Can you get an unlabeled WF100 cable? Have I been conned?!?

[DIYNotIan]

Hi all

Had an aerial guy round today to replace wiring from aerial - dist amp - lounge (a new socket which he also installed).

I specifically asked for WF100 cable to be used throughout (in fact, I originally contacted him just to buy the cable and to do the job myself, but his quote was good and so I paid him do it). He quoted specifically for doing the work and using WF100. After doing the job today, I checked with him that WF100 had been used and he confirmed.

Just checked it now and he's used RG6 from the aerial to amp, and an unmarked black cable from amp to lounge. The black cable has a silver coloured foil rather than copper. I've attached some pics.

I'm really annoyed about the RG6 and now don't have a clue what the unmarked black cable is. So i wondered whether from the pics and the fact it is unmarked whether anyone could tell me what it might be (or what it's not!!!)

Any other thoughts or advice would also be great. Need to act quick so that I know what to go back to him with.

Huge thanks

Max

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• DIYNotIan
• 2 Jul 2013
• 1

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• DIYNotIan
• 2 Jul 2013
• 1

 

[DIYNotIan]

Whoooops! Should be in AV section. Please can someone move it? Sorry about that.

 

[ChrisFrost]

I'd say if it's unmarked then there's no way it is Webro WF100.

I carry two grades of single core TV/Satellite cable on my van. One is a large drum of Webro WF100. The other is a small reel of budget aluminium foil screened downlead for customers who insist on the cheapest price. Once customers see the difference in quality it's rare for me to use anything other than WF100. Anyway, the point is that both cables have printing on the jacket with details and metre markings. That's important for me because I need to know how much I have reeled off. I couldn't do that if the outer jacket was blank.

http://www.wrightsaerials.tv/topics/coaxial-cable-screening.shtml


On a side note, his cable ends aren't particularly tidy either. Rushed job??

 

[DIYNotIan]

He was here a fair while and did not seems to be rushing. But I agree, they don't look great. I assumed that might be how it's done "in the trade", but obviously not.

I've got a couple of better pics of the cable now which i will attach. Don't know if they help show how good the quality is/isn't???

Cheers

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• DIYNotIan
• 3 Jul 2013
• 1

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• DIYNotIan
• 3 Jul 2013
• 1

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• DIYNotIan
• 3 Jul 2013
• 1

 

[ChrisFrost]

The copper braid coverage is about the same at WF100 although the filaments do look a little thinner. What's obvious though is that the foil shield is aluminium rather than copper, so it's clearly not WF100.

Aluminium foil in itself isn't intrinsically rubbish. My highest grade coax is Liberty Interflex SD. That has an aluminium foil. It beats the spec of WF100 by a country mile and it's specified as one of the two highest grade 75 Ohm coax cables in the world for broadcast analogue and digital signal use. The other is Belden 1694A. What's important is the spec and how consistently the manufacturer can maintain that in production.

The only way to assess cable for most of us is to look at the spec sheet. Attenuation at frequency for a given distance, and also the return loss are the two key bits of info. There are some specs here on the Satcure website with a useful guide to how the frequency bands relate to typical use. www.satcure.co.uk/tech/cablespecs It's only guess work on my part, but your coax could be closer to WF65 performance. However, with no markings it's unlikely we will ever know. I'll be that's the same for the installer, and maybe even the distributor doesn't know either.

The point of the exercise is that you aksed about, specified, and (presumably) paid for an installation expecting WF100. This isn't what you got. It may be that your man doesn't know the difference and is being told (or misinterpreting) that all cables are WF100.

 

[ChrisFrost]

Thinking about this, it's just the tip of the iceberg. Either the guy doesn't know what proper WF100 is, in which case he won't have set up your system with an aerial meter to check strength at the TV points. Or, he knows what WF100 is but doesn't care. Which then leads to the same slap-dash approach to installing. It's bad news either way and explains why his price was so good. Even if you spec the right gear, you get what you pay for.

 

[Sam Gangee]

Another check you can make is to touch the inner "copper" core wire with a very strong magnet. If the wire is attracted, it's copper coated steel, which places it firmly in the "RG6" camp (or worse - it could be CCTV cable).

For a Freeview installation, RG6 is fine. The signal losses over WF100 are negligible. The only downside is that aluminium-on-copper shielding is very prone to corrosion so any cable outdoors could suffer. You should take extra care to:
- Apply silicone grease inside connectors
- Paint the cable or run inside conduit
(This is also recommended for WF100 to give maximum trouble-free life but is somewhat less important)

Note for future readers: when you commission a job such as this, you should print out the key requirements and get the installer to sign a copy. A professional won't mind at all. A cowboy will make excuses. If things go wrong, you then have written proof, which can be taken to Trading Standards, if necessary. When the work is carried out, YOU should be on site to sign it off. Don't delegate this to your wife, granny or whoever.

 

[debunker]

All CAI Benchmarked cable should have the certification number printed on the sheath

List of approved cables here:
http://www.cai.org.uk/information/benchmarking-scheme/cai-benchmarked-cables

The unprinted cable is certainly not WF100 and certainly not approved.
However, if the installation is small (ie: the run of cable is short) and you have a good signal then you're OK
Obviously you'll still be unhappy about paying the guy to do a specific job and him ignoring your requests.

WF100 is not the only cable out there!
Currently 17 approved cables
15 of which are probably made in China...some of them in the same factory.

 

[RWNeill]

I know a competing diy firm does an air spaced cable with copper braid/core with aluminium foil shielding that will be next to useless for the F connector terminations because it will collaspe/become severely chewed.This cable has been fortunately sold (in store) only with a black sheath.

 

[winston1]

On a side note, his cable ends aren't particularly tidy either. Rushed job??

Indeed, nasty screw on connectors. Professionals use crimp or compression connectors.

 

[Sam Gangee]

You've resurrected a three year old discussion.