Why Do You Need A Shielded Coaxial Cable?

Coaxial cable is a kind of electric cable commonly used for domestic and commercial devices. It is a typical shielded cable as well. What is a shielded coaxial cable? Simply speaking, a shielded coaxial cable usually has a metallic braided mesh covering the central conductor with insulation. So, why is coaxial cable shielded? What’s the function of coaxial cable shielding? First of all, let’s start with the construction of a coaxial cable.

As you can see from the coaxial cable diagram above, a coaxial cable consists of 4 main parts. A central copper conductor, a dielectric, a shielding, and a PVC jacket. The shielding is surrounding the dielectric in a coaxial cable.

What Is Coaxial Cable Shielding?

There are different types of shielding in an electric cable, combination shields, aluminum foil, braid shields, spiral shields, serve shields and tape Shields. For most coaxial cables like RG6, the shielding is usually a combination of a braided mesh and an aluminum foil.

The aluminum foil is a thin aluminum layer, typically surrounding the dielectric of a coaxial cable. The braided mesh is a metallic mesh woven by Aluminum-magnesium wires. It is usually covering the aluminum foil.

What Is Coaxial Cable Shielding Used For?

Coaxial cable shielding is used to prevent EMI from interfering with the signal during the transmission. The combination of braided mesh and aluminum foil can effectively stop interference from entering the internal coaxial cable. Thus, the signals can remain integrated and free of error.

The outer braided mesh is used to protect the cable from magnetic radiation and the aluminum foil is to prevent electromagnetic radiation.

What Is EMI?

EMI stands for electromagnetic interference. It is a kind of electrical noise caused by electrical devices near the cable transmission. Electromagnetic interference has a great impact on the transmission of signals. It can cause signal loss and signal error, decrease signal transmission quality.

EMI is a common problem with coaxial cables. Therefore, using coaxial cables with high-quality shielding can effectively prevent EMI.

Our Semi-finished Coaxial Cables With Metal Mesh Shield:

Which Is the Best Shielded Coaxial Cable?

The shielding quality of a coaxial cable depends on its amount. The more shielding is, the better the shielding effect will be. Let's take RG6 cable as an instance. 

There are three kinds of RG6 cables according to the shielding amount. They are RG6 standard, RG6 Tri-shield, and RG6 quad shield. Generally, the RG6 standard has a simple two layers of shielding, which is a combination of braided mesh and aluminum foil. RG6 Tri-shield has an extra aluminum foil so it has three layers of shielding inside a coax cable. RG6 quad shield is the coaxial cable that has the best shielding. It has a double combination of braided mesh and aluminum foil, a total of 4 layers of shielding.

RG6 Tri Shield Coaxial Cable

RG6 Quad Shield Coaxial Cable

Which Shielded Coaxial Cable to Use?

Coaxial cables are shielded cables but not all of them have the same performance in preventing interference. Which one to use depends on the applications. For example, for most TV signal transmission, RG6 cable is the ideal option. If you choose RG59 cable, it may cause signal loss as the shielding of RG59 is not as good as RG6.

Where to Buy Best Shielded Coaxial Cables?

New King is a leading manufacturer of coaxial cables with more than 20 years of experience. We provide high-quality coaxial cables including RG6, RG59, RG11, RG6 Tri-shield, RG6 quad shield, RG59+2DC, RG11+M, etc. Besides, our factory can customize the products according to your requirements. Please feel free to contact us at Sales05@kexuncable.com.