# Minicoax with Surveillance Cameras



## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

Recently I was doing an install and was told to use MiniCoax for the cameras and that there wouldn't be an issue. Sure enough running over 100' with the minicoax the cameras had no issue and the robotics worked just fine. 

So my question to you guys is when you're doing standard video camera installs over BNC what spec cable to you use?


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

I use the Siamese cable that had been on the market for years..

Using a "mini" cable has problems written all over it.. bad picture and you get to wire it twice.. 

500' roll is roughly $80.00.. really cheap compared to the labor of doing the job twice..

It is RG-59 and 18/2 for power


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## HARRY304E (Sep 15, 2010)

Edrick said:


> Recently I was doing an install and was told to use MiniCoax for the cameras and that there wouldn't be an issue. Sure enough running over 100' with the minicoax the cameras had no issue and the robotics worked just fine.
> 
> So my question to you guys is when you're doing standard video camera installs over BNC what spec cable to you use?


MiniCoax
What type cable is that.....


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

HARRY304E said:


> MiniCoax
> What type cable is that.....


Literally what its called

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=MiniCoax


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

Edrick said:


> Literally what its called
> 
> http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8&q=MiniCoax


What wire are you using for camera power?? :blink:


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

B4T said:


> What wire are you using for camera power?? :blink:


In the case of this install it was done locally at the cameras to a AC/DC Adapter to receptacles located in the ceiling.


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

B4T said:


> I use the Siamese cable that had been on the market for years..
> 
> Using a "mini" cable has problems written all over it.. bad picture and you get to wire it twice..
> 
> ...


I use the same too.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

Edrick said:


> In the case of this install it was done locally at the cameras to a AC/DC Adapter to receptacles located in the ceiling.


Your not allowed to have receptacles above a suspended ceiling, so you must have it in the attic??:blink:

I would just run the power cable to a central location and use a power supply made for cameras.. like this one

http://www.2mcctv.com/product_info-PowerSupplies-12VDCCentralSupply-2MCCTV2M12V99.html


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

B4T said:


> Your not allowed to have receptacles above a suspended ceiling, so you must have it in the attic??:blink:
> 
> I would just run the power cable to a central location and use a power supply made for cameras.. like this one
> 
> http://www.2mcctv.com/product_info-PowerSupplies-12VDCCentralSupply-2MCCTV2M12V99.html


Someone must of passed it :whistling2: because the receptacles are in a drop ceiling with SOOW run to a quad box powering some flat screen TVs and it's a new install (4 years old, but the power is original from the build). I was just there installing the cameras pro-bono in exchange for some equipment that they had and were getting rid of. So they supplied the materials, cameras and said how they wanted it wired. I had run a full length of 59 to then be told no no no we want it done in minicoax. 

To my surprise it did work, this was an install at a school.


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

B4T said:


> Your not allowed to have receptacles above a suspended ceiling,



Show me the code section.


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## BBQ (Nov 16, 2010)

Edrick said:


> because the receptacles are in a drop ceiling with *SOOW run *


That is a violation.


> 400.8 Uses Not Permitted. Unless specifically permitted
> in 400.7, flexible cords and cables shall not be used for the
> following:
> 
> ...


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

Very true. You can put a receptacle outlet up there above the lift out tile. And then you can plug one of these into it. Not much else I can think of though.











Oh, I know, Wall warts also.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

What is the loss per 100ft in db of your mini coax?


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

I can't seem to find the chart I was looking for, this chart here http://www.qsl.net/w2va/coax.htm says it's 32 db. However other sources say differently. It also depends what frequency you're using.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

Edrick said:


> I can't seem to find the chart I was looking for, this chart here http://www.qsl.net/w2va/coax.htm says it's 32 db. However other sources say differently. It also depends what frequency you're using.


That is a lot of loss, I am surprised that the camera works. 
RG 59 loss is about 2.4 db. Video run about 50 mhz.
I would guess cameras will fail early do to high load, but that is just a guess.


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

Well at 50 mhz that's only 6.6 where as the RG59 according to the chart is 3.3. So double the loss but not too bad. The guy who asked me to install them has left anyways now. So what's done is done that's what he requested and he supplied the materials. I did find it strange that he wanted to use RG-174 (MiniCoax).


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## MisterCMK (Jul 5, 2009)

Mini Coax just screams hack. Did those cameras have a DC barrel for power too?


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

MisterCMK said:


> Mini Coax just screams hack. Did those cameras have a DC barrel for power too?


Nope they just had the leads. They were Panasonic Robotic B/W Cameras. I'm going to contact the company who did the video installations at the place and see what they used to run all the robotics and video signals between the TV studio and Theater. I feel like they used MiniCoax but I'm not 100% sure. That was probably a 300' run of cable if not more.


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## Edrick (Jun 6, 2010)

Alright so I checked with the engineer and I was incorrect in calling it MiniCoax in this case. Here was the response.



> That mini coax you refer to is digital video cable. It is precision RG-59. Overall it has better specs than Belden 8241 or 8281. It's also 3 times the price. It will also run 750' without differential amplification. Normally, any time you have a run over 500' you add a differential amp or drive the signal on cat5. I prefer cat5. It's a cleaner install and less susceptible to reflection, dc offset interference, and makes corners without lkinks.


http://www.belden.com/techdatas/english/1855A.pdf


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