Why Antenna Cable Length Affects An Antennas Performance

The bottom line is that sometimes the performance of an antenna lies in the installation of the antenna cables

. Whilst many things can cause performance issues for antennas, antenna cable length is sometimes over looked.

However, antenna cables can be likened to leaky water pipes; signal energy is dissipated while travelling along a cable, and the longer cables are the more potential there is for the signal energy to be lost. The primary function of an antenna cable is to carry data, loss of signal means that the cable is providing poor performance. An antenna cable introduces signal loss in the antenna system for both the transmitter and receiver.

To prevent signal loss, keep the receiver antenna path as short as possible; which means keeping antenna cables to their absolute minimum required length. In short, the longer antenna cables are and the more the number of connections, the more the signal loss. With this in mind, you can appreciate that antenna cables should be installed to take the shortest possible routes, to ensure minimal losses.

There are a few things you can do to ensure that your antennas cables take the shortest and most direct route.

Keep antenna cables free from all other cables and wiring winding around other cables extends the length of the antenna cable. Install the cabling out of the way of other busy wiring networks.

Trimming cables can prevent snagging. It may seem trivial, but sagging extends the length of a cable, and over a distance this all adds up. Similarly, Antenna cables should be supported at regular intervals every 4.5 feet in exposed locations. Again this prevents sagging.

Ensure that the antenna cables are properly seated and knots and kinks in the cables again increase the overall length of the antenna cable.

If it means a more direct installation, antenna cables may be run under the door seal. Carefully pull down the door seal. Run the cable through the seal and push the seal back into place. This prevents constant wear and tear on the cable as the door opens and closes.

Having said that at all costs to keep antenna cables as short as possible, make sure the antenna cables are pointing downwards towards the ground to ensure proper orientation. This might mean that the cable is a tab more liberal at this point, however, it will ensure best performance from the antenna.

With antenna cables; the long and short of it is, that the longer the cable, the less signal making it to the antenna so keep it short and direct.

by: Chris Cowper

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