Welcome to the new FlexRadio Community! Please review the new Community Rules and other important new Community information on the Message Board.
If you are having a problem, please refer to the product documentation or check the Help Center for known solutions.
Need technical support from FlexRadio? It's as simple as Creating a HelpDesk ticket.

CAT 7 Double Shielded Patch Cable

YV5WZ
YV5WZ Member ✭✭
Fixing my Quiet Noise Station, I'm looking for change my stock CAT cable (original from Flex) , I think is CAT 5....and upgrading  to CAT 7 Shielded to avoid RF plus take my PC away from my Shack.....around 5ft away....

I read some where that STP or SSTP stock cables are good and the shield is interrupted cut off and add a non-shielded connector, someone reccomended to purchase some plastic female-female couplers ...I wonder if I have to buy 2 female-female couplers and  3 sets of CAT 7cables (one to radio and one to PC..or if it is one female-female coupler and 2 set of CAT7 just to go into PC

thanks

George, YV5WZ / PY3ZZZ

Answers

  • James Del Principe
    James Del Principe Member ✭✭
    edited January 2017
    George, CAT 5 or 5e is more than enough and is good for 100 Meters or 328 feet.     When I left my company, we were using CAT 6 for video work over ethernet.    CAT is really overkill and a needless expense. If you use STP and then use non-grounding connectors, where is the advantage?    73, Jim
  • WA2SQQ
    WA2SQQ Member ✭✭
    edited December 2019
    Are you really getting noise from your network connection? I've done a lot of testing and never found any noise related to my Internet connection.

  • N9VC
    N9VC Member ✭✭
    edited March 2017
    I may be off base here, but I think the Hardware manual of the Flex 6XXX
    says to avoid the use of shielded cat cable. It can introduce noise. It's
    on 8.4.1 of the hardware manual.

    73, Jim N9VC
  • KY6LA_Howard
    KY6LA_Howard Member ✭✭✭
    edited January 2017
    STP Is OK as long as you break the shield on ONE end with a Female to Female connector Shielding does help mitigate noise as long as you break the shield at one end to prevent ground loops
  • KY6LA_Howard
    KY6LA_Howard Member ✭✭✭
    edited August 2016
    You break the shield at one end to prevent ground loops
  • KY6LA_Howard
    KY6LA_Howard Member ✭✭✭
    edited August 2016
    Shielding does help
  • N9VC
    N9VC Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    OK, I was just posting what the manufacturer recommended.

    73, Jim N9VC
  • Stan VA7NF
    Stan VA7NF Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016

    Some switches put common mode noise on the cable.  Yesterday I added some beads on an Ethernet microwave extender (on the building/switch side) - Reduced the 20M noise by 20db (while antenna raised), more when lowered.

    The equipment, on the cable side with shield connection, must be properly grounded so the noise is not placed on the shield

  • YV5WZ
    YV5WZ Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Hey Robert...thanks for your question....I'm just gonna move my PC away from my Shack, need a longer cable to connect my flex, and looking  for pro an cons CAT 5 vs CAT 7 / Shielded  vs Non Shielded ....all to get a quiet noise station  following advises

    Greetings

    George 
  • YV5WZ
    YV5WZ Member ✭✭
    edited December 2019
    Thank you Howard!!!  Thumb up
  • KY6LA_Howard
    KY6LA_Howard Member ✭✭✭
    edited August 2016
    Cat 5 vs Cat 7 Cat 7 is rated at higher speed than Cat 5. But if you are only running 100Mb/s. cat5 is ok Shielded will keep the common mode noise down
  • James Del Principe
    James Del Principe Member ✭✭
    edited August 2016
    Not if it isn't grounded and besides, Cat 7 really is overkill.
  • KY6LA_Howard
    KY6LA_Howard Member ✭✭✭
    edited August 2016
    You ground ONE side of the cable and use a non grounding F-F Coupler to remove the ground from the second side to eliminate ground loops.
  • Jay Nation
    Jay Nation Member ✭✭
    edited May 2019
    All

    STP == Belt & Suspenders approach.

    The TP in STP stands for twisted pair.

    Twisted Pair == Suspenders
    Twisted pair itself rejects common mode noise.

    Sheilded == Belt approach.

    The S in STP stands for sheilded.

