Surge Protector
What is coax surge protection? Basically it’s protection for any communication equipment through a special surge protector, whether it be radio communication or digital wave output for audio. Cable lines using CAT5e and other Ethernet type cables are especially susceptible to surges in power coming off main lines through your house. Transient surges can disrupt service and exploit unprotected lines which could cause your connected equipment to malfunction or stop working altogether.
The technology behind coax surge protectors is typically gas discharge tubes, commonly called GDT. It’s the only surge protection available on high frequency transmissions. GDT coax surge protectors react to arc voltages that overload the cable line to divert the surge away from your equipment. The gas is charged by the surge and the energy swells inside the surge protector until the surge ebbs. Then the gas returns to a natural state and the surge protector is again ready for action. The container of the gas is strong enough to contain large swells of conduction during surge events. This design is perfect for the low frequency disturbances of electrical transients through high frequency DC portals.
Most DC protection moves through an active band pass filter where there are no active components other than the charge itself. It curbs the wavelength of the surge to a desired level and allows a specific frequency band to pass into your equipment. This frequency is only enough to allow you to receive the signal you are supposed to receive. All other frequencies are shunted to ground on the line. The best coax surge protection will allow you to select how narrow or wide a band pass will be. You want something that allows at least 50kA.
This is network coax surge protection at its finest. You can also protect all of your lines through a surge protector with coax cable connectors or through a specialized coax surge protector that installs at the line nearest the equipment. It should be able to cover all of your coaxial communication circuits and be listed with UL497C standards.
To know what kind of equipment you can connect to a coax surge protector, knowing the following information is helpful. Know the frequency range of your equipment. Line voltage is another aspect to consider. Connector types should also be known, this includes the gender (m to f or f to f). How the surge protector is mounted to the line and what kind of technology you are actually trying to connect to the coax surge protector. You can choose the wrong application, for example; a surge protector coax connectors can degrade HD signals if there is no ground.
Installing a coaxial surge protector relies on proper low impedance grounding. Make sure your power lines are properly grounded to ensure satisfactory EMI/RFI submissions. You want all bonding conductors interconnected to each other and then it should join back at the grounding system. You also want to have a low resistance connection for your coax surge protector running into the ground. Following this simple guide, you should have no problems protecting your coax lines.
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