Re: CAT5 Cable: Stranded vs Solid

["John Benfield" <john.benfield@xxxxxxxxx>]

Keith,

Thanks. The odd thing is that the cheapest cable I can fine at the
moment is from Screwfix and is stranded (so they say). I'll have
another look around and see what else I can turn up.

JB

--- In ukha_d@xxxxxxx, "Keith Doxey" <ukha@d...> wrote:
> Hi John,
>
> you should be getting SOLID CAT5 for installation.
> Stranded CAT5 is used for Patch cables and is about 3 times the
price. It
> also has higher losses than solid CAT5.
>
> Terminating stranded cable in punchdowns results in a poor
termination as
> the strands move away from the blades in the punchdown and only
have a
> surface contact which can oxidise over time, whereas a solid core
is
> "bitten" into by the blades which results in an airtight
termination giving
> a "cold-welded" joint which should be totally trouble free.
>
> Likewise, using solid cable for patch cords is a bad idea because
it does
> not flex well and will eventually fracture. The termination in
crimp on
> plugs is a small blade which forces its way into the centre of the
stranded
> core of patch cable. With a solid cable the core will at best move
to one
> side of the blade giving only a glancing contact and at worse will
actually
> cut through the core completely.
>
> CT100 is what you should be using for RF distribution.
> RG6 is what the Americans tend to use but it is not a good as
CT100.
> PF100 sounds similar to CT100 but could just be a different brand
or it
> could be a higher quality cable.
>
> CT100 will be fine.
>
> Hope that helps
>
> Keith
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Benfield, John (ITD) [mailto:john.benfield@r...]
> > Subject: [ukha_d] CAT5 Cable: Stranded vs Solid
> >
> >
> > I'm about to place an order for some CAT5 cable to wire my
house, I am
> > correct in assuming that I should be getting stranded cable
rather than
> > solid?
> >
> > Also, I'm looking at coax cable and there appears to be three
type CT100,
> > RG6 and PF100. Prices for 100m are roughly 9.49, 10.97 and 21.20.
> > What's the
> > difference and is it worth paying for. It'll be used for the runs
> > from a Sky
> > dish to the box and general distribution around the house (yes I
> > know I can
> > do this via CAT5 etc, but I'm installing both).
> >