RG178 50-Ohm SMA-Terminated RF Coaxial Cable – 0.5 Meter

A 0.5 meter RG178 SMA cable is a short RF jumper made from RG178 coaxial cable terminated with SMA connectors, typically for 50 Ω systems. It’s used to connect things like antennas, RF modules, test gear, routers, GPS receivers, SDR dongles, etc.
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📐 Key Technical Specifications
📏 Length

0.5 m (≈ 50 cm) — common for short connection distances between RF boards and antennas.

⚡ Impedance

50 Ω characteristic impedance, matching most RF systems (Wi-Fi, GPS, cellular, etc.) to minimize reflections.
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🧱 Cable Type: RG178

Small-diameter coaxial cable with copper conductor and PTFE dielectric.

Good flexibility; cheaper and thinner than RG316 but higher loss per meter.
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📶 Frequency Performance (typical)

Many RG178 jumper assemblies operate up to ≈ 2.5–3 GHz, suitable for 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and many RF links.

Note: SMA connectors themselves can go much higher (up to ~18 GHz), but cable loss dominates at high frequency.

📉 Loss / VSWR

VSWR typically ≤ ~1.2–1.5 in well-made cables up to a few GHz (meaning low reflection).

Loss increases with frequency — expect some attenuation at 2.4 GHz, but acceptable for short runs.

🛡️ Construction

Center conductor: copper (often tinned or gold-plated for solderability).

Dielectric: PTFE (low loss & stable).

Shield: braided outer conductor for shielding against interference.

Connectors are usually gold-plated brass for corrosion resistance and good conductivity.

🔩 Connectors

SMA connectors — screw-on RF coax connectors with 50 Ω impedance, widely used in RF gear.

Can be male-to-male, male-to-female, or bulkhead styles depending on part.

📌 Typical Uses

✅ Connecting antennas to radios, modems, GPS units, SDR receivers.
✅ Short jumper between a board RF port and an external antenna.
✅ Lab RF test bench connections where low cost and compact size are useful.
✅ IoT, Wi-Fi, and embedded RF module antenna pigtails.

📌 Performance Considerations

🔹 Attenuation: RG178 has higher loss than larger coax (e.g., RG58 or LMR cables). Over 0.5 m it’s usually acceptable, but for longer runs choose lower-loss types.

🔹 Flexibility: Thin and flexible — good for tight spaces or internal device use.
🔹 Shielding: Adequate for short runs; may pick up noise if poorly routed.
🔹 Connector torque: SMA should be hand-tightened to spec to avoid damage.

RG178 50-Ohm SMA-Terminated RF Coaxial Cable – 0.5 Meter