IEC 61196-8:2012

IEC 61196-8 ®
Edition 1.0 2012-02
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Coaxial communication cables –
Part 8: Sectional specification for semi-flexible cables with
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric

Câbles coaxiaux de communication –
Partie 8: Spécification intermédiaire pour câbles semi-flexibles avec diélectrique
en polytétrafluoroéthylène (PTFE)

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IEC 61196-8 ®
Edition 1.0 2012-02
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Coaxial communication cables –

Part 8: Sectional specification for semi-flexible cables with

polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric

Câbles coaxiaux de communication –

Partie 8: Spécification intermédiaire pour câbles semi-flexibles avec diélectrique

en polytétrafluoroéthylène (PTFE)

INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
CODE PRIX M
ICS 33.120.10 ISBN 978-2-88912-930-0

– 2 – 61196-8 © IEC:2012
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Materials and cable construction . 7
4.1 Cable construction . 7
4.2 Inner conductor . 7
4.3 Dielectric . 7
4.4 Outer conductor . 7
4.5 Sheath . 8
5 Standard rating and characteristics . 8
5.1 Characteristic impedance . 8
5.2 Rated temperature range . 8
6 Identification, marking and labeling . 8
6.1 Cable identification . 8
6.1.1 Type name . 8
6.1.2 Variants . 8
6.2 Cable marking . 9
6.3 Labeling . 9
7 Tests for finished cables . 9
7.1 Electrical testing of the finished cable (see Table 2) . 9
7.2 Environmental testing of the finished cable (see Table 3) . 11
7.3 Tests for mechanical characteristics of the finished cable (see Table 4) . 12
8 Quality assessment . 12
9 Delivery and storage . 12
Bibliography . 13

Table 1 – Material number . 9
Table 2 – Electrical measurements . 9
Table 3 – Environmental testing of the finished cable . 11
Table 4 – Tests for mechanical characteristics of the finished cable . 12

61196-8 © IEC:2012 – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
COAXIAL COMMUNICATION CABLES –

Part 8: Sectional specification for semi-flexible cables
with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric

FOREWORD
1) The International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) is a worldwide organization for standardization comprising
all national electrotechnical committees (IEC National Committees). The object of IEC is to promote
international co-operation on all questions concerning standardization in the electrical and electronic fields. To
this end and in addition to other activities, IEC publishes International Standards, Technical Specifications,
Technical Reports, Publicly Available Specifications (PAS) and Guides (hereafter referred to as “IEC
Publication(s)”). Their preparation is entrusted to technical committees; any IEC National Committee interested
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with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in accordance with conditions determined by
agreement between the two organizations.
2) The formal decisions or agreements of IEC on technical matters express, as nearly as possible, an international
consensus of opinion on the relevant subjects since each technical committee has representation from all
interested IEC National Committees.
3) IEC Publications have the form of recommendations for international use and are accepted by IEC National
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services carried out by independent certification bodies.
6) All users should ensure that they have the latest edition of this publication.
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8) Attention is drawn to the Normative references cited in this publication. Use of the referenced publications is
indispensable for the correct application of this publication.
9) Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this IEC Publication may be the subject of
patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 61196-8 has been prepared by subcommittee 46A: Coaxial cables,
of IEC technical committee 46: Cables, wires, waveguides, R.F. connectors, R.F. and
microwave passive components and accessories.
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
46A/1059/FDIS 46A/1073/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication is to be read in conjunction with IEC 61196-1.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

– 4 – 61196-8 © IEC:2012
A list of all the parts in the IEC 61196 series, published under the general title Coaxial
communication cables, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the stability date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in the data
related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed,
• withdrawn,
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
61196-8 © IEC:2012 – 5 –
COAXIAL COMMUNICATION CABLES –

Part 8: Sectional specification for semi-flexible cables
with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric

