Types of Cell Phone Signal Booster Cables (50 & 75 Ohm), How to Calculate Cable Length, and Installation Tips.

There are mainly 3 types of cell phone signal booster cables:

RG-6, RG-11, and Wilson-400 or SureCall-400 cables. The main differences between these is the cable loss they incur and the cable connector they use.

RG6 is the one found installed in many homes as a standard for cable or satellite TV. It uses a type "F" connector and is a 75 Ohm system cable. It is recommended for homes or smaller installations. It is not recommended for commercial or industrial installations due to higher signal loss.

RG11 also uses a type "F" connector and is a 75 Ohm system cable. It is recommended for residential or smaller commercial applications because it does incur cable loss higher than the Wilson-400 that is detailed below.

Wilson400 cable or SureCall 400 cables are much thicker and more durable than the previous two types of cables discussed above. It uses a type "N" connector and is a 50 Ohm system cable. Due to its least amount of signal loss feature, it is recommended for large commercial and industrial cell phone signal amplifier installations using WilsonPro or SureCall amplifier kits. It is also recommended whe splitting cables to multiple broadcast antennas.

There're more types of cables available like LMR600 and Plenum cables. Please contact us for details about these Plenum & LMR-600 cables. Watch the video below for more detailed explanation of all of the above details and how to calculate cable length as well as installation tips such as use of a lightning surge protector as insurance policy to protect your investment in your cellular amplifier system.

Transcript: Today we're going to talk about amplifier cable. We will go over the different types of cables available, the difference between 75 and 50 Ohm cables, how to calculate your max cable length, and some installation tips. We're joined here by a certified installer and he's going to walk us through everything.

Well, there are many types of cables on the market today but there are primarily three types of cables that you will encounter when installing a signal amplifier: RG6, RG11, and Wilson 400. The main differences between these cables are cable loss and the connectors they use.

RG6 cable is what you will find installed in many homes as the standard for cable or satellite TV. RG6 has a cable loss of 5.5 dB at 700 megahertz and 9.5 dB 1at00 megahertz per hundred feet. This type of cable uses F connectors and is a 75 Ohm cable. RG6 is recommended for homes or smaller installs. We do not recommend RG6 for commercial jobs or for lengths of over 50 feet due to excessive signal loss.

RG11 cable looks like as shown in video and has a loss of 4.5 dB at 700 megahertz and 6.5 dB for 2100 megahertz per hundred feet. RG11 also uses S connectors and is a 75 Ohm cable. We recommend the RG11 for residential or smaller commercial applications as it has less cable loss than the RG6.

Wilson 400 cable looks as shown in video. You can see that it is much thicker and more durable than other two cables. Wilson 400 cable has a loss of 3.5 dB at 700 megahertz and 6 dB at 2100 megahertz per hundred feet. This type of cable uses N connectors and is a 50 Ohm cable. The Wilson 400 cable is ideal for commercial applications. We also recommend this cable for when you are splitting into multiple broadcast antennas. Also you can use this cable for when your incoming signal is okay to poor.

There are more commercial grade cables available in 50 Ohm like LMR600 cable and Plenum cable. If you would like to know more about these, please give us a call and we will answer all your questions. So what is the difference between 50 and 75 Ohm cable? 75 Ohm cable is CEDIA industry standard while 50 Ohm cable is commercial industry standard. 50 Ohm cable has slightly less cable loss per hundred feet of cable. You can determine your max cable length by taking your incoming signal reading, then subtracting any losses from cable splitters and any other accessories. Add in how much your amplifier boosts the signal as well as any gain from antennas and you have got your final number. This number shows you how much signal you will be providing throughout the building. In general, it is ideal for the signal coming into the amplifier to be 70 dB or better.

Also consider the amplifier you're installing and what type of connectors it has. You will need to either run the cable with the corresponding connectors or use adapters to connect your cable to the amplifier. We suggest you keep your cable runs under a hundred feet from the amplifier to the antenna if possible. If you do have to go further than that, make sure you are using Wilson 400 cable to minimize cable loss.

As an insurance policy, be sure to install a lightning surge protector just in case lightning strikes your donor antenna. These are very low loss so you don't have to worry about them affecting the signal much and they come with a replaceable gas discharge element. In the case of a lightning strike, the electricity travels down the cable to the lightning surge protector and is discharged at that point, protecting all of your downstream equipment. You simply need to replace the discharge element and you're back up and running.