VHF cable replacement

[Slow_boat]

The VHF cable on my new boat has been there since new, 1994, so I'm guessing it's time to replace it, if I don't want to be climbing the mast in a few years. Which I don't.

The thing is, what do I replace it with?

There is tinned RG58 co axial 'military grade' on ebay at a good price for 100m (mast is 12.1m, mizzen also has a TV aerial and another whip aerial) but do I need RG58 or RG59?
Is 5mm diameter as good as 6mm?
Where do I get the little brass nipple fitting that plugs into the aerial and how do I fit it? should it be crimped or soldered?
Any reccomendations on how to join the new one to the old one to pull it through?

Non-techi laymans language answers please!

 

[Salty John]

If you aren't changing the aerial you may be restricted to whatever is there now because some aerials have a proprietary connection system and some have a factory crimped connection so you can't replace the cable without a new aerial.

If the connection at the aerial is a PL259, no problem you can use any cable. Here's a discussion of the types available to you: http://saltyjohn.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/lets-look-at-coax-again.html

For a 12m mast, maybe 15m overall run?, you'll probably want RG8X. You certainly won't need RG213. I wouldn't recommend RG58 on more than a 5m length although some aerials come with up to 18m of the stuff fitted. RG59 is a 75 ohm cable and not suitable.

 

[Slow_boat]

Thanks for that, Salty John. RG8X seems easy enough to get hold of. The aerial connection is a brass nipple on the end of the wire which plugs into a single hole under the aerial and is held in place with a plastic screw on fitting.