    The Shield if properly grounded, will send common mode noise to ground, before it can reach the twisted pair. The path to ground for the shield should be on the side opposite the equipment your trying protect from the common noise. But the equipment opposite will need to be grounded, otherwise the common noise carrying shield will now wrap the twisted pair rather tightly with the common noise your trying to eliminate.

    The Suspenders alone ought to keep your pants up. 
    The Belt alone ought to keep your pants up, too.

    The Belt & Suspenders approach might be necessary when your carrying a lot of heavy junk around in your pockets.  

    If all else fails try Superglue, Or, follow the guidance these HelpDesk articles provide.

    https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us/articles/204779159-Grounding-Systems-in-the-Ham-Shack-Paradigms-Facts-and-Fallacies

    https://helpdesk.flexradio.com/hc/en-us/articles/202274599-How-to-Build-a-Quiet-Station-for-Better-Reception

    Nothing wrong with Belt & Suspenders! image

     SDRgadgets

    73, Jay - NO5J

  • Peter K1PGV
    Peter K1PGV Member ✭✭✭
    edited June 2020
    If you're gonna spend the money on CAT 7 STP, why not just go for a fiber optic cable connection? Just sayin... Peter K1PGV
  • YV5WZ
    YV5WZ Member ✭✭
    edited December 2019
    Thanks Peter for your advise, it is just for connect my flex 6300 to my PC .  I'm taking my PC away from Shack around 7-10 feet.....however I will look Fiber optic just for fun :)

    Greetings


    George, YV5WZ /  PY3ZZZ


  • Corey/ KC0YNS
    Corey/ KC0YNS Member
    edited June 2020
    Closer look, Here you go......This is for the two pack....69.00  plus the few dollar cable....Worth the money spent.... 

     10/100/1000Base-FX (SC) MultiMode to 10/100/1000Base-TX Gigabit 850nm Media Converter Kit (2pcs/pack)

    Plus the advantage of Lighting protection, At least from incoming through your computer....That's my reason behind it, For remote use.
    Good Luck, KC0YNS   
  • Peter K1PGV
    Peter K1PGV Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    You use one of these? $70 for the pair is a bargain, if the darn things work. Peter K1PGV
  • Corey/ KC0YNS
    Corey/ KC0YNS Member
    edited August 2016
    Peter, Yes both myself and AA0KM who owns a 6500 have used a pair of these and they worked great.
  • Peter K1PGV
    Peter K1PGV Member ✭✭✭
    edited December 2016
    I think I'll pick a pair up for myself then.

    Thanks much.

    VY 73 de K1PGV
  • YV5WZ
    YV5WZ Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Corey 
    do you have a picture from your shack ?
    what brand did you buy?

    Greetings


    George, YV5WZ / PY3ZZZ
  • Corey/ KC0YNS
    Corey/ KC0YNS Member
    edited August 2016
    http://www.pimfg.com/Product-Detail/MC-SC-1000K-13

    Hope this helps....The price is for the pair....69.00

    Picture wont show much because they are fairly small,  2 box's with blinking lights. My set up is using two 12 inch cat 6 cables with the metal shield on the rj45 jacks removed. one goes from the media box to the 24 port switch the other media box to the Flex 6300 with a 5 ft fiber cable between them make sure you order the correct fiber cable in the length you want.. 

      http://www.pimfg.com/Product-Detail/SC-SC-3M
  • YV5WZ
    YV5WZ Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Thanks Corey....Your advises have been wonderful...I really like all concept, so I will copy it!!  ;-)

    23 Ft fiber cable is the only difference I think

    Is easy to remove the metal shield on the RJ45? 

    Thanks

    George, YV5WZ / PY3ZZZ
  • YV5WZ
    YV5WZ Member ✭✭
    edited December 2016
    Hey Pete 

    I will go for fiber optic

    ;-)

    George
  • Corey/ KC0YNS
    Corey/ KC0YNS Member
    edited August 2016
    Yes, Very easy... Good luck

Leave a Comment

Rich Text Editor. To edit a paragraph's style, hit tab to get to the paragraph menu. From there you will be able to pick one style. Nothing defaults to paragraph. An inline formatting menu will show up when you select text. Hit tab to get into that menu. Some elements, such as rich link embeds, images, loading indicators, and error messages may get inserted into the editor. You may navigate to these using the arrow keys inside of the editor and delete them with the delete or backspace key.