Video Cable Type

[Squintz]

I will be installing twowired cams in my house soon and i want to know if it will run into any problems when running rg174. I want to use 174 or Cat 5 because i can run two runs of 174 in the space it takes to run one run of rg 59 or 58. Can 174 be used for video or will i run into problems.

If not 174 then how about the twisted pairs of cat5e. I have two cams i want to run from my attic to the basement which is easy as long as I am using something equal to the size of cat5e or smaller. Basically I am running down the side of the return for my air conditioner which is a straight shot but when i exit the area i only have a very small slit that i can come through and anything bigger than cat5 wont work. On top of that Id rather run either one cat5 or two 174's and not 2 rg59's if I can get away with it.

 

[electron]

I have a 175ft Cat5E drop which I use with my security camera. I use 1 pair for the video, and 1 pair for the power (so you could run multiple camera signals). However, when you run such a long cat5e drop for use with video, you will need a set of baluns or the video signal might be crappy, so it probably isn't the cheapest solution. You could also use the remaining pair to run some alarm sensors to the same location.

 

[Squintz]

I will only be running the signal since i already have power at the locations that I am mounting them. The drop that I will be running is only 50ft at most. What I was worried about is distortion do to the impendence and natural capacitance of the 174 cable. Also i wasnt sure if twisted pair was ideal for video. Sounds like twisted pair is working just fine for you so if nobody else answers I will use that.

Anyone using 174?

 

[smee]

Whatever you use, you definitely need to try it out before running it through the house. Even then, the results you get with the wire coiled up in one place may not be the same as when it's extended.

Even with RG6 or RG59, long video runs can produce washed out video.

Most successful or semi-successful installations using twisted pair are also using baluns on either end, like electron referred to.

I've never run video on 50 ohm cable (like RG174), at least not intentionally.

 

[rocco]

Have you looked at RG-179?

RG-174, since it is 50 ohms, would cause reflections. They may not be noticeable over fifty feet, but still not desirable.

I've used RG-179 for video up to 400 feet, and it should be good for much longer It is 75 ohm and only .1 inch in diameter. You need to buy BNC connectors specifically for RG-179, but that is true of RG-174 as well. I have not seen RCA connectors that work well with any small coax.

 

[AutomatedOutlet]

Not familiar with that RG cable but cat5 will work fine

 

[Squintz]

Thanks everyone. Just to show you how much i wast all of your time I will tell you what i have decided to do. I'm just going to go with two runs of RG59 or RG6. I am trying to use what I have on hand (At work ) and at home and 179 isnt available to me at either of those places. After looking on the web alot i see what the problems can be if i used 50ohm cables so I will stick with the 75ohm.

Thanks for poining out the 179 i did not even know that existed.

 

[smee]

Have you looked at RG-179?

Do you know a good source for RG-179? I was looking for some a while back and didn't come across anything affordable.