SEKOSD Wireless
Best Coaxial Cables, Adapters and Connectors
Jan
There are plenty of manufacturers producing the helium hotspots, which is why it is important to learn about your hotspot’s adapters, connectors and cables; in case you needed to upgrade your set up by purchasing a new antenna, coaxial cable etc.. to get an optimum outcome and increase your earnings.
Coaxial Cables
One of the most frequently asked questions is how to choose the best cable and length for your helium miner. Cable loss (expressed in decibels dB) is a natural phenomenon that happens along the length of any cable. It occurs for any type of transmission electrical or data, And the longer the cable, the greater the loss.
In our store we have 2 types of cables, LMR200 and LMR400, which are compatible with most helium hotspots, they have N-male connectors that go to the antenna on one end, and the other end has RP-SMA male connector, which goes to the helium hotspot.
LMR-200 is a low loss cable, it differs from RG58 and other coax standards by double shielding which results in less signal loss than the standard cables. And below is a table for the losses in DB for the different LMR200 cable lengths we offer at our store.
| Cable | Length (m) | loss (DB) |
| LMR200 | 1 | 0.4 |
| LMR200 | 2 | 0.8 |
| LMR200 | 3 | 1.1 |
| LMR200 | 5 | 1.9 |
| LMR200 | 10 | 3.7 |
LMR400 is coaxial cable that was made to replace lower quality coax cables such as the RG-8. The 400 represents the cable diameter. Due to its double shielding, the signal loss is significantly lower as compared to single shielded coaxial cables. It has the lowest signal-loss among its class and compared to most semi-rigid and hard-line cables. And below is a table for the losses in DB for the different LMR400 cable lengths we offer at our store.
| Cable | Length (m) | loss (DB) |
| LMR400 | 3 | 0.5 |
| LMR400 | 5 | 0.8 |
Adapters & Connectors
When it comes to choosing a cable for your Helium hotspot, most people get confused between SMA and RP-SMA connectors, so we will try to explain the difference here.
SMA Connector
It stands for Sub-Miniature Version A, and its a coaxial connector for high-frequency applications, and its used in microwaves, portable radios and cell phone antenna. The male SMA connector consists of a barrel with inside threads, and a metal center pin as inner conductor. While the female SMA connector has a barrel with outside threads and a center sleeve in the middle, in which the pin of the plug fits.
RP-SMA Connector
It stands for Reverse Polarity SMA, and the difference from SMA as its designed to prevent the unauthorized connection of an external antenna to increase the range. The RP-SMA male is also the connector with inside threads, but it has the metal sleeve as an inner conductor. The RP-SMA female socket has a barrel with external threads and a center pin.
Hotspots Connectors
Most hotspot commonly come with a RP-SMA female connector, which means you will need a RP-SMA male connector on your cable. You can check out our LMR200 and LMR400 cable, they come with RP-SMA male connector. Here is a list of hotspots and the connectors that come with:
| Hotspot | Connector | Compatible Connectors |
| Bobcat | RP-SMA Female | RP-SMA Male |
| SyncroB.it | RP-SMA Female | RP-SMA Male |
| Nebra Indoor | RP-SMA Female | RP-SMA Male |
| Heltec | RP-SMA Female | RP-SMA Male |
| Linxdot | RP-SMA Female | RP-SMA Male |
| ClodPi | RP-SMA Female | RP-SMA Male |
| Rak V1, V2 | RP-SMA Female | RP-SMA Male |
| MNTD | RP-SMA Female | RP-SMA Male |
| LongAP Light | RP-SMA Female | RP-SMA Male |
| SenseCAP M1 | RP-SMA Female | RP-SMA Male |
| COTX | RP-SMA Female | RP-SMA Male |
| Kerlink | SMA-Female | SMA-Male |
| Controllino | SMA-Female | SMA-Male |
| Dragino | SMA-Female | SMA-Male |
| Hummingbird | SMA-Female | SMA-Male |
| Nebra Outdoor | N-Type Female | N-Type Male |
| LongAP Pro | N-Type Female | N-Type Male |
Adapters
Since there are different manufacturers making the hotspots and the accessories. So if your miner came with SMA female connector, then our RP-SMA female to SMA male adapter might come in handy. Same with our N-MALE to N-MALE adapter, and N-FEMALE to N-FEMALE adapter
Lightning Arrester
When mounting your antenna outdoors, the lightning arrestor will be placed in between the antenna and the cable. It’s important to use a lightning arrester to protect the installation from the damaging effects of lightning. Although the lightning arrestor doesn’t protect your antenna from the lightning, but it could be used for securing transceivers against over-voltage and surge current induced by bolts of lightning.
