RG-213 MIL-C-17 Military Specifications (Mil Spec) coax | RG213 Times Fiber RF Transmission Line

M17/75-RG213, MIL-C-17, MILSPEC Coax

Unfortunately it is hard to know the quality of the coax cable you are buying these days. There is no rule anywhere against anyone with cable manufacturing facilities making coax of any kind and quality and labeling it RG-8, or RG-213, or RG-(anything else).  So asking about RG-8 (or RG-213) is like asking about the impedance and quality standards of generic beer. The chinese can make it any way they want.

US made Mil Spec cable for Government Contract is a whole nother world. To fully qualify as M17/75-RG213 Mil Spec coaxial cable the cables must be swept thru 1GHz, swept frequency performance measurements are listed in MIL-C-17E criteria and the coax nomenclature listed as M17/RG213 and imprinted on the cable jacket.

These days, you don’t find much of this ‘new’ M17/rg213 coax in ham use because it is much more expensive than cheaper non-certified cable (especially the chinese coax) and hams typically don’t have strict requirements for wide band, predictable phase characteristics and can get away with a little manufacturing error.  RG-213/U, which is the the cheaper non-swept “equivalent”, is not the same quality of coaxial cable as M17/74-RG213 the more expensive version swept from 50 MHz to 1 GHz and having the purity of the copper carefully regulated.

These Coaxial Cables are the highest quality Mil Spec made for a US Navy radio system contract that was discontinued. The coax meets all Government standards with seven strands of silver plated copper wire as the center conductor, teflon dielectrics and dual layered braided shield of silver plated copper wire. They are factory made coaxial cables with Silver Plated military N male connectors. These RG-213 Jumpers are the best quality you can find and the List price is over $3 per foot

A quote from the MIL-C-17 Military Specifications (Mil Spec) page in the Times Fiber RF Transmission Line Handbook pretty well summarizes the state and quality of such coax, even better than the specification itself.  Especially the last sentence:

“Cables that are manufactured to MIL-C-17 specification no longer carry the RG designation.  Instead, they are marked with an M17 designation.  For example, RG-213 has been replaced by M17/75-RG213.  In the future, any new cable design will be designated by a M17 number only. “In addition to the M17 number, all cables are marked with the manufacturer’s name and government identification number, for example, ‘M17/75-RG213, MIL-C-17, Times Fiber Communications, 68999, AA-3409.’Cables that are not marked with all this information are not qualified and there is no guarantee of their performance.”

M17/75-RG213, RG213 Mil Spec coaxial cable, rg-213 coax jumper

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Nothing is more confusing in the world of WiFi and Ham Radio as the Gender of Coax Connectors – Pictures HERE