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Coaxial Cable Quiz
RF Cafe Quiz #74
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RF Engineering Quizzes - RF CafeAll RF Cafe Quizzes make great fodder for employment interviews for technicians or engineers - particularly those who are fresh out of school or are relatively new to the work world. Come to think of it, they would make equally excellent study material for the same persons who are going to be interviewed for a job. Bonne chance, Viel Glück, がんばろう, buena suerte, удачи, in bocca al lupo, 행운을 빕니다, ádh mór, בהצלחה, lykke til, 祝你好運. Well, you know what I mean: Good luck!

Click here for the complete list of RF Cafe Quizzes.

Note: Some material based on books have quoted passages.

Welcome to the RF Coaxial Cable Quiz, a technical assessment designed to sharpen your proficiency in the fundamental transmission media that underpin all radio frequency communications. Whether you are scaling a tower for antenna installation, troubleshooting impedance mismatches in a feedline system, or calculating loss budgets for a long-run cable deployment, a firm command of coaxial theory is vital for maintaining signal integrity and power efficiency. This quiz challenges your understanding of critical transmission line metrics, including characteristic impedance calculations, the impact of dielectric constants on velocity factor, the physics of the skin effect, and the thermal limitations of power handling. By testing your knowledge of these core coaxial parameters, you verify your ability to select the appropriate cabling for any operating frequency or environment.

Select your answers, then click the "Submit" button.

1. What physical parameters primarily determine the characteristic impedance of a coaxial cable?

Conductor material and overall length
Ratio of outer-to-inner conductor diameters and dielectric constant
Shield thickness and operating frequency
Center conductor diameter and velocity factor

 

2. The "Velocity Factor" of a coaxial cable is primarily determined by which property?

The dielectric constant of the insulation
The purity of the copper conductor
The thickness of the outer shield
The characteristic impedance

 

3. How does the attenuation of a typical coaxial cable behave as frequency increases?

It decreases
It remains constant
It increases
It varies inversely with wavelength

 

4. In coaxial cable, the "skin effect" causes RF current to flow where?

Evenly throughout the entire cross-section
Only in the center of the inner conductor
On the outer surface of the inner conductor and the inner surface of the outer conductor
On the outer surface of the outer conductor only

 

5. Why is 75 ohms commonly used as the standard impedance for CATV and video applications?

It provides the maximum power handling capability
It offers the lowest theoretical attenuation for an air-dielectric cable
It minimizes the physical diameter of the cable
It matches the free-space impedance of 377 ohms

 

6. What does the "RG" in coax designations like RG-58 historically stand for?

Radio Grade
Radio Guide
Rigid Gauge
Regulated Government

 

7. What is the primary advantage of using a solid (aluminum) outer shield vs. a braided shield?

Greater flexibility
Lower cost
Superior shielding effectiveness (lower leakage)
Higher velocity factor

 

8. What primarily limits the average power handling capacity of a coaxial transmission line?

Voltage breakdown (arcing)
Maximum VSWR tolerance
Dielectric melting due to heat dissipation
Outer shield oxidation

 

9. Which type of coaxial cable dielectric provides the lowest loss and highest velocity factor?

Solid PTFE (Teflon)
Foamed polyethylene
Solid polyethylene
Air (with spiral/spacers)

 

10. What is the resulting VSWR if a 50-ohm coaxial cable is connected to a 75-ohm load?

1:1
1.5:1
2:1
0.66:1

 

Quizzes from vintage electronics magazines such as Popular Electronics, Electronics-World, QST, Radio-Electronics, and Radio News were published over the years - some really simple and others not so simple. Robert P. Balin created most of the quizzes for Popular Electronics. This is a listing of all I have posted thus far.

RF Cafe Quizzes

Vintage Electronics Magazine Quizzes

Vintage Electronics Magazine Quizzes
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Copyright: 1996 - 2026
Webmaster: Kirt Blattenberger
   BSEE - KB3UON - AMA92498
   USAF Radar Technician

About RF Cafe

RF Cafe began life in 1996 as "RF Tools" in an AOL screen name web space totaling 2 MB. Its primary purpose was to provide me with ready access to commonly needed formulas and reference material while performing my work as an RF system and circuit design engineer. The World Wide Web (Internet) was largely an unknown entity at the time and bandwidth was a scarce commodity. Dial-up modems blazed along at 14.4 kbps while tying up your telephone line, and a lady's voice announced "You've Got Mail" when a new message arrived...

Copyright  1996 - 2026

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