Jeff Liebermann wrote:

On Thu, 6 Dec 2012 06:55:45 -0800 (PST), Bob Simon
wrote:

On Monday, December 3, 2012 11:12:39 AM UTC-6, Jeff Liebermann wrote:
RG-59/u is usually garbage. Good enough for indoor patch cable use,
but not much else. I strongly suggest RG-6/u with waterproof
compression (not crimp) connectors.
(snip)
Note that there are different types of RG-6/u which require slightly
different compression connectors. A connector made for RG-59/u will
not work with RG-6/u.

Yesterday, the electrician replaced my old run of RG-59 with RG-6 cable.
The box is labeled: CB1B06DSCR0-05.

That would be Perfect Vision RG-6/u made for DirecTV. 60% braid over
aluminum foil. Black. I couldn't find any specs on the stuff, but I
probably have some at home.

The cable is marked with "E83032 F6SSVV".

The full name and number is:
MEDIAONE E83032 F6SSVV-CRD CATV
It's made by Comscope for Media One CATV. Quad shielded and very
similar to the Perfect Vision cable. As before, no specs, so I can
determine connector compatibility.

Can all types of RG-6 cable use the same compression connectors?

Both cables are fairly generic and a generic RG-6/u compression
connector will certainly fit. There are some exotic RG-6/u "type" of
cables, which will cause fit problems, but you're unlikely to run into
those. You'll find compression connectors retail at Home Depot or
online. Just make sure you get those for RG-6/u and *NOT* for
RG-59/u.


Quad shield requires a larger outer diameter than standard RG/6. The
center is the same size, but the extra layer of braid & the second foil
makes for a larger OD. I've seen people peel back the two outer shield
layers to use regular connectors, or fold all four back on themselves
without the jacket. Sloppy, can pull out, or flexing will break the
shield.


There are major differences in the size and construction of the
connectors, which causes problems getting them to fit in the
compression tools. The tool I previously mentioned seems to work with
everything I've blundered across. There are better and cheaper tools,
but you run into the risk of buying a connector and not having a
suitable tool. There's no easy way to do this without the compression
tool, so make sure that they match.

If not, is it sufficient to determine if the outside diameter
of the cable is the same?

No. The critical dimension is the diameter of the insulating
dielectric surrounding the center conductor.

Bob Simon
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558