How to test coax cable?
To test a coaxial cable, you can visually inspect it for damage. If you can't judge by its appearance, you can use a coaxial cable tester, or test for continuity and shorts with a multimeter. The following will tell you how to test coax cable. Let's start with the question of "What is coax cable".
What is coax cable?
Coaxial cable (coax) is an electrical cable with an inner conductor, surrounded by a concentric shield and dielectric insulator. It is used to transmit high-frequency signals with low losses in applications like TV, internet, radio systems, and security cameras. It eliminates signal interference efficiently.
How to detect coax cable?
Check by appearance visually
First, you need to check whether the cable has any signs of physical damage, such as cuts, kinks, or crush marks. Secondly, you need to check whether the connector is loose or corroded. If there are any of the above conditions, it can basically be confirmed that the cable needs to be replaced.
Test with a multimeter
Continuity Test
Set your multimeter to the continuity mode and connect one probe to the center conductor at one end of the cable, and the other probe to the center conductor at the opposite end. If you hear a beep or see a reading, it indicates continuity. Repeat the same process for the shield (outer conductor). If both tests show a reading, the cable is likely in good condition.
Short Test
Set your multimeter to the resistance mode (or continuity if available). Start by connecting one probe to the center conductor and the other to the shield at the same end of the cable. You should see a high resistance reading or hear no beep, which indicates there's no short. If you get a low resistance reading or hear a beep, this signals a short in the cable.
Test with Cable Analyzer
The cable quality analyzer mainly tests the length of wires and cables, the resistance value of cable conductors, and the temperature and humidity, so as to analyze and evaluate the material, cross-sectional area, length, and electric pulse propagation speed of wires and cables, and detect whether the cables meet the requirements. It adopts industrial control integrated machine display and touch screen operation, internal high-speed CPU control and high-speed AD sampling, and AI automatically analyzes the test results and generates reports. It also has manual test function and automatic test function.
Click here to learn more about Cable Quality Analyzer.
If you don't want try these ways, you can use a cable fault tester.
