We just started framing today, so I'm trying to finalize everything for the pre-wire. I'm going to have about 70 RG6 drops totalling around 4000 feet. I want to get a solid copper core cable (per the consensus here), but this stuff is expensive! I'm looking at Belden cable 7916A and 1694A. They are both solid copper and both state sweep tested to 3 GHz. However the shielding is a little different and the 1694A states '100% sweep tested...' where the 7961A simply states 'sweep tested...' - no '100%'. I can find the 7916A for about $150 / 1000ft, but the 1694A is about $500 / 1000ft! This is mainly just to distribute CATV around the house and out back to the cabana. It looks like some have success distributing video on it, so I may try that, but it's OK if that doesn't work well. Will the cheaper one work for me? I'm not going to pay $2000 for that cable. The wife would put the kibosh on my whole house wiring immediately. Thanks in advance.
Belden 7916A vs 1694A
- Thread starter mrshanes
- Start date
Everything I'm reading around here states to use solid copper. This is mainly for cable TV dist, but I may attempt whole house video dist with it.
electriclight
Member
The difference between the two cables is the number of shield layers. The 7916A is quad shield cable and the 1694A is a dual shield cable. My understanding is that the solid copper core is critical on the new satellite installs as the bandwidth used on the cable is higher. The solid copper helps lower the loss at the higher frequencies. As far as the layers go, with all of the high frequency wiring (10/100/1000 network) that runs in parallel with the coax it is a very good idea to use quad shielded cable. I think the old adage, “pay me now or pay me later†is appropriate here.
DrunkenLizard
Active Member
Been a couple years since I did my RG6 QS drops but does that price seem a little high to anyone else?
DrunkenLizard
Active Member
The 7916A would work fine for catv or satellite. 1694A is Precision Coax and typically would be used for video distribution, I used a mini precision coax for video distribution (shorter runs but took up less room in the conduits since I was retrofitting) I know there are a couple good threads here and at avs discussing what type's of cable are prefered for video distribution and why.
Here's a post by sic explaining video distribution and coax
http://www.cocoontech.com/forums/index.php...ost&p=92540
Here's a post by sic explaining video distribution and coax
http://www.cocoontech.com/forums/index.php...ost&p=92540
electriclight
Member
In the previous post I said, “pay me now or pay me laterâ€. It slapped me after I made the post that the dual shield cable was more expensive. This is because the dual shied 1694A is sold as a “low loss†cable. The loss difference stated on the datasheets is approximately 1db per 100ft. For runs less than 100 feet or so I would still use the quad shield cable. If your runs are much greater than 100ft I would do a loss budget on the worst case run to make the signal level will be acceptable taking into account the cable loss and any splitters that you may need. With that said it might still be more cost effective to use the quad shield cable and add an amplifier at the main distribution point if needed.
While both have a solid copper core, the 1694A is considered a "precision coaxial cable" and has added features like copper shielding, double sided overlapping foil, etc. and is rated for a much higher frequency than the 7916A.
Here is a quick blurb about each type of cable.
Belden 7916A - Belden 3.0 GHz Quad-Shield Coax: Solid bare copper center conductor. High performance quad shielded, robust cable design, surpasses requirements for CCTV, CATV, Satellite and HDTV.
Belden 1694A - Belden 4.5 GHz Precision Coax Cable. Bare copper center conductor. Superior tinned copper shielded, Beldens flagship coax cable. Preffered coax for broadcast studios, and high-performance home theater applications. Provides large head-room for future high-bandwidth Cable TV, Satellite & HDTV.
The 7916A should be fine for cable and satellite distribution, but if you are considering running Component Video or other line-level signals over the coax, then I would highly suggest the 1694A cable.
Here is a quick blurb about each type of cable.
Belden 7916A - Belden 3.0 GHz Quad-Shield Coax: Solid bare copper center conductor. High performance quad shielded, robust cable design, surpasses requirements for CCTV, CATV, Satellite and HDTV.
Belden 1694A - Belden 4.5 GHz Precision Coax Cable. Bare copper center conductor. Superior tinned copper shielded, Beldens flagship coax cable. Preffered coax for broadcast studios, and high-performance home theater applications. Provides large head-room for future high-bandwidth Cable TV, Satellite & HDTV.
The 7916A should be fine for cable and satellite distribution, but if you are considering running Component Video or other line-level signals over the coax, then I would highly suggest the 1694A cable.
Steve
Senior Member
Personally I feel even though Belden is good stuff, it is over priced and over hyped. I would call Keystone Wire and ask for RG6 QS solid copper swept to 3Ghz. I bet it would be < $100 per. I used it for satellite and cable and its been fine. D* tech even said it was better than stuff they use (which probably is not saying much though).
Steve raises a good point. Belden is like buying the BMW of wire. It certainly is very good, but whether it is worth the extra money is arguable. Personally I used Coleman wire in my house which is also very good I would stay away from lesser know brands because a lot of the wire is made overseas (read China) and many do not actually meet their advertised specs.
When I pre-wired my vacation home several years ago I used 7916 for general purposes (cctv, satellite, rf) and 1694A for component vid/audio distribution, i.e. 5 runs of 1694a to each HDTV location. Of course that was before HDMI and the impending analog hole death... Wished I had also included 2 cat5e or cat6 runs to all those locations for HDMI distribution today...
FaderJockey
Member
I've been using 1694 for jumpers and interconnects in an HD control room and it's always worked flawlessly. Easy to handle, easy to terminate. YMMV.
There's a reason it's the standard in nearly every broadcast TV installation.
Just sayin'
There's a reason it's the standard in nearly every broadcast TV installation.
Just sayin'
1694A is a great cable, but really not needed for any residential installation. regardless of brand, one should consider using a solid copper center since it is really a necessity for satellite distribution. Plus if you ever decide you want to run base band video later a solid copper center is preferable to a CCS one. Personally I like Belden 7915A. Its effective shielding is better than most quad shields due to a special fold they put on one of the foil shields. An added bonus is that since it is not a quad shield cable it is MUCH easier to terminate.
