On 04/06/05 23:21 ET, Slimfoot said...
I'm confused. If RG6 is for RF, why do SAT and
Cable companies use it for video?
There is a confusion of terms here.
When we (WE) say video, we mean the stuff that comes out of a camera, or the yellow RCA jack of a DVD player, or even the green, blue and red RCA jacks of a DVD player. Or a VGA connector. Or BNC connector(s).
However, I have in my warehouse a multiple video switcher with about fifteen F connectors on the back. But those are RF connectors!
In the early days of video (whoops, now I mean any and all television-displayed stuff and all associated technology), there were very few actual VIDEO inputs (yellow jack), so manufacturers took the video signals inside the circuits, modulated them (which is, put them into about a two buck ($) TV station inside the VCR or whatever) to channel 3, then you worked with that.
At that level, yes, video uses RG-6. But calling that video is a confusing misnomer. That is RF, which means Radio Frequencies.
(Composite) Video as we use it goes from sync signals at basically 60 Hz up to about 6 mHz; Channel 3, on the other hand, is THAT signal modulated at around 54 mHz...which qualifies as Radio Frequencies.
Do not be confused by the confusing fact that AM radio is actually radio frequencies and yet it only goes up to 1.7 mHz; the radio frequencies used for radio overlap with the non-radio frequencies used for video...and you will just have to get used to that.
Anyway, if you hear a supposed professional talk about video and RG-6, or video and F connectors, it is very likely that they are parroting what they have been taught, and they have been taught just barely enough to ensure their employer that a good quick installation will be made. These will not be people who can answer questions or who have any insight into what or how or why.
