SB9SBJ-174-5 is a RG174 5 foot 50 ohm (1.52 meter) coax cable assembly with a SMB 90 degree (right angle) plug (female contact) connector on one end and a SMB jack (male contact) connector on the other end.

"The MINI Cooper Cable"

The MINI's built-in antenna generally provides better reception than the magnet-mount antenna that comes with most satellite radios. We suspect this is at least in part because the built-in provides a much better ground plane. Other considerations are aesthetics, as well as security: Magnet mount antennas attract unwelcome attention to the contents of a parked vehicle.

You most likely want SB9SBJ-174-5 (the cable pictured on this page). We make this cable using standard RG174, from high-quality stock. It has a right-angle SMB plug on the radio end, and a straight SMB jack on the under-seat end. The straight SMB jack works well for plugging into the FAKRA connector under the seat. The FAKRA is a standard SMB connector, with a keyed shell added to aid assemblers in mating the right cables at the factory or dealership. You can safely disregard the fact that the shell is there; just plug the SMB jack into the SMB plug that's inside the shell.

Other variations of this cable include the standard RG174 version with a right-angle SMB jack (SB9SBJ9-174-5), the low-noise version with the straight SMB jack (SB9SBJ-174LN-5), and low-noise with a right-angle SMB jack (SB9SBJ9-174LN-5). So far, we've found that XM Radio tends to work better with standard RG174 rather than low-noise, and we suspect the same is true of Sirius, though we haven't heard enough feedback yet to be able to say for sure.

Sirius and XM both operate in the 2.3 GHz band. Sirius uses 2320.0-2332.5 MHz, while XM is 2332.5-2345 MHz. A hypothetical 1/8 wavelength antenna for Sirius would be about 16.11 mm long, and XM would be about 16.02 mm. While using an XM receiver with a Sirius antenna is not an exact wavelength match, using an XM receiver with a MINI's built-in Sirius antenna may actually work better than using a magnet-mount XM antenna with a poor ground plane -- much depends on the exact antenna design, as well as other variables which we wouldn't want to guess at. See this article for one in-depth treatment. The upshot is that your mileage will vary.

About 50 ohm cable assemblies

RG174 Specifications

Impedance	50 ohms
Inner Conductor Diameter	0.48 mm
Dielectric Diameter	1.52 mm
Shield Diameter	2.23 mm
Capacitance	100.0 pF/meter (30.5 pF/foot)
Minimum Operating Temperature	-40 C (-40.0 F)
Maximum Operating Temperature	75 C (167.0 F)
Jacket Diameter	2.79 mm
Jacket Material	PVC
Velocity Ratio	66%
Core	stranded
Related	RG-174 RG174A/U RG-174A/U

We hi-pot test our cable assemblies for high-voltage breakdown between core and braid. See About Hi-Pot Testing for why this might matter to you, particularly for physics or NDT applications. Caution: We make no claims as to the safety of this product for high-voltage use. These voltages can kill. Do not handle or approach any cable or conductor carrying high voltage; this includes insulated cables, nearby metal parts, water, and other conductive materials. Engineering and design for safety in your application are your responsibility.

Customization and Ordering

• We make our own cable assemblies. If you need a connector type that you don't see here, or if you have custom requirements, feel free to contact us.
• RoHS compliance available upon request.
• low noise RG174 cable available -- see Cables/RG174 low noise.
• If you need a quantity discount quote, please contact us. We're always happy to work with distributors.

All prices are subject to change without notice.

Actual product color, plating, and other details may differ from photo images depending on upstream component availability.

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