How to choose the best rf test cable(4）？

Installing a sheath for the cable helps to avoid damage caused by squeezing, excessive bending or twisting, but in general, the flexible sheath cannot avoid the damage caused by twisting... This is also a failure of the rf connector/coaxial cable assembly Common causes. Finally, the only most effective way is to train how to use and maintain it correctly to achieve high efficiency and long service life.

Strategies for choosing the right microwave test cable
Customer requirements for specifications and performance are always constantly changing. This is not uncommon. It is normal to hope that the best requirements can be achieved in all aspects. Therefore, pre-customized strategies can help us to screen faster. We will classify some of the more commonly used parameters in Table 1.

This list is not comprehensive, and not every parameter is designed for testing cables. For example, power handling decreases as altitude increases. If power is the preferred consideration, and the maximum power of the selected cable is close to the minimum demand, we may need to consider whether the product is used at high altitudes. A cable for outdoor use needs to consider the possibility of being exposed to moisture, and also needs to be able to resist ultraviolet rays. Moisture resistance will affect the choice of sma connector structure (recommended to use internal and external enclosed air cushions) and cable selection (recommended Times LMR-db waterproof braided structure). Anti-ultraviolet properties require special chemicals in the sheath material. The final application will determine which material to use.

First of all, we need to select the most suitable cable structure or technology to narrow the search range of suppliers. This structure or technology needs to meet the necessary parameters and indicators as much as possible. For example, if 250,000 bending life is the highest priority, semi-rigid coaxial cable is not a suitable choice, and related technologies or suppliers can be ignored. However, large companies such as Times Microwave Systems can manufacture cables that use more than one technology or material, such as solid foamed polyethylene, wrapped PTFE, and existing silica. We can provide more options.

In short, we should remember that the more parameters that need to be considered, the higher the requirements for that parameter, the more detailed research and the higher the cost and/or the longer the cycle.

Customers will insist that products achieve the best loss, bending radius and bending life, which can only be achieved through modern technology. While these become important factors, a study on the requirements of key indicators shows that for a one-foot-long cable, at 1GHz frequency, the loss of the application of solid PTFE dielectric cable is not bad, and the bending life does not need to be very long. The length or bending radius does not need to be small. Electrical stability during bending is actually very important, but it is often overlooked. A typical cable failure mode is that the rf connector breaks before the cable is damaged due to constant bending.

Related Articles:

1. How to choose the best rf test cable(1）？

2. How to choose the best rf test cable(2）？

3. How to choose the best rf test cable(3）？

4. How to choose the best rf test cable(5）？