opinion about running co-ax

as part of my basement remodelling project, i'm revisiting all of my telco, network and video runs in the joist space under the subfloor.

currently i have 100-foot bundles of RG-6 (i think, it may be RG58/59) because 50's were too short. as such, i coils of cables strapped to the subfloor near the video distribution amp (it's a 1x4, but i'm looking for a 4x8 - any suggestions?). couple of questions
1) is there any harm in having all that excess cable on each run? does coiling the cables lend to any interference or signal loss?

note: i am keeing the coax at least 1 foot away from flourescent fixtures, ballasts and parallel power runs.

2) if it would be advisable to cut the cables to length, is this a difficult thing to do? I custom cut UTP cable all the time, so i'm familiar with the concepts, but i've never actually cut/crimped coax before. I'd assume that all i would need is a co-ax stripper and a crimper (ratchet type would probably give the best results, yes?). anything else i'd need or need to know?

Thanks
BeekerC

Having excessively long coax where you have coils of the stuff might degrade the signal slightly and, if it isn't the greatest cable, change the impedance. On a satellite feed, they also have a DC voltage that powers the LNA in the dish...longer cables means more voltage drop and higher currents, which can stress the receiver. The type of connector will somewhat depend on the cable construction - getting a good connection to the shield is as important as the center conductor.

coax

i am not, and do not forsee, using a satellite dish. the cable will strictly be for analog cable TV (not internet, i use DSL) and closed-circuit video feeds from the front and back doors. the cable itself is either RG-6 or RG-58.

sounds like it's not that big a deal if it's good cable.

still would like to hear if custom cutting cable is easy or hard.

thx
b

With the right tools, it's easy.

Personally, I like compression fittings for coax. Just make sure you get the right sized fitting. Here’s an example. Similar tools are available at most big box stores.
http://www.satpro.tv/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=106

RG-6 is a higher quality cable than RG-59 in terms of signal loss and noise.

RG-58 would be wrong. RG-6 and RG-59 are 75 ohm cables. RG-58 is 50 ohm. All your home video/cable/TV systems require 75 ohm cable. 50 ohm cable would provide terrible results.

As has been said, connectors are easy and the tools can be reasonably priced. Make sure your connectors, tools, and coax match. For example; a crimp connector for RG-6 will not fit correctly on a quad shield RG-6.

Just be careful not to crush coax when you attach it to things (like the rafters or joists). Deforming this (or cat x) causes the impudence to change and it can cause reflections (ghosts) on the cable. Don't turn corners more sharply that the minimum turn radius specified for the cable. Don't yank on cable when it gets stuck while pulling. No single violation is likely to cause your system to fail; but it adds up.