1 Scope
This part of IEC 61196 applies to semi-flexible coaxial communication cables with
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric and tin soaked copper wire braid outer conductor.
These cables are intended for use in microwave and wireless equipments or other signal
transmission equipments or units at frequencies from 500 MHz up to 18 GHz. This document
is read in conjunction with IEC 61196-1.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and
are indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 60068-1:1988, Environmental testing – Part 1: General and guidance
Amendment 1 (1992)
IEC 60068-2-20, Environmental testing – Part 2-20: Tests – Test T: Test methods for
solderability and resistance to soldering heat of devices with leads
IEC 61169-4, Radio-frequency connectors – Part 4: RF coaxial connectors with inner diameter
of outer conductor 16 mm (0,63 in) with screw lock – Characteristic impedance 50 Ω
(Type 7-16)
IEC 61196-1:2005, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1: Generic specification – General,
definitions and requirements
IEC 61196-1-1, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-1: Capability approval for coaxial
cables
IEC 61196-1-101, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-101: Electrical test methods – Test
for conductor d.c. resistance of cable
IEC 61196-1-102, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-102: Electrical test methods – Test
for insulation resistance of cable dielectric
IEC 61196-1-103, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-103: Electrical test methods – Test
for capacitance of cable
IEC 61196-1-105, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-105: Electrical test methods – Test
for withstand voltage of cable dielectric
IEC 61196-1-108, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-108: Electrical test methods – Test
for characteristic impedance, phase and group delay, electrical length and propagation
velocity
– 6 – 61196-8 © IEC:2012
IEC 61196-1-112, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-112: Electrical test methods – Test
for return loss (uniformity of impedance)
IEC 61196-1-113, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-113: Electrical test methods – Test
for attenuation constant
IEC 61196-1-115, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-115: Electrical test methods – Test
for regularity of impedance (pulse /step function return loss)
IEC 61196-1-201, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-201: Environmental test methods –
Test for cold bend performance of cable
IEC 61196-1-301, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-301: Mechanical test methods –
Test for ovality
IEC 61196-1-302, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-302: Mechanical test methods –
Test for eccentricity
IEC 61196-1-313, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-313: Mechanical test methods –
Adhesion of dielectric and sheath
IEC 61196-1-314:2006, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-314: Mechanical test methods
– Test for bending
IEC 61196-1-316, Coaxial communication cables – Part 1-316: Mechanical test methods –
Test of maximum pulling force of cable
IEC 62037-1, Passive r.f. and microwave devices, intermodulation level measurement – Part 1:
General requirements and measuring methods
IEC 62037-4, Passive r.f. and microwave devices, intermodulation level measurement – Part 4:
Measurement of passive intermodulation in coaxial cables
IEC 62153-4-4, Metallic communication cable test methods – Part 4-4: Electromagnetic
compatibility (EMC) – Shielded screening attenuation, test method for measuring of the
screening attenuation as up to and above 3 GHz
IEC 62230, Electric cables – Spark-test method
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 61196-1 and the
following apply.
3.1
pinhole
any hole in the outer shield (tin soaked copper wire braid) with a diameter of ≥ 0,05 mm
3.2
semi-flexible coaxial communication cable
coaxial line not intended for applications requiring repeated flexure in service
___________
To be published.
To be published.
61196-8 © IEC:2012 – 7 –
Bending or forming is however permissible to facilitate installation. The typical construction for
this type of cables is a solid wire as inner conductor, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric
and a tin soaked copper wire braid for the outer shield.
4 Materials and cable construction
4.1 Cable construction
The cable construction shall be in accordance with 4.2 to 4.5 of this standard and the
requirements stated in the relevant detail specification.
4.2 Inner conductor
The inner conductor shall be a solid silver plated copper wire or solid silver plated copper clad
steel wire according to 4.4.1 of IEC 61196-1 or any other appropriate material as stated in the
relevant detail specification. The minimum thickness of the silver coating shall be 1 µm.
The nominal diameter shall be stated in the relevant detail specification.
The tolerance of the diameter shall be ± 3 %.
The inner conductor shall be smooth and continuous.
4.3 Dielectric
The construction of the dielectric shall be one of the materials listed below or a combination of
the following:
• solid polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric,
• expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric,
• profiled (extruded) polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) dielectric,
or any other appropriate PTFE type material as stated in the relevant detail specification.
The nominal diameter and thickness shall be stated in the relevant detail specification.
The tolerance shall be ± 3 %.
4.4 Outer conductor
The construction of the outer conductor should be a smooth and continuous tin soaked copper
wire braid. It consists of two layers:
a) Braid
The copper wire braid shall be designed in a way to guarantee the mechanical, environmental
and electrical requirements of the cable. It shall also allow a correct tin soaking without an
excessive number of pinholes. This is in general achieved by a braid having a coverage of
≥ 95 % and a braid angle in the order of 45 °. The braid design is calculated according to 3.2
of IEC 61196-1.
b) Tin soaking
The copper wire braid is tin soaked in a way to guarantee the mechanical, environmental and
electrical requirements of the cable. The surface of the tin soaking shall be without black
spots, cracking and an excessive number of pinholes.
The tolerance of the diameter of the outer conductor shall be ± 3 %.

