Cheap RG8X

Overview

Recently, I was getting ready to deploy my gobox in the field and realized I needed a longer run of coax. I checked my cache and only could find some LMR-240 which would be too heavy/stiff to run up the 30ft pole. I wanted to give some cheap off-brand RG8X a shot but was worried about loss on the HF bands (3.5mHz-29mHz).

Test Equipment

All tests were conducted using my GenComm CG747A with calibration between 5mHz-29mHz and 100mHz-500mHz. The coax sweep was done as a "thru" measurement with an N-Type <> SO239 adapter on each end of the 50ft spool. The scale for the HF sweep was 0dB-1dB and 0dB-3dB on the V/U sweep.

Image 1: 5mHz-29mHz Sweep

Image 2: 100mHz-500mHz Sweep

Summary

This coax is not very performant on VHF/UHF. As you can see there is ~3dB of loss on UHF and ~2dB on VHF (1/2 of you forward power is lost on UHF and 1/3 on VHF). If you're looking for cheap but decent HF coax, this Amazon one is a good choice. If that link becomes broken, just search Amazon for "RG8x Coaxial Cable". I was also informed that this other Amazon one has better physical quality but I have not tested it.