[Antennas] Old Coax

Thu, 12 Sep 2002 08:48:52 -0700

IF the outer jacket has not contaminated the inner insulation and if the braid
and center conductor have not been exposed to any water, etc,
AND if the LOSS in the cable has not increased
over the years from what the specs say it should be (3db loss per 100ft on
2mtr for normal RG8 is the spec) then NO, you DONOT have to change coax after
a few years!! I have lowband and UHF systems with COAX on them (NOT Heliax)
that still perform fine after 15 years of service...
Again, common sense and inspection of the coax and loss through the cable if
possible will tell you when it needs to be replaced.

Chris
WB5ITT

On Thu, 12 Sep 2002 09:12:39 -0400 "Lefczik, Larry D"
<[email protected]> wrote:

I've seen several times that coax cable should be replaced after a few
years.  Why is this?  Is it just because of UV exposure to the outer jacket?
If so, is coax which is still on a spool good forever?  Is coax used indoors
subject to aging?  What about MIL-STD coax, is that less susceptible to
aging?  