RG213 Coaxial Cable — 50 Ohm Transmission Line to MIL-C-17

Signal loss doesn’t announce itself. It shows up as intermittent VHF comms, degraded telemetry data, or a failed BER test during commissioning. For marine electronics and shore-based RF systems, the cost of a cable replacement is trivial compared to the cost of an unplanned service call.

The RG213 coaxial cable is a 50 Ohm, double-shielded transmission line built for that reality. It delivers the mechanical toughness and sweep-tested RF performance that installation engineers expect when a specification sheet cites MIL-C-17. No overpromising. Just a cable that holds its impedance across rough deck penetrations, salt-laden air, and years of vibration.

Double-Shielded Construction That Blocks Noise Before It Becomes a Problem

A single braid is a compromise. The RG213 doesn’t make it.

• [Feature] Bare copper braid shield at 95% optical coverage, backed by a non-contaminating PVC jacket.
  [Advantage] Blocks radiated EMI ingress from nearby radar arrays, SSB transmitters, and switch-mode power supplies running in the same cable tray.
  [Benefit] Lower noise floors in your receiver stage. Fewer CRC errors on digital links. No need to add expensive snap-on ferrites after installation.

• [Feature] Solid polyethylene dielectric with a velocity factor of 0.66, manufactured to ±2% impedance tolerance.
  [Advantage] Phase stability that doesn’t drift when the cable is bent around a bulkhead gland or subjected to engine room heat cycling.
  [Benefit] Predictable match on phased-array antennas and repeater combiners. SWR stays low without constant re-tuning after the vessel goes into service.

• [Feature] 7-strand bare copper centre conductor, cross-linked for flex life.
  [Advantage] Survives repeated mechanical movement: tilting mast mounts, rotating antenna pedestals, sliding cable carriers on factory automation gantries.
  [Benefit] Eliminates the intermittent “open circuit” failures that standard solid-centre cables develop after 18 months of motion.

Technical Specifications

The numbers matter when you’re calculating path loss budgets or checking bend radius compliance against a DNV class notation.

Attenuation Performance

RF power turns into heat. That heat is wasted budget. Standard insertion loss figures at common operating frequencies — tested on 100 m lengths at 20°C.

Run the link budget against your TX power and receiver sensitivity. If the margin is below 3 dB at the far end of your frequency plan, step up to a lower-loss feeder. We’ll tell you if that’s the case.

Industries Where This Cable Earns Its Keep

• Commercial Marine & Offshore
  VHF DSC radios, AIS transponders, SSB radiotelephones, and EPIRB cabling where Type Approved components are non-negotiable. RG213 meets IMO performance requirements when terminated correctly and sealed against moisture ingress.

• Industrial Manufacturing Facilities
  SCADA radio modems at 400–470 MHz UHF, connecting PLCs across a 2-km plant spread. The tight shielding keeps bit-error rates below threshold when installed next to VFD motor drives and welding cells.

• Broadcast & Land Mobile Radio Infrastructure
  Feeder runs linking base station repeaters to tower-top diplexers and antennas. The 50 Ohm match standardises the entire transmission chain from PA output to antenna feed point.

• Test & Measurement Labs
  Bench-top interconnects for vector network analysers, spectrum analysers, and load pull systems. The 101 pF/m capacitance and controlled impedance mean calibrations stay valid across a full day of testing.

• Field-Deployable Tactical Communications
  Temporary VHF/UHF links for emergency response or remote mining exploration. The PVC jacket holds up against abrasion when cables are spooled, dragged, and re-deployed across rocky terrain.

Compliance & Testing

✅ MIL-C-17 / MIL-DTL-17 — Sweep-tested impedance and attenuation compliance.
✅ RoHS 3 (EU 2015/863) — No restricted substances in conductor, dielectric, or jacket compounds.
✅ CE Marking under Low Voltage Directive 2014/35/EU — Applicable to fixed-installation cabling.
✅ UL 1581 — Vertical flame propagation resistance on jacket material (VW-1).
✅ IEC 60092-350 — Suitable for flame retardant requirements in marine electrical installations.
✅ ISO 9001:2015 — Manufacturing lot traceability from copper rod source to finished drum.

Procurement FAQ

Does RG213 meet the full MIL-DTL-17 specification or just the dimensional profile?

Ours meets the full specification, not just the dimensional equivalent. Each production lot is sweep-tested for impedance and attenuation compliance across a 5–1000 MHz range. If your project requires a Certificate of Conformance (CoC) against specific MIL-C-17 paragraphs, request it with the RFQ. We don’t charge extra for the paperwork.

For a fixed marine installation, should I order PVC jacket or request LSZH?

Standard PVC (Type I per MIL-C-17) is fine for open-deck mast runs and engine room cable trays where ventilation is adequate. If the cable passes through accommodation spaces, a bridge console, or any enclosed area subject to SOLAS fire safety requirements, ask for an LSZH jacket variant. It adds roughly 8–12% to the unit cost and keeps the same electrical characteristics.

What’s the real-world shelf life and drum yield on long runs?

PVC-jacketed RG213 stored indoors at 10–30°C will show no measurable RF performance drift for 7–10 years. Standard drum lengths are 100 m, 200 m, and 500 m (one continuous length, no joins). For runs exceeding 500 m, we can supply factory-spliced lengths with splice loss < 0.1 dB documented on a fusion-splice test report.

Can you pre-terminate with N-type or UHF (PL-259) connectors?

Yes. For orders over 200 m, we offer factory crimp or clamp termination with IP67-rated connector bodies. Every terminated assembly goes through a VNA return loss check (≥ 26 dB at 500 MHz). That eliminates the most common point of failure: field-terminated connectors done with the wrong stripping tool.

Next Step

Send us your frequency plan, run length, and installation environment. We’ll provide a specific cable recommendation — or validate that RG213 is the right fit — and return a formal quotation within one working day. Bulk orders ship on plywood spools suitable for crane lift. Cut lengths ship in double-walled cartons. Request a sample or a full spool quote using the form below.