RE: CAT5 Cable: Stranded vs Solid

["Keith Doxey" <ukha@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi John,

you should be getting SOLID CAT5 for installation.
Stranded CAT5 is used for Patch cables and is about 3 times the price. It
also has higher losses than solid CAT5.

Terminating stranded cable in punchdowns results in a poor termination as
the strands move away from the blades in the punchdown and only have a
surface contact which can oxidise over time, whereas a solid core is
"bitten" into by the blades which results in an airtight
termination giving
a "cold-welded" joint which should be totally trouble free.

Likewise, using solid cable for patch cords is a bad idea because it does
not flex well and will eventually fracture. The termination in crimp on
plugs is a small blade which forces its way into the centre of the stranded
core of patch cable. With a solid cable the core will at best move to one
side of the blade giving only a glancing contact and at worse will actually
cut through the core completely.

CT100 is what you should be using for RF distribution.
RG6 is what the Americans tend to use but it is not a good as CT100.
PF100 sounds similar to CT100 but could just be a different brand or it
could be a higher quality cable.

CT100 will be fine.

Hope that helps

Keith


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Benfield, John (ITD) [mailto:john.benfield@xxxxxxx]
> Subject: [ukha_d] CAT5 Cable: Stranded vs Solid
>
>
> I'm about to place an order for some CAT5 cable to wire my house, I am
> correct in assuming that I should be getting stranded cable rather
than
> solid?
>
> Also, I'm looking at coax cable and there appears to be three type
CT100,
> RG6 and PF100. Prices for 100m are roughly 9.49, 10.97 and 21.20.
> What's the
> difference and is it worth paying for. It'll be used for the runs
> from a Sky
> dish to the box and general distribution around the house (yes I
> know I can
> do this via CAT5 etc, but I'm installing both).
>