Overview
Compare RG58, RG316 and LMR400 coax cables for RF links and antenna installations.
Key points
- RG58 is a general-purpose cable for short RF runs.
- RG316 is useful for short internal pigtails.
- LMR400 is better for long outdoor runs.
- Use the coax loss calculator before choosing cable length.
Practical advice
RF cable choice can strongly affect real range. At 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, even short poor-quality cables can lose significant power.
Common mistakes
Common mistakes include using long thin coax, adding too many adapters, confusing SMA and RP-SMA, and ignoring cable loss in the link budget.