Prepare The Antenna Cables - KVH Industries tracphone v3ip Installation Manual

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Prepare the Antenna Cables

Follow these steps to prepare and route the RF
and power/data cables.
Prepare the Customer's RF Cables
You need to connect two 75 RF coax cables
from the antenna to the belowdecks ICM. Refer
to Figure 14 to determine the type of cables and
connectors required for your cable run. Then
prepare both of them as described below.
IMPORTANT!
• RF cables must be rated for 75, not 50.
• Do not use RG-6 cable, as it will damage
the system. Use of any cables not specified
in Figure 14 will void the warranty.
• Low-quality, poorly terminated, or
improperly installed RF cables are the
most common cause of system problems.
Terminate all RF cables with high-quality
"F" connectors using the proper
stripping/crimping tools, exactly to the
manufacturer's specifications. See page 35
for instructions on terminating LMR cables.
• Make sure the center conductor pin at
each end of the finished cables is 1/4"
(0.20"-0.28") (5-7 mm) in length, measured
from inside the nut to the tip, to ensure
proper engagement.
• (LMR cables only) Make sure there is no
gap between the end of the cable jacket
and the start of the connector.
• Each RF cable run must not exceed 6.5 dB
of insertion loss. Keep in mind that an in-
line connector adds at least 0.2 dB of loss.
• When determining cable lengths, don't
forget to account for service loops, 14"
(35 cm) in diameter, at each end.
NOTE: If you only need to run RG-11 RF cables, you
may terminate one end of each with a right-angle
connector, or use pre-terminated 50 ft (15 m) RG-11
cables from KVH (KVH part no. 32-1087-50), and
omit the pigtail cables described in the next section.
Figure 14: RF Cable Requirements
15-50 ft (5-15 m) Cable Run
Cable RG-11
(KVH part no. 32-1087-50)
Loss: 0.084 dB/ft (0.276 dB/m)
Connector Right-angle: ICM FS11RA*
Straight: Belden SNS11AS*
Tools Right-angle: Cable Pro PS11 and
CPLCCT-SS59/11
Straight: Belden CST596711 and
L3011B (KVH part no. 72-0493)
Strip
Lengths
51-100 ft (16-30 m) Cable Run
Cable LMR-400-75
(KVH part no. 32-0944-0100)
Loss: 0.06 dB/ft (0.195 dB/m)
Connector Times Microwave EZ-400-FMH-75*
Tools Times Microwave TK-400EZ-75
(KVH part no. 72-0374-75**)
Strip
Lengths
101-150 ft (31-45 m) Cable Run
Cable LMR-600-75
(KVH part no. 32-0945-0150)
Loss: 0.04 dB/ft (0.13 dB/m)
Connector Times Microwave EZ-600-FMH-75*
Tools Times Microwave TK-600EZ
(KVH part no. 72-0375-75**)
Strip
Lengths
* Cables from KVH include the proper connectors.
** LMR tool kits from KVH include a torque wrench.
0.064" (1.63 mm) dia.
0.25" (6.35 mm)
0.5" (12.7 mm)
0.065" (1.65 mm) dia.
0.170" (4.32 mm)
0.340" (8.64 mm)
0.790" (20.07 mm)
0.108" (2.74 mm) dia.
0.250" (6.35 mm)
0.375" (9.53 mm)
0.870" (22.10 mm)
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