effective HF and VHF/UHF monitoring station.

Apparently I didn't make my primary reason for point clear:
50 Ohm RG-59 is not the only good choice for scanning or
SWL. "F" fittings are a good and inexpensive alternative to
BNC connectors. And by using "F" "static"/ground blocks
where the coax enters the dwelling, one can meet the requirement
of the NEC to "..ground the outer conductor before the coax cable
enters.."

And that a little scrounging can greatly reduce the cash outlay for a
beginner, or for an experimenter. I installed a coaxial dipole using
the
1505A for feedline. "F" fittings all the way to my IC28A. SWR, 1.5:1.
I can bring up a usefull number of repeaters. And on my ancient Pro2004
I can hear PD/FD/PS comms out to maybe 50 miles. My friend has a
general class ticket, but has been inactive for a LONG time. I am going
to
do a test and see if we can reach each other simplex. I am loaning
him the antenna and an acient Clegg @mTR FM rig.

Just for grins I tossed a 10mtr coaxial dipole, again fed with 1505A,
and was pretty well shocked by how well it works. Talked to a mobile
in GA early this afternoon. Even with near 0 sunspots 10Mtrs opens up
every now and then.

Now to see if I can trade a HTX100 from a friend who has left radio for
the lure of evercrack. (EverQuest) He plays 30+ hours a week, and works
a 40 hour work week!

I wasn't trying to say, or claim that 1505A is great cable. At it's
inflated price
it is far from a bargin. But as you point out there are other, low and
very low loss RG59/RG-6 75 Ohm coax available. But for free it is one
hell of a bargin. And I suspect that even you will admit that given his
listening
target, and antenna, better calbe wouldn't have given him better
reception.
After all, full quiting is hard to improve up on. I don't know if it is
practical to think of trying to monitor trunked mobiles directly, and
at his distance I doubt
if heliax would help.

Terry