Radiating Cables

A standard coaxial cable uses a continuous outer conductor to contain RF energy and minimize signal leakage during transmission. A leaky coaxial cable uses carefully arranged slots in the outer conductor, allowing a controlled portion of the RF energy to radiate outside the cable while most of the signal continues travelling forward.

This design creates a continuous coverage zone along the cable rather than relying on individual antennas installed at separate locations. The slot size, shape, angle and spacing are engineered according to the required operating frequency, coupling loss, transmission loss and coverage distance.

Because it combines the functions of a feeder cable and a distributed antenna, leaky coaxial cable is particularly suitable for long, enclosed or curved environments where uniform signal coverage is difficult to achieve with conventional antenna systems.

Radiating cables are commonly installed in tunnels, mines, underground transport systems, large industrial facilities and other environments where signals from conventional antennas may be blocked or unevenly distributed.

Depending on the system design, the cable may be connected to repeaters, base stations, signal sources or other passive DAS components, including combiners, power splitters, directional couplers and RF loads. This allows the radiating cable to operate as part of a broader indoor or underground wireless coverage network.