Cheap RG8X

Overview

While prepping my gobox for field deployment, I realized I needed a longer coax run. After checking my supplies, the only option I had was some LMR-240, which felt too heavy and rigid for a 30-foot pole setup. I thought about trying a budget off-brand RG8X but was concerned about potential signal loss on the HF bands (3.5MHz–29MHz).

Test Equipment

I conducted all tests with my GenComm CG747A, calibrated between 5MHz–29MHz and 100MHz–500MHz. For the coax sweep, I performed a "thru" measurement, using an N-Type to SO239 adapter on each end of the 50-foot spool. The HF sweep scale was set to 0dB–1dB, and for the VHF/UHF sweep, I used a 0dB–3dB scale.

Image 1: 5mHz-29mHz Sweep

Image 2: 100mHz-500mHz Sweep

Summary

This coax performs poorly on VHF/UHF, with around 3dB of loss on UHF and 2dB on VHF (meaning you lose roughly half of your forward power on UHF and a third on VHF). For affordable but decent HF coax, this option on Amazon is a solid choice. If the link breaks, just search Amazon for "RG8X Coaxial Cable." I've also heard that this other Amazon option has better build quality, though I haven't tested it personally.