Coaxial Cable

Coaxial Cable

In the early 1920s it was clear to communications that high frequency transmission lines were Paramount to the success of any further developments in communications, since ordinary wires and cables simply could not cope. Two engineers at Bell Laboratories Loyed Espenschied and Herman Affel came to the rescue.

Together they created the Coaxial Cable, which is capable of carrying high frequency (or broadband) signals successfully. Instead of having just single stands of copper covered by a jacket of flexible plastic, they widened their working diameter to include an insulting space and a conducting sheild, which gives the cable a very distinctive cross section.

Running through the very center of the cable is the conductor, which carries the signals. Wrapped around this is the inner dielectric insulator and wrapped around that is a conducting shield that reduces electromagnetic interference from any external sources, meaning that the signal stay clear.

The shield can be made from layers of braided wire ,( which allows flexibility but create gaps) or can be a solid metal tube (which is rigid, but more secure). Usually that whole cable is coated in some sort of vinyl material.

The name Coaxial means 'sharing the same axis' which is what the conductor, the spacer, shield, and the jacket all do.

"AT&T is proud to follow in the footsteps of Espenschied and Affel as we continue to drive innovation."

Coaxial Cable Image