Published on 10/19/2026
The antenna sits on a mast, a rooftop or a boat. The cable assembly runs through sun, rain, salt and temperature swings for years. An RFQ that says only "SMA to N, 5 m" will get a cable that works on the bench and fails in month eight. This page tells you what to specify for an outdoor antenna cable assembly: ingress rating, jacket, connectors, bend and drip loop rules and grounding.
For sealing technique at the connector itself, see waterproofing RF connections. This page covers what to write on the RFQ.
On This Page
An IP rating describes a connector or enclosure under defined test conditions. It does not describe your installation. Read the two digits separately: the first is solids, the second is water.
| Rating | Water protection (second digit) | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| IP66 | Protected against powerful water jets | Good for exposed rain and washdown; not for immersion |
| IP67 | Protected against temporary immersion up to 1 m for 30 minutes | Immersion test; not permanent submersion |
| IP68 | Continuous immersion under conditions agreed with the supplier | Depth and time vary by manufacturer; ask for the conditions |
Mated versus unmated
An IP rating usually applies only to the connector pair when properly mated and tightened. An unmated connector is not protected. A rating on a datasheet for the connector alone does not cover the cable entry, the crimp or the boot.
Ask each supplier what the rating covers and how it was verified. Do not assume an assembly is rated just because the connector family has a rated version. SigmaRF does not offer in-house immersion testing, so we advise specifying the connector rating from the manufacturer's datasheet and verifying the installed joint with your own field checks.
Planning an outdoor build? Send the connectors, length and environment and we will advise on the assembly.
Request an Outdoor-Rated Build| Stress | What to specify | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sun and UV | UV-resistant jacket, such as black polyethylene or a UV-stabilized compound | Standard PVC can crack and chalk in strong sun |
| Salt and marine | Jacket and connector plating suited to salt exposure; stainless or suitably plated connectors | Salt spray corrodes plating and attacks some jackets |
| Temperature cycling | State minimum and maximum temperature at the site | Jacket and dielectric stiffen in cold and soften in heat |
| Abrasion and rodents | Armor or conduit if the route is exposed | Jacket damage lets water in along the shield |
| Chemical or fuel exposure | Name the chemical | Not every jacket resists every fluid |
Choose cable by loss at your frequency and length too. See RG58 attenuation and RG58 vs LMR240 for typical comparisons.
For connector basics see SMA vs N-type vs TNC vs BNC.
Lightning and static protection are system design questions. At spec level, state these points.
We can build assemblies to connect with your arrestor and grounding hardware. The protection design itself should come from your site engineer or the relevant standard for your installation. Do not treat the cable assembly as the lightning protection.
OUTDOOR ANTENNA CABLE ASSEMBLY - RFQ SPEC Application: [telecom / IoT / marine / rail] Frequency band: [x to y MHz] Length: [m] +/- [tolerance] Cable: [type], UV-resistant jacket Connector A: [N male], sealed, outdoor rated, plating [x] Connector B: [type] Environment: [temp min/max], [salt: y/n], [UV: y/n] Ingress rating: [IP rating required, mated, per connector datasheet] Protection: [boot / heat shrink / conduit] Test: VSWR and insertion loss over band, data per unit Quantity: [n] Needed by: [date]
Paste this into your RFQ and fill each field. Missing fields are where outdoor failures start.
What IP rating do I need for an outdoor RF cable assembly?
IP67 is a common target for mated connectors exposed to rain and temporary immersion. IP66 suits rain and jets. Choose by the real exposure and ask what the rating covers.
Does IP67 mean the whole cable is waterproof?
No. It describes the mated connector under test conditions. Cable entry, crimp and installation also affect real protection.
What cable jacket is best for UV?
A UV-stabilized jacket such as black polyethylene. Standard PVC may degrade in strong sun. State UV exposure on the RFQ.
Which connector is best for an outdoor antenna?
N-type in a sealed outdoor version is the usual choice. Sealed TNC is another option. Standard SMA and BNC are not weatherproof.
What is a drip loop?
A downward curve in the cable before the connector so water runs off the loop instead of into the connector.
Does SigmaRF test IP ratings?
No. We do not run immersion tests. We build to a sealed connector spec and VNA-sweep each assembly for VSWR and insertion loss.
Can SigmaRF build outdoor assemblies?
Yes. Send the spec through the contact page, including environment, connectors and length.
Outdoor assemblies fail at the details: connector sealing, jacket choice, bend radius and drip loops. Put each one in the RFQ, use the template above and treat the IP rating as a statement about the connector, not the whole installation.
Ready to talk about your build?
Send the outdoor spec and we will quote an assembly built for it.
Standard AssembliesCustom AssembliesTalk to an Engineer