How to Identify an RG6 Cable
Identifying an RG6 cable can be daunting. When faced with a mob of cables on the side of your house, it can be overwhelming. Having RG6 cable in your house will provide a stronger signal and make your high-definition television picture as clear as real life. There are a few ways to identify an RG6 cable within that mob of coaxial jumble.
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Things You'll Need
- Wire cutters
- Coaxial cable strippers
- Compression tool
- RG59 compression fitting
- RG6 compression fitting
Instructions
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1
Look at the cable itself. A lot of cable manufacturers put the information on the coaxial cable. If there's no writing, observe the thickness of the cable. A very skinny and overly flexible cable will not be RG6. An RG6 coaxial cable is stiff due to the thicker white plastic inside.
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2
Go by feel and observation, then cut the wire with wire cutters and look at the white surrounding the copper wire in the middle. An indication of an RG6 cable is the thickness of the white plastic around the copper wire.
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3
Use a coaxial cable stripper set to strip an RG6 cable. Set the cable into the strippers and clamp it down. Turn the strippers about four or five times in each direction. If the cable is stripped properly (bare copper wire, and then silver wire surrounding the white plastic, and then the black or white plastic coat), it's an RG6 cable. If the strippers don't cut at the cable at all, you likely have RG59 cable (an old cable used in older homes that doesn't send a strong enough signal for high-definition television).
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Have an example of an RG6 cable given to you so that you can compare the cables. Once you determine if your cable is RG6 or RG59, attach the correct compression fitting and use the compression tool to secure the fittings to the end of the cable.
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If you're still unsure, have the cable technician come out and take a look. Cable technicians, when installing cable into your home, are required to use only RG6. If you have RG59, the technician will advise you to have new RG6 cable for your high-definition television.
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