IEC 61196-11:2016

Overview

IEC 61196-11:2016 is the International Electrotechnical Commission sectional specification for semi-rigid coaxial communication cables that use a polyethylene (PE) dielectric and a tubular outer conductor. The standard applies to cables intended for use in microwave and wireless equipment or other signal-transmission units operating at frequencies above 500 MHz. It is intended to be read in conjunction with IEC 61196-1:2005 (the generic specification).

Key topics and requirements

This sectional specification defines materials, construction and test requirements for semi-rigid RF/coaxial cables, including:

• Materials and construction
  • Inner conductor types (solid, stranded, corrugated or smooth tubes) and dimensional tolerances
  • Dielectric material fixed as polyethylene (PE) with options for solid, air-spaced or semi-air-spaced constructions
  • Tubular outer conductor and sheath specifications
• Electrical characteristics
  • Nominal characteristic wave impedance
  • Rated temperature ranges and operating frequency (above 500 MHz)
  • Average and peak power handling considerations
• Identification and marking
  • Requirements for cable labeling, identification and traceability
• Performance and tests
  • Electrical tests (e.g., d.c. resistance, capacitance, return loss, attenuation - see IEC 61196-1 test methods)
  • Environmental tests (temperature, water penetration, climatic sequence, ageing)
  • Mechanical tests (ovality, eccentricity, bending, crush resistance, tensile/pull force)
  • Fire performance and combustion by-product testing (smoke density, halogen gas content)
• Quality assessment, delivery and storage
  • Requirements for conformity assessment, packaging, storage and handling

Normative references include other IEC standards for environmental, mechanical, electrical and fire testing (for example IEC 60068-1, IEC 60332-1-2, IEC 60754-1, IEC 61034-2, and the IEC 61196-1 series of test methods).

Applications

IEC 61196-11 is used to specify and validate semi-rigid coaxial cables in:

• RF and microwave links within base stations, transceivers and antenna feeds
• Laboratory and test equipment where stable dimensional control and PE dielectric are required
• High-frequency interconnects in wireless infrastructure and microwave modules

Who uses this standard

• Cable designers and manufacturers creating semi-rigid PE-dielectric coaxial products
• RF/microwave engineers specifying high-frequency interconnects
• Test laboratories performing IEC compliance and type approval testing
• Procurement and quality teams ensuring material and performance compliance

Related standards

• IEC 61196-1:2005 (generic specification for coaxial communication cables)
• IEC 61196-1-101 … -1-319 series (electrical, environmental and mechanical test methods)
• IEC 60068-1, IEC 60332-1-2, IEC 60754-1, IEC 61034-2 (environmental and fire-test references)

Keywords: IEC 61196-11, semi-rigid coaxial cables, polyethylene dielectric, PE dielectric, microwave cables, RF cables, wireless equipment, coaxial communication cables.