Published on:2026-05-24 Click:17
RG179 miniature coaxial ROV tether cable, neutrally buoyant foamed PUR. RG179 75-Ohm mini coaxial for ROV camera tether requiring very small OD and neutral buoyancy.
The RG179 ROV tether uses a miniature 75-Ohm RG179 coaxial core (OD ~2.5 mm, 23AWG centre conductor) within a foamed PUR buoyant jacket for compact ROV camera tether applications where the coaxial OD and weight must be minimised. RG179 is the smallest practical 75-Ohm coaxial for video (smaller than RG59 or RG6), making it ideal for micro-ROV and miniature underwater camera tether designs where every millimetre of cable diameter affects drag and buoyancy. The foamed polyurethane (PUR) jacket uses a micro-cellular expanded jacket compound with a bulk density lower than seawater (~1.025 g/cm³), giving the cable near-zero or positive net buoyancy. This eliminates tether sag and reduces drag force on the ROV, improving vehicle manoeuvrability and reducing tether management workload during subsea operations.
| Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
| Coaxial | RG179 (75 Ohm, MIL-C-17) |
| Centre Conductor | 0.61 mm solid CCS (23AWG) |
| Dielectric | PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) |
| Outer Shield | Silver-plated copper braid + AL foil |
| Jacket | Foamed micro-cellular PUR |
| Impedance | 75 Ohm ± 3 Ohm |
| Buoyancy | Near-neutral |
| Custom | Multiple RG179 cores, power conductors, length |
Request datasheet, custom length, or OEM pricing: sales@rovcable.com -- Shanghai Kabel Intelligence Technology Co., Ltd.
The jacket is manufactured from a micro-cellular expanded (foamed) polyurethane compound. During extrusion, a controlled foaming agent creates millions of tiny closed-cell air pockets within the jacket wall. These air cells reduce the bulk density of the jacket below that of seawater (~1.025 g/cm³), producing positive or neutral net buoyancy. The jacket retains all the abrasion resistance, oil resistance, and flexibility of standard PUR while achieving the buoyancy needed for ROV tether applications.
RG179 has an attenuation of approximately 0.33 dB/m @ 1 GHz at 20°C (in air). At 100 m tether length, the loss is ~33 dB @ 1 GHz -- significant for high-definition video but acceptable for CVBS (4 MHz, ~1.3 dB/100m) and AHD/TVI (at 6 MHz). For 100BASE-TX Ethernet over coax (using DOCSIS-compatible modems), the signal can be equalized to compensate for up to 35 dB cable loss. For longer tethers, use RG59 (lower loss) or switch to fiber.