– 8 – 61196-8 © IEC:2012
4.5 Sheath
The sheath of a cable is optional and shall be in accordance with 4.7 of IEC 61196-1 with the
following amendments and additions.
• the outer sheath of a cable shall be a thermoplastic material as specified in the relevant
detail specification, including the material type;
• the nominal sheath thickness shall be stated in the relevant detail specification;
• the nominal diameter of the sheath shall be stated in the relevant detail specification;
• the tolerance of the diameter of the sheath shall be ± 4 %.
5 Standard rating and characteristics
5.1 Characteristic impedance
The characteristic impedance is specified in the relevant detail specification.
5.2 Rated temperature range
The rated temperature range is specified in the relevant detail specification.
6 Identification, marking and labeling
6.1 Cable identification
6.1.1 Type name
Cables shall be identified by the following:
a) a number giving the nominal characteristic impedance of the cable in ohms, for
example,"50";
b) a number that corresponds to the nominal diameter measured over the outer conductor in
inch, i.e. the nominal diameter measured over the outer conductor, in mm, multiplied by
39,38, for example,"141" which means the nominal diameter of the outer conductor is
3,58 mm.
6.1.2 Variants
The variant of cables should be identified by the following:
a) type name: see 6.1.1;
b) distinguishing number: It should consist of three digital characters (XYZ) which distinguish
the different construction and material of the various cables.
The “X” specifies the material type of the inner conductor.
The “Y” specifies the material type of the dielectric.
The “Z” specifies the material type of the sheath.
The details are listed in Table 1.

61196-8 © IEC:2012 – 9 –
Table 1 – Material number
“X” Material of Inner “Y” Material of the “Z” Material of sheath
conductor dielectric
Silver plated copper Fluorinated ethylene
S Solid PTFE 1
wire propylene (FEP)
Silver plated copper Polyvinylchloride
2 E Expand PTFE 2
clad steel wire (PVC)
Low smoke, zero-
3 Other material P Profiled PTFE 3 halogen polyolefin
(LSZH)
Other sheath
O Other material 4
material
5 No sheath
6.2 Cable marking
The cable marking shall be applied to the outer conductor (when there is no sheath) or sheath.
The marking shall comply with 6.2 of this document or any other marking as specified in the
relevant detail specification.
Cable marking shall be made up of the following elements:
a) variants naming (see Clause 6);
b) the number of the IEC sectional specification.
For example: 50-141-1S2 IEC 61196-8 means 50 Ω semi-flexible cable with silver plated
copper conductor, solid PTFE dielectric, PVC sheath, 3,58 mm outer conductor nominal
diameter according to IEC 61196-8.
6.3 Labeling
Labeling shall be provided in accordance with 6.3 of IEC 61196-1 and the relevant detail
specification.
7 Tests for finished cables
The cable shall be tested in accordance with the IEC 61196-1 series. The requirements given
below shall apply. Unless otherwise specified, all measurements shall be carried out under
standard atmospheric conditions for testing in accordance with Clause 5 of IEC 60068-1.
7.1 Electrical testing of the finished cable (see Table 2)
Table 2 – Electrical measurements
No. IEC test Parameter Requirements/Remarks
procedure
Conductor direct
7.1.1 61196-1-101 Value in accordance with the relevant detail specification
current resistance
Value in accordance with the relevant detail specification, typical
values are for:
50 Ω and solid PTFE dielectric: 97 pF/m
7.1.2 61196-1-103 Capacitance
50 Ω and expanded PTFE dielectric: 88 pF/m
75 Ω and solid PTFE dielectric: 63 pF/m
75 Ω and expanded PTFE dielectric: 58 pF/m

