Ron, This is a touchy topic! If the cable you have has plain copper braid shield, it is not RG-223 cable but may be "RG-223 TYPE." Genuine MIL-C-17/84-RG223 coaxial cable has a silver-coated solid copper center conductor and two silver-coated copper shields. RG223 cable is not made in a non-silver-coated version. The Military Spec is here: <www.dscc.dla.mil/Downloads/MilSpec/Docs/MIL-DTL-17/mil17ss84.pdf>
The problem I have found with most coaxial cables with the word "TYPE" printed on the jacket, is that such cable is frequently- but not always- inferior to the genuine Mil-Spec version. One example is the "RG-213/U" cable that Radio Shack sold for many years- it was junk! Tandy Wire & Cable marked the jacket "MIL-C-17 RG-213/U TYPE" and touted it as "Military Specification cable." When you stripped the jacket back, you could see that the shield coverage was much less than the genuine cable, but how many Hams or CB-ers knew better or cared? Not surprisingly, Tandy W&C was never listed as a cable supplier in the MIL-C-17 Qualified Products List (QPL)! The RG-223 TYPE cable you have may be a high-quality, economy version of a MIL-Spec cable made by a qualified supplier, or it may be an imported knock-off that has relaxed shield coverage or some other deficiency. The only way to know for certain what a cable's pedigree is, is to see if the manufacturer is listed in the QPL as an approved supplier of that cable type. If the manufacturer's name is not spelled out, look for a five-digit CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) Code stamped on the cable. According to recent QPL listings, only three companies made approved versions of RG-223 cable: Coleman Cable Company (CAGE 0JUD5) Rockbestos Suprenant Cable Company (CAGE 90484) Times Microwave Systems, Inc. (CAGE 68999) Some cable vendors are selling "non-silver RG-214 cable" for much less than the genuine M17/75-RG214 stuff, but how do I know that the only difference is a lack of silver? Is the shield coverage exactly the same, with the same number of carriers, ends, and picks per inch? Are all of the diameters the same? Rather than use the same cable-making machinery that is used for precision manufacturing of the Mil-Spec cable, the company probably out-sources the non-silver cable manufacturing to a smaller vendor of unknown reputation. Somehow, a jacket marked "Manufactured for Belden by Billy Bob's Cable Works" does not inspire confidence! Bottom line: Your cable may be every bit as good as the genuine Mil-Spec stuff. Trust, but verify. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Ron Wright Sent: Friday, May 09, 2008 6:56 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Best coax for short jumpers in repeater cabinet? Another good cable for inside a repeater is RG223. It is a double shielded RG58. Best is the silver type, but I have about 400 ft of the non-silver, but still is good. It also has standed center. Ron Wright, N9EE
