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Reviews For: Times LMR coax

Category: Feedlines (coax, ladder-line, etc.)

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Review Summary For : Times LMR coax
Reviews: 27MSRP: varies
Description:
Low-loss coaxial cable, hardline, and connectors.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.timesmicrowave.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00274.4
AK9S Rating: 2003-08-02
LMR 600 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased LMR 600 because of it's extremely low-loss properties at higher frequencies. Measurements after installation confirm the same loss numbers as claimed by Times Microwave. Highly recommended if cost is not a consideration such as high-end installations.

I went from a measured 26% loss of power at the antenna side to a 4% loss using LMR 600. Converting cable loss into positive gain is only one of many steps to achieve a noticable improvement in transmitter/receiver performance.

The connectors for LMR 600 coax cost a small fortune...roughly $30 each (PL-259 and N-connectors.) This is a unique coax, and only Times Microwave connectors work properly with it. Try to buy from a discount outlet like www.texastowers.com or equivalent. You do not need to use special crimping tools if you purchase the non-crimp connectors.

It was not a difficult task to place non-crimp connectors on this coax, but be sure that your splice measurements are exactly as required by the instructions. Some connectors may not come with instructions - download the respective instructions for your particular connector from www.timesmicrowave.com before proceeding.

Regarding the nicking of the foil during installation, tests have shown this to be a serious shortcoming only when the coax is pushed to it's maximum performance specifications. You would need to purchase special prep and crimping tools from Times Microwave (some costing hundreds of dollars) to eliminate the problem entirely.

However, for Amateur Radio use, you are not likely to ever come close to the maximum performance specifications in terms of cable voltage and other parameters.

I highly recommend LMR 600.
W4QA Rating: 2003-03-12
Special connectors Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am very pleased with my 250' run of LMR which has been installed for 4 years now with no trouble -- operating both VHF and HF at high power. Great loss performance and no jacket degradation that I can see.

If I did this over again however, I would probably go with the new Belden 7810 (RF-400) series which uses standard connectors, not the special ones -- the same connectors one would use with 9913F7 or RG-8 (N and PL-259). The Belden cable also has lower loss than the similar sized LMR, can be purchased in PVC or PE jacket with direct bury capabilities, and initial prices seem very competitive over the LMR.
K2GW Rating: 2003-03-12
Excellent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Over the past two years, I've used LMR600 for my Scanner discone, my Diamond 6000 2/440/1200 MHz vertical and for a trunked 800 mhz transceiver at our Red Cross Office. Excellent results all of the time. The NJSP uses it for all of their 800MHz trunked insatllations.

The only thing is installing the connectors can be difficult without the proper tools. The solution is to carefully measure your needed lengths and buy the cable from an approver supplier (such as Cable Experts) with the connectors in place. It's worth the money and cheaper than buying the tools.

73

Gary, K2GW
WB5VNX Rating: 2002-10-31
LMR600 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I put in 170' of LMR600. Felt like I was fighting with an Anaconda putting it in. Measured it at 2.8db loss with the Autek RF5. This is definitely commercial grade coax and somewhat out of the price range for most hams. If you can't install Heliax then is the next best thing. Absolutely astounding results. I purchased it as an assembly and didn't have to experience the joy of installing the N connectors so can't comment on that.
N3MVF Rating: 2002-06-26
Great Cable Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Just started using the LMR 400 on the uplink side of 2 meters. Works great!! Much better on the uplink for FO's etc. Will be replacing the 70cm downlink in a few days with LMR cable. Not using Ultra-Flex but I have a straight run with few tight turns. Recommend product and I bought mine from NTX Communciation Supply www.ntx-comm.com. Is great working with Alan there. Connectors done superb
K9KJM Rating: 2002-03-27
GREAT VHF/UHF Coax Time Owned: more than 12 months.
TIMES LMR Series of coax are just about the best coax available for amateur VHF/UHF use. Do use care installing connectors. Do NOT let some CB jockey install your connectors. The newer two pc "N" connectors seem to work pretty good. There might be better values for H.F. use, as the LMR series is fairly costly...... But it is THE coax to use for weak signal VHF/UHF. AVOID the Belden 9913 series cable! Do not take a chance of getting some of the "good" 9913 out of all the BAD 9913......
AD6W Rating: 2002-02-21
No problems LMR400UF Time Owned: more than 12 months.
LMR400UF (UltraFlex)is a different cable than standard LMR400. UF is much better suited to home assembly with a stranded bare copper center conductor that takes standard connectors and requires no special installation tools or techniques. UF is also more flexible and has only 1/10th dB more loss at 30MHz. I've been using four 120-foot runs of LMR400UF up my crankup tower for several years now running a KW on HF-VHF and several hundred watts on 432 with entirely satisfactory results.
KE4SKY Rating: 2002-02-21
Use the right connectors! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am on the Board of directors of a repeater association which has used thousands of feet of LMR400 cable in multiple site installations for both regional FM voice and digital installations in support of our statewide RACES network.

The key to success is using the correct Times Microwave connectors and cable prep tools which are optimized for the cable, so that the plating is NOT nicked when removing the dielectric, etc.

LMR400 is very widely used for high power installations in public safety, paging, wireless LAN and cellular communications and gives excellent service when installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and good engineering practice.

WB2WIK's comments are 100% correct as applied to many improvised amateur installations where users are unfamiliar with the cable and attempt to use connectors other than TM or others which are designed for use with this cable. The proper tools and connectors are readily available from www.cableworks.com

It may not be cost effective for an individual to spend several hundred dollars on cable prep tools, the proper die and a commercial grade crimp tool and Times Microwave Connectors at $9 apiece at retail, for a home station. The money is well spent in reliability and time saved on commercial, government and institutional installations.

Our organization was very fortunate that most of the material used in support of Virginia RACES was provided through corporate and private donations. Our experience with LMR400 has been entirely favorable and I can recommend this cable it highly as long as it is installed in accordance with manufacturer's instructions and good engineering practice.

I have bought LMR400 to replace older military surplus cable at my home station, and my club is also using it for repeater maintenance and system replacements.

73 de KE4SKY,
Virginia RACES State Training Officer
K8JSL Rating: 2002-02-21
NOT FOR REPEATERS Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This and ALL type of Aluminium shielded coax should be avoided for repeater service. For some unknown reason the foil causes SEVERE desence in repeater systems.
N3RIK Rating: 2001-10-10
5 month review of LMR 400 Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Was up on the roof yesterday checking out everything before winter sets in. There has been no degradation in the performance of the LMR coax over the summer. The outer jacket of the coax still looks brand new, no signs of weathering/UV damage. Im more impressed with it now than I was when I first put installed it.

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Earlier 4-star review posted by N3RIK on 2001-04-30

I installed a run of lmr 400 right next to a run of beldin 9913F (see my review on 9913F). The cable was a little difficult to manage within the parameters of my installation. With a little care, its in place and doing a ok. I guess if you worked with the stuff all the time it wouldnt be so bad.

As for the rest of it, I think the other reviews found here paint the picture and show the pros and cons well.

I guess what I can contribute later on will be a performance review of how one is holding compaired to the other. Guess I have to wait a year or two for that....

Best Regards, Bruce