– 10 – 61196-8 © IEC:2012
No. IEC test Parameter Requirements/Remarks
procedure
Withstand voltage
7.1.3 61196-1-105 Value in accordance with the relevant detail specification
of dielectric
Withstand voltage
7.1.4 Value in accordance with the relevant detail specification
of sheath
(spark test)
Mean characteristic Value in accordance with the relevant detail specification.
7.1.5 61196-1-108
impedance
Typical values are 35 Ω, 50 Ω, 60 Ω, 75 Ω, 100 Ω
Regularity of
7.1.6 61196-1-115 Value in accordance with the relevant detail specification
impedance
Value in accordance with the relevant detail specification.
Typical values are for:
Relative
7.1.7 61196-1-108 propagation velocity
solid PTFE dielectric: 70 %
(velocity ratio)
expanded or profiled PTFE dielectric: 80 %
7.1.8 61196-1-112 Return loss Value in accordance with the relevant detail specification
7.1.9 61196-1-113 Attenuation Value in accordance with the relevant detail specification
This test is only applicable to 50 Ω type cables.
62037-1
Both ends of the specimen should be attached with type 7-16
Intermodulation
7.1.10
connectors (according to IEC 61169-4). Input signal frequencies
(IM3)
62037-4
and power of f and f and the minimum IM requirement shall be
1 2
specified in the relevant detail specification.
Test frequency range: 500 MHz ≤ f ≤ 3 GHz
Requirement ≥100 dB
If not otherwise specified in the relevant detail specification, the
screening attenuation shall be tested after a repeated bending
according to IEC 61196-1-314 Clause 6 with following parameters:
a) the angle of displacement: 90 °
Screening
7.1.11 62153-4-4 b) number of cycles: 35
attenuation
c) mass of the weight: 2 kg
d) bending radius R: 10 times the diameter over the outer
conductor
e) test temperature: 20 °C ± 5 °C
NOTE An alternative test method (GTEM method) is under
consideration.
Insulation
7.1.12 61196-1-102
≥ 10 MΩ⋅km
resistance
61196-8 © IEC:2012 – 11 –
7.2 Environmental testing of the finished cable (see Table 3)
Table 3 – Environmental testing of the finished cable
No. IEC test Parameter Requirements/remarks
procedure
The temperature value is:
–55 °C ± 2 °C (FEP sheath)
–40 °C ± 2 °C (PVC sheath)
61196-1-201,
7.2.1 Cold bend performance –15 °C ± 2 °C (LSZH sheath)
method B
The mandrel diameter is 10 times the nominal
outside diameter of the cable sample under test.
Requirement: no cracks in the sheath, outer
conductor or dielectric
Value in accordance with the relevant detail
7.2.2 7.2.3.1 Resistance soldering
specification
The temperature value is:
200 °C ± 5 °C (FEP sheath)
98 °C ± 2 °C (PVC sheath)
90 °C ± 2 °C (LSZH sheath)
61196-1-209
Requirements after ageing and cooling down to
7.2.3 Ageing
(under
standard atmospheric conditions for testing in
consideration)
accordance with Clause 5 of IEC 60068-1:
a) the transmission characteristics according to
Table 2 shall remain within the specified limits;
b) no black spots or cracking in the outer
conductor.
7.2.3.1 Resistance soldering
From a 150 mm ± 10 mm length test piece, the sheath shall be removed and then carefully
curved at a distance of 30 mm from its end with a bending radius as specified in the detail
specification. The included angle of the bending thus formed in the test piece shall be
135 ° ± 5 °.
The end of the bent sample shall then be immersed in a solder bath in accordance with test
Tb, method 1A (solder bath at 260 °C) of IEC 60068-2-20.
Flux to be used: Flux as indicated in IEC 60068-2-20, plus a 0,5 % mass of hydroxylamine-
chlorhydrate.
Immersion depth:  25 mm ±1 mm
Immersion time:   10 s
At the end of the test, the test piece shall be allowed to cool and the two ends checked to
measure (with an accuracy of 0,1 mm) the:
a) displacement of the dielectric with respect to inner conductor;
b) displacement of the outer conductor with regard to the dielectric.

– 12 – 61196-8 © IEC:2012
7.3 Tests for mechanical characteristics of the finished cable (see Table 4)
Table 4 – Tests for mechanical characteristics of the finished cable
No. IEC test procedure Parameter Requirements/remarks
7.3.1 61196-1 Clause 4 Visual examination No black spots or cracking in the outer conductor
Value in accordance with the relevant detail
7.3.2 61196-1-301 Ovality of dielectric
specification
Value in accordance with the relevant detail
7.3.3 61196-1-301 Ovality of sheath
specification
Value in accordance with the relevant detail
7.3.4 61196-1-302 Eccentricity of dielectric
specification
Value in accordance with the
...