On Mon, 22 Feb 2016 11:42:12 -0500, Ralph Mowery wrote:

"DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno" wrote in
message ...
He got most of it right.

As a former installer of a dual system (Cube) (Time/Warner)(Warner/
Amex)We had dual 'siamesed' cables and those used for "drops" had the
messenger strand.

However, ALL of it, indoor, outdoor, drop lines, and UG (underground)
ALL had a braided tin plated copper braid over the foil layers. The
foam core had a laminated immobile foil affixed to it, and then there
was foil and braid over that. I know because foil tears and braid does
not, and the fittings used in the industry get crimped on, and foil
alone will not endure those stresses over time, if not fail
immediately.

But RG-6 can be bought in many different configurations. It is more
about the form factor and physical size and characteristic impedance.
RG-59 was the same impedance but slightly smaller but had a higher
capacitance per foot and could not be used on longer runs, whereas the
RG-6 could perform over greater distances Mainly due to a thicker core
to shield spacing making for a lower parasitic capacitance per foot.

And you got most of that right. The RG number is mostly the physical
size of the cable. The reason rg-6 size is used is for lower losses at
higher frequencies. It is less expensive and able to be bent and
handled in a house easier than the rg-11 size.

Nobody ever used RG-11 in a house. It was always RG-59 and now with the
channel count and digital internet being added, most in-house installs are
RG-6 throughout, unless it is a cheap ass cable company.

It is not mere wire resistance either. The capacitance is also a factor
in why RG-6 is better than RG-59.

The main loss in the cable up; to about 1000 MHz is the resistance loss
of
the conductors.

Another reason why mere foil shielding does not ring true. This is why
the center conductor is not a copper plated steel core, but a copper CLAD
steel core.

By making the center conductor larger there is less
loss. The foil is used to provide a very good shield to keep the RF
inside the cable, and the braid is mainly to provide a way to crimp it
for a good electrical connection.

There are different braid fill levels available. It comes down to what
the cable company wants to spend on their build.