RG59 Plenum Cable CMP - 20 AWG Bare Copper, 95% Copper Braid, 1000ft White

In an office, school, hospital, or store, the space above the drop ceiling is usually a return-air plenum, and any cable that runs through it without conduit has to be plenum rated. This is the RG59 for security cameras in those buildings: a 20 AWG solid bare copper center conductor in foam FEP under a dense 95% bare copper braid, the all-copper construction that analog CCTV and HD-over-coax systems are specified around, in a low-smoke CMP jacket listed for return-air plenums, drop ceilings, and raised floors under NEC Article 800. A baseband video signal uses the shield as its return path, and it wants the low resistance of a copper braid from end to end, which is what separates this from the aluminum-shielded coax sold for cable TV.

The dielectric is foam FEP, the fluoropolymer that plenum coax uses because it doesn't feed a fire or give off dense smoke, and it holds its impedance across a ceiling space next to HVAC equipment. The cable is made in the USA, UL Listed and ETL Verified, and it comes on a 1000 ft wooden spool, in white, with footage marks on the jacket.

Features

• CMP and CL2P plenum rated. Low-smoke jacket listed for return-air plenums, drop ceilings, and raised floors without conduit.
• 95% bare copper braid. The dense copper shield that CCTV, HD-TVI, HD-CVI, AHD, and SDI camera systems call for, with the low shield resistance a baseband video signal needs.
• 20 AWG solid bare copper center conductor. Standard RG59 gauge in solid copper, for clean video and reliable BNC terminations.
• Foam FEP dielectric. Plenum-grade insulation with stable impedance from -20 °C to 75 °C, which covers a ceiling space next to HVAC equipment.
• 75 Ω, swept to 1 GHz. Covers every analog and HD-over-coax camera format, plus baseband and SDI video.
• 0.196 in outer diameter. Standard RG59 size, so ordinary RG59 compression BNC and F connectors fit.
• UL Listed, ETL Verified, RoHS compliant, made in the USA.
• 1000 ft wooden spool, white. Footage marks on the jacket; put it on a spool stand and it pays out cleanly.

Where It Fits

It suits analog CCTV and HD-over-coax (HD-TVI, HD-CVI, AHD) camera systems in offices, hotels, hospitals, schools, and retail with a return-air plenum above the ceiling, camera drops through a drop ceiling where the camera is powered locally or by a separate power run, SDI and baseband video links between a security operations center and cameras or monitors, DVR-to-monitor and head-end video distribution across a raised floor, and any commercial video run where the ceiling is an air-handling space and a copper braid is specified.

Good to Know

This is coax only; if the camera needs power from the DVR end, the plenum siamese cable carries the same RG59 with an 18/2 pair in one jacket. RG59 is a step below RG6 in loss, which is fine for the distances an indoor camera run usually covers, but for a 720p or 1080p HD-over-coax camera keep the run inside the DVR maker's RG59 distance rating, and use an RG6 plenum for anything longer. Plenum cable is stiffer than PVC and the FEP dielectric doesn't like a tight bend, so give it a generous radius and pull from a spool on a stand rather than off the end of the reel. Plenum-rated cable is for the air-handling space, not for inside the ductwork itself, which the NEC doesn't allow for any communications cable. The jacket isn't UV stabilized or rated for burial, so where a camera is outside, keep the cable inside the wall or conduit and let only a short, sheltered tail reach the housing. A copper braid is stiffer and denser than an aluminum one, so use compression BNC or F connectors sized for RG59 and prep the braid carefully so no strands short to the center pin. If the ceiling isn't a plenum, a CM-rated RG59 does the same job for a lot less.

Specifications

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