What cable should be used, and when should you use antenna boosters.

Why is picking the correct cable important?

• Signal Integrity: The right cable ensures that the signal from your transmitter to the receiver remains strong and clear. Incorrect or low-quality cables can lead to significant signal loss, resulting in dropouts and noise bursts.

• Length and Loss: The length of the cable affects signal strength. Longer cables can introduce more signal loss, so it’s important to use low-loss cables for longer runs to maintain signal quality.

• Durability and Reliability: High-quality cables are built to withstand the rigors of regular use, reducing the risk of damage and ensuring consistent performance over time.

• Impedance: In most cases 50 ohm cable should be used. 50 ohm cable Offers a good balance between power handling and signal attenuation, making it suitable for applications requiring high power handling capacity. 50 ohm cable is what is typically used in RF applications.

Picking the right cable for your application.

Depending on the use case, there's different types of coax cable for different types of situations. Here we will focus on 2 types of coax cable.

• RG 8x

  • Diameter: 6.8 mm
  • Usage: Suitable for medium length runs and mobile installations.
  • Signal Loss: Lower loss compared to RG 58, making it better for higher frequencies and longer distances.
  • Power Handling: Higher power handling than RG 58, suitable for moderate power applications

• RG 58

  • Diameter: 6.15 mm
  • Usage: Commonly used for short cable runs and mobile installations.
  • Signal Loss: Higher loss compared to RG 8x, making it less suitable for long runs or high-frequency applications.
  • Power Handling: Suitable for lower power applications.

Antenna Boosters

Before buying some antenna boosters, verify that your system needs them. So , when should you use antenna boosters? 

• Long Cable Runs: If your antenna cables are longer than 10 meters / 30 feet, you might need boosters to compensate for signal loss over the distance. Lower loss cable such as RG8X can help to overcome cable loss and avoid the need for boosters. 
  
  
• Passive Splitters: splitters introduce loss into a system (approximately 3dB per 1:2 split) and boosters can help to overcome splitter loss. Most Sennheiser splitters are active splitters which mean the booster is already built in. 

Active antennas such as the AD 3700 and A 3700 already have boosters built in.

Down below are a couple of antenna boosters that Sennheiser has to offer.

• EW-D AB

  • Bolsters your system’s RF signal strength by +10dB

  • Selectivity ensures that all RF signals within the specified frequency range are amplified, while outside frequencies are attenuated
    
    

• AB 3700

  • Up to 15dB Amplification

  • Bypass Switch

  • Standard 3/8" or 5/8" Mount

It is important to remember that you should not use antenna boosters to overcome a poor antenna choice or antenna placement. If the received signal at the antenna is already too low, a booster will not help, since the booster will amplify the signal and the noise-floor, so signal-to-noise will not be improved.

If you are still unsure about whether you need antenna boosters or not, please contact our support team for further advice. 

For more information, please visit us at www.sennheiser.com