Noun
The RG-58 is a lightweight coaxial cable commonly used for low-power signal and RF (radio frequency) connections. The standard RG-58 cable has an impedance of about 50 Ohms and a pure unleaded copper central conductor.
However, there are variations, such as the RG-58A/U, which features a flexible 7- or 19-strand center conductor. There are also variations with different core materials, such as solid or braided tinned copper conductors.
The cable has an outer diameter of about 0.195 inches and a weight of about 37 g/m, making it very flexible and ideal for indoor applications. The RG-58 is the most commonly used cable in two-way communication systems like CB radio and WLAN antennas.
Previously, the RG-58 was widely used in 10BASE2 Ethernet, which allowed a maximum run length of about 185 meters. However, it’s now almost completely replaced by Cat 5 and Cat 6 twisted pair cables.
Here’s a quick specification comparison between the different versions of the RG-58 cable:
| RG-58 | RG-58A | RG-58B | RG-58C | |
| Capacitance | 28.8 | 29.6 | 28.8 | 30.8 |
| Attenuation (at 400 MHz) | 11.7 dB/100 ft | 13.2 dB/100 ft | 14 dB/100 ft | 14 dB/100 ft |
Example of RG-58 in a sentence
"The RG-58 cable is designed to work with two-way radio systems where a signal can be received and transmitted at the same time."
Related Terms for RG-58