RG-58
Encyclopedia
RG-58/U is a type of coaxial cable
Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...

 often used for low-power signal and RF
Radio frequency
Radio frequency is a rate of oscillation in the range of about 3 kHz to 300 GHz, which corresponds to the frequency of radio waves, and the alternating currents which carry radio signals...

 connections. The cable has a characteristic impedance
Characteristic impedance
The characteristic impedance or surge impedance of a uniform transmission line, usually written Z_0, is the ratio of the amplitudes of a single pair of voltage and current waves propagating along the line in the absence of reflections. The SI unit of characteristic impedance is the ohm...

 of either 50 or 52 Ω. "RG" was originally a unit indicator for bulk RF cable in the U.S. military's Joint Electronics Type Designation System
Joint Electronics Type Designation System
The Joint Electronics Type Designation System , which was previously known as the Joint Army-Navy Nomenclature System and the Joint Communications-Electronics Nomenclature System, is a method developed by the U.S. War Department during World War II for assigning an unclassified designator to...

. There are several versions covering the differences in core material (solid or braided wire) and shield (70% to 95% coverage).

The outside diameter of RG-58 is around 0.2 inches (5mm).
Plain RG-58 cable has a solid center conductor.
The RG-58A/U features a flexible 7 or 19 strand center conductor.

Most two-way radio
Two-way radio
A two-way radio is a radio that can both transmit and receive , unlike a broadcast receiver which only receives content. The term refers to a personal radio transceiver that allows the operator to have a two-way conversation with other similar radios operating on the same radio frequency...

 communication systems, such as marine, CB radio, amateur
Amateur radio
Amateur radio is the use of designated radio frequency spectrum for purposes of private recreation, non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, and emergency communication...

, police, fire, WLAN
Wireless LAN
A wireless local area network links two or more devices using some wireless distribution method , and usually providing a connection through an access point to the wider internet. This gives users the mobility to move around within a local coverage area and still be connected to the network...

 antennas etc., are designed to work with 50 Ω cable.

RG-58 cable is often used as a generic carrier of signals in laboratories, combined with BNC connector
BNC connector
The BNC connector ' is a common type of RF connector used for coaxial cable. It is used with radio, television, and other radio-frequency electronic equipment, test instruments, video signals, and was once a popular computer network connector. BNC connectors are made to match the characteristic...

s that are common on test and measurement equipment such as oscilloscope
Oscilloscope
An oscilloscope is a type of electronic test instrument that allows observation of constantly varying signal voltages, usually as a two-dimensional graph of one or more electrical potential differences using the vertical or 'Y' axis, plotted as a function of time,...

s.

RG-58 in versions RG-58A/U or RG-58C/U was once widely used in "thin" Ethernet
Ethernet
Ethernet is a family of computer networking technologies for local area networks commercially introduced in 1980. Standardized in IEEE 802.3, Ethernet has largely replaced competing wired LAN technologies....

 (10BASE2
10BASE2
10BASE2 is a variant of Ethernet that uses thin coaxial cable , terminated with BNC connectors...

), where it provides a maximum segment length of 185 meters. However, it has been almost completely replaced by twisted pair cabling such as category 5
Category 5
Category 5 may refer to:*Category 5 , an album from rock band, FireHouse*Category 5 cable, used for carrying data*Category 5 computer virus, as classified by Symantec Corporation*Category 5 Records, a record label...

 and similar cable in data networking applications.

RG-58 cable can be used for moderately high frequencies. Its signal attenuation depends on the frequency, e.g. from 0.11 dB/m at 50 MHz to 1.4 dB/m at 2 GHz.

See also

  • RG-59
    RG-59
    RG-59/U is a specific type of coaxial cable, often used for low-power video and RF signal connections. The cable has a characteristic impedance of 75 ohms. The 75 ohm impedance matches a dipole antenna in free space. "RG" was originally a unit indicator for bulk radio frequency cable in the...

     -- A similar cable but with an impedance of 75 Ω
  • Coaxial cable
    Coaxial cable
    Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...

  • BNC connector
    BNC connector
    The BNC connector ' is a common type of RF connector used for coaxial cable. It is used with radio, television, and other radio-frequency electronic equipment, test instruments, video signals, and was once a popular computer network connector. BNC connectors are made to match the characteristic...

    -- common connector for RG-58 cables
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