DIFFERENT TYPES OF

Optical Fiber

Ladder Line or
"Window Line"

Twin-Lead Cable

Used to carry baseband video in closedcircuit television, previously used for

cable television. In general, it has poor
A cable containing one or more optical fibers that are used
shielding but will carry an HQ HD signal
to carry light. The optical fiber elements are typically
or video over short distances.
individually coated with plastic layers and contained in a
protective tube suitable for the environment where the
cable will be deployed. Different types of cable are used
for different applications, for example long distance
telecommunication, or providing a high-speed data
connection between different parts of a building.

A variation of twin lead which is constructed similarly

except that the polyethylene webbing between the wires
which holds them apart has rectangular openings
("windows") cut in it. So the line consists of two insulated
wires with bands of plastic holding them together every
few inches, giving it the appearance of a ladder. The
advantage of the windows is that they lighten the line,
and also reduce the amount of surface on which dirt and
moisture can accumulate, making ladder line less
vulnerable to weather-induced changes in characteristic
impedance.

A two-conductor flat cable used as a transmission line to

carry radio frequency (RF) signals. It is constructed of two
multi-stranded copper or copper clad steel wires, held a
precise distance apart by a plastic (usually polyethylene)
ribbon. The uniform spacing of the wires is the key to the
cable's function as a parallel transmission line; any abrupt
changes in spacing would reflect radio frequency power
back toward the source.

RG-59/U

Coaxial cables

Used for radio communication and amateur radio, thin

Ethernet (10BASE2) and NIM electronics, Loss 1.056 dB/m
@ 2.4 GHz. Common.
RG-58/U

Used for long drops and underground conduit.

RG-11/U

Used for 2 way radio systems and has a characteristic

impedance of 50ohms

RG8

A 93 coaxial cable originally used in

mainframe computer networks in the
1970s and early 1980s (it was the cable
used to connect IBM 3270 terminals to
IBM
3274/3174
terminal
cluster
controllers).
RG-62