RG-6 is, loosely speaking, a 6.6~6.8mm diameter cable. This means that WF100, TX100, PF100, NX100 are all RG6 cables. However, they're a world away in construction, performance and longevity compared to basic RG6. When you see the terms SDU and MDU, these stand for Single Dwelling Unit and Multiple Dwelling Unit meaning domestic and communal basically. This means that cable that is certified for “MDU” use is suitable for both domestic and communal installations but not the other way around. High quality WF100 Coaxial cable can be used for SKY HD/ Freeview HD/Freesat HD, featuring a plain copper foil and wire braiding screening, WF100 cable is a higher grade cable over RG6, plain annealed copper conductor for improved signal conductivity over the cheaper CCS / CCA cable. Webro WF100 is the cable I use for all of Smart Aerials TV aerial installations. Although I will occasionally use a shotgun cable for satellite over short distances Webro WF100 is undoubtedly the preferred option. WF100 is a foam filled coaxial cable with all copper conductors, so solid copper centre conductor, copper braid and copper shield. Webro HD100 technically is a better cable with its extra cable screen but in my opinion, it isn’t worth the extra expense.

Another term you’re likely to encounter is “shotgun” cable.This is two coaxial cables joined together which makes installation easier as you would usually install a twin cable to satellite PVR’s like Sky+ and Sky Q boxes. Shotgun or twin cable is also commonly referred to as Siamese cable on the other side of the Atlantic for obvious reasons. Most shotgun cable that is installed is a twin 0.65mm coaxial cable which is suitable for short cable lengths and is handy as it can fit through a 10mm hole. There are twin 1mm coaxial cables on the market which are suitable for longer runs. There is actually a triple screened coaxial cable on the market called HD100. The extra screen is on top of the cable braid. Although the performance on this cable is superior, I personally think that this is overkill and not worth the extra expense. I’m not the only one as the popularity of this cable type hasn’t really caught on. The next coaxial cable size is 1.25mm cable. This almost always used in communal TV systems to overcome signal losses on long cable runs. 125 cable will typically lose around 2.5dB per 10m at the highest frequency so you can for it to be a worthwhile upgrade over 1mm coax you would need a long cable length. When you get to this cable size normal screw on type plugs start to become unsuitable and you should consider using compression and crimp on style plugs instead. Also when you get to this cable size and above it isn’t suitable for terminating into wall plates, LNB’s, aerials etc. To smallest of all the coaxial cable sizes is 0.65mm cable.This is most commonly used in a pair to form “shotgun” satellite cable for Sky+,Sky Q, Freesat+ and other satellite PVR’s which require two separate LNB connections. Being the smallest of cable sizes, it should only be used for short cable lengths, nothing really above 25m. It will typically lose around 5dB at the highest used frequency every 10m. I have also included modern CT100, PF100 and NX100 as almost equally good to WF100. To be honest they are so similar I wouldn’t worry if you have one instead of the other.

Benchmarked Coax – CAI Approved

One way of getting the cable cost down is to reduce the amount of copper inside the cable. This is where Copper Clad Steel & Copper Clad Aluminium cables come in. Although you save money, you lose out considerably in terms of performance so I would opt for all copper conductors instead if the budget allows it. The steel conductor in CCS is prone to rusting over time and the steel conductor doesn’t have it very good current carrying capacity. As there is a considerable voltage drop with cables lengths exceeding 30m using a CCS cable for satellite LNB connections is not a good idea as the voltage drop could cause issues with the LNB switching.

Before we start it will be helpful to talk about all the different parts that make up a coaxial cable. From here we will be able to demonstrate what the different is between coax cables.

I would however be very wary of called branded or marketed as “RG6” as the modern equivalent is far inferior in terms of performance. It is cheap to buy which is why some people use it. It has a solid copper clad steel centre conductor with a foam filled dielectric and aluminium. In terms of electrical performance there are some differences. The DC resistance is higher, as is the signal loss (attenuation) which gets worse as the frequency increases, but all cables have losses. The thing is though, for fairly short runs of under 20m, you'd be hard-pressed to notice any real difference. Please note that this has been written from a TV aerial/satellite perspective, so we are focusing on the best coax cables for Sky, Freeview & Freesat. There are lot of other types that are used in CCTV and data cabling functions which are not mentioned in this blog.