Skip to content
ARE YOU A PROFESSIONAL ICT PROVIDER? Click here to find out how MS Distribution has changed, and what this means for you.
ARE YOU A PROFESSIONAL ICT PROVIDER? Click here to find out how MS Distribution has changed, and what this means for you.
RF Wireless Cables
March 5, 2024 Kelly Bell

RF Wireless Cables

Choosing a cable for your antenna is straightforward. We offer three types of high-quality cable (shown below in bold). We strongly recommend best practice as follows:

  • Use ONLY waterproof cable.
  • Do NOT use 'lossy' cable (RG58, RG174) unless you want to lose some signal,  perhaps  to meet maximum radiation of 20 dBm as EC regulations require.
  • ALWAYS use heat shrink and self-amalgamating tape over all connectors to seal cables from water ingress. 99% of antenna problems are because water has got into the antenna cables.
  • Keep antenna cables as SHORT as possible. 5 metres of type 195 loses 3 dB, i.e. 50% of the signal. Use Power Over Ethernet to get the radio very close to the antenna and use a short antenna cable if possible
Cable type Connector types Waterproof Loss per metre Diameter Fragile Price
      2.4GHz 5.8GHz      
RG 174
(not suitable for wireless use)		 MCX, MMCX, Lucent Yes 2.5 dB Unknown 3 mm Yes Very Cheap
RG 58
(not suitable for wireless use)		 SMA, BNC, TNC
(and reverse versions)		 Yes 1.5 dB Unknown 5 mm Yes Cheap
Type 195 SMA, BNC, TNC
(and reverse versions)		 Yes 0.62 dB 0.98 dB 5 mm Strong and Flexible Inexpensive
RG213 N Yes 0.5 dB Unknown 11 mm Strong More Expensive
Type 400 N, SMA, TNC Yes 0.22 dB 0.35 dB 11 mm Strong More Expensive
Type 600 N Yes 0.14 dB 2.38 dB 15 mm Very Strong More Expensive
Type 600 
Leaky Feeder		 N Yes Designed to leak evenly 15 mm Very Strong Replaces Antenna
Filed in: Support Articles
Previous article Simply Scalable Security
Next article MS Dist Download February