RG59 from Home Depot good enough?

[rory 0]

cool ... but we aint using RG59 siamese for our rf stuff G ..

[rory 0]

To simplify matters, only use coaxial cable with copper braid and copper core. No aluminum at all. 95% copper braid is best but short runs are ok with 70%. Very important to get copper braid.

 

Power wire should be 18 ga. Short runs 20 ga ok. 24 ga is way too thin even if you pair some together. Your voltage drop will be terrible and will result in bad video.

 

easier said then done .. to start with you cant buy siamese in the bahamas. Then the RG59 we can get is aluminum ... so basically we gots to order from miami, but if its a quick cheap job they want it asap and if we dont have the cable in stock ($500 landed for 1000 foot role) . its all we can use .. darn how many times ive had to use RG6/U ... cable TV cable .. cant turn down that $50 job yah know ..

 

anyway ,easiest thing is to find your nearest security distributot/retailer, and just tell them you want CCTV siamese cable ..

Edited April 18, 2005 by Guest

[AVCONSULTING 0]

True, but in this instance we are talking about cameras. For CATV wiring then aluminum is better than copper. But Rory, this is the "CAMERA" forum

not the "CABLE TV" forum

[rory 0]

True, but in this instance we are talking about cameras. For CATV wiring then aluminum is better than copper. But Rory, this is the "CAMERA" forum

not the "CABLE TV" forum

 

nah .. i was meaning we have to use cable TV coax for CCTV half the time if we dont have the RG59 in stock and the client doesnt want to wait .. for those cheap jobs .. actually none of them are my jobs i just come in subcontracted for the extra dollars ..

[dipshwich 0]

I'v read this thread on coax trying to select which one to use. I thought RG6 was better shielded than RG59. Have i been misinformed?

If RG6 is aluminum shielding then my question is answered. I know that RG6 is more $$, please...which one??

[kaysadeya 0]

You can buy RG6 with copper shielding and it's "better" than RG59 copper. However, unless you're going a really long distance, RG59 will likely be more than good enough.

[G22 0]

I just picked up 100ft of RG59/U w/95% copper braiding yesterday at my local CCTV store. The cheap Home Depot RG59 cable can just sit around indefinitely.

 

I did however pick up some 18AWG power cable (3 wires inside) at Home Depot instead to replace the 24AWG I picked up from there. This cable is pretty heavy duty... it looks just like white coax cable but thicker outside. It also has 3 loose fluffy thingies inside (no idea what they are called)... I assume it is to pull the cable through the wall if attached to a long string?

[kaysadeya 0]

Next time consider getting siamese cable that has both the RG59 and two 18awg wires for power. Cheaper than two separate wires and much easier to run. The kind of wire you’re describing is best used for extension cords. I think the “loose fluffy thingiesâ€

[G22 0]

Yes, I definitely will be getting Siamese for the next cam. I spent about quite some time electrical taping the two together.

 

I now have the joyous task of drilling another large hole through our office floor/ceiling.

[scottj 0]

I cannot say that we have ever used any wiring from Home Depot (too expensive) so I cannot judge the quality. What I can say is this....Say No To Siamese unless you buy very high quality wiring, and depending on your distance, DC or AC power, etc.

 

Think of signal cable and power cable as a recently divorced couple. Putting the two side by side (taped, tie wraps, siamese) has potential to cause problems (interference, signal noise etc.) I personally do not have 100% trust in a wire manufacturers shielding procedures, so we generally try to leave some distance between the two. We also rarely have installed the power supplies in the same area as the recording equipment, but most of the deployments we have been on are government jobs.

 

just my preference, not to be taken as a requirement but rather a recommendation. Camera noise is camera noise regardless of the source, we just try to eliminate variables.

 

scottj

[rory 0]

Ive never had any issues with Siamese Cable.

 

Also, there is normally some fluffy stuff in the siamese cable so you can pull it to strip the cable back ..

[DataAve 0]

I agree with you scottj, but sometimes the job spec (Siamese Cable) calls for it. But then again, we do jobs in the six figures, what do we know?

[rory 0]

But then again, we do jobs in the six figures

 

??

[DataAve 0]

Most jobs we do (6 figures $100,000 plus), do not include twistons or Siamese Cable.

[rory 0]

Most jobs we do (6 figures $100,000 plus), do not include twistons or Siamese Cable.

 

Well you should consider using them, they will save time and are just as good.

 

unless they can afford fiber .. waaahhhhhh

Edited April 22, 2005 by Guest

[DataAve 0]

Didn't mean to come accross ****y rory...but most jobs won't allow it.

[rory 0]

so what DO you use? Crimp ons are overated and no better than Twistons.

 

im doing fiber for a $70K job next month ..

Edited April 22, 2005 by Guest

[DataAve 0]

When I encounter certain vid probs, when I do service, is look at the connections and it is usually the twisties. I use crimp ons with a Harris Crimper and I can crimp just as fast (if not faster) then a twistie. And you can swing from the connection.

[rory 0]

The problem is that most people installing BNCs dont know how to put them on properly. When done properly, it is just as good as a Crimp on. But if it makes you feel better .. then thats all that matters

 

Ofcourse I have encountered many cheap BNC twistons I have had to change for the good ones I use, also, I have encountered many crimp ons that came off from improper installation also, its all about who the installer is.

 

And I can swing from the tiwstons, Ive never been able to take it back off, only way is to cut the cable.

 

Crimp on BNCs are impossible to find down here, so using Twist ons is pretty much the most feasable.

[DataAve 0]

I agree...I have even seen the pin and the shield held together with a wire nut.

[rory 0]

I need to put my crimper to work though, so I may buy a hundred of so of the crimp ons anyway from miami, that way I can keep the other competition down here out of the loop .. he he he ..

[rory 0]

I havent seen any Twist ons down here yet that have been done correctly either, in fact im cleaning up a job tomorrow where they used twist ons on RG6U and RG59 mixed ... all loose with ground hanging all out and basically the woirst video ive seen yet ,, all camera connections were left dangling and they are all coroded as they were all outside exposed to the salt air .. its going to be fun!! Ill take some pictures of the before and after, well the before will amaze you.

 

I quoted another job in somewhat the same prediciment, they had some of those telco type camera systems installed originally, and then had their inhouse staff hook up some bullet cameras with a Hisharp DVR, using the same wire and basically its all spliced into coax at the DVR end and a big power amplifier like found with radio systems, runs are 100 feet or so on some, and basically all cameras are bright bright bright, with ground loops and a million other issues .. major rewire and reconnections ... i need to take a shot of that if they decide to spend the money this time around, and I was only charging $400 to do the whole thing as I couldnt stand seeing it left like that!

[vitHoward 0]

One of the most common mistakes that installers make is to use the wrong type of cable and/or connectors.

 

Most people don't realize that the RG59 / RG6 / RG11 markings only refer to the general size and construction of the cable.

 

The foil shielded cable that is normally found at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. is designed for modulated signals, ie: cable TV or Antenna systems where a TV channel is being transmitted. (CATV or MATV)

 

CCTV cameras produce a composite signal which is pure direct current (DC) voltage. The proper cable is a solid copper center with a 95% copper braid. (CCTV) Don't let your installation be "foiled" by using foil shield cable.

 

FYI. RG59 is normally good for 750 to 1000 feet.

 

A cheap self promotion: http://www.videoguardit.com/cctv_essentials.html

[DataAve 0]

Advertizing your website is not a "cheap plug". In fact, put it in your sig.

[DataAve 0]

I need to put my crimper to work though, so I may buy a hundred of so of the crimp ons anyway from miami, that way I can keep the other competition down here out of the loop .. he he he ..

Rory, they (the competition) wouldn't know how to handle one if they come across it. I can hear them now, must be some new fangled connector?