Quick answer: RG11 has a larger center conductor than RG6, 14 AWG against 18 AWG, so it loses less signal per 100 ft and holds voltage better over long runs. RG6 is thinner, cheaper, easier to bend and takes standard F-connectors, which makes it right for most in-house drops. Choose RG11 when a run passes roughly 150 ft, when it feeds a satellite receiver at distance, or when DC voltage drop at the LNB matters.
RG6 vs RG11: why the center conductor decides the run
A tech arrives at a long driveway drop with a spool of RG6, a bag of standard F-connectors and a meter that reads 4 dB low at the far end. The run is 180 ft and the splitter has three spare ports. Nothing is broken, and nothing will test clean either. RG6 and RG11 look interchangeable on the shelf, and both are 75 ohm coax, but the center conductor is 18 AWG against 14 AWG, and that single difference sets attenuation, DC resistance, bend radius and which connector will actually crimp onto the end. This comparison puts the numbers side by side so the next spool choice is a calculation rather than a habit.
Center conductor size is the whole argument
Both cables present a 75 ohm impedance because the ratio between the center conductor and the shield is engineered to match, so the swept response of the two is similar at low frequency. The difference is loss, and loss scales with conductor resistance per unit length. An 18 AWG solid copper center conductor measures about 6.4 ohm per 1000 ft, while a 14 AWG conductor is closer to 2.5 ohm per 1000 ft. That is roughly a factor of 2.5 in series resistance, and it shows up twice: as resistive loss on the RF signal and as DC voltage drop on the line that powers a satellite LNB or a mast amplifier. Diameter follows the same path, RG6 at about 6.9 mm and RG11 at about 10.3 mm.
18 AWG against 14 AWG in plain numbers
Published figures put RG6 attenuation near 6.5 dB per 100 ft at 1 GHz and RG11 near 4.0 dB per 100 ft, a difference of about 2.5 dB over that span. Over 180 ft the gap becomes roughly 4.5 dB, which is the difference between a healthy digital margin and a receiver that drops channels in heavy rain. At 500 MHz the same pattern holds at smaller absolute numbers, near 4.2 dB against 2.7 dB per 100 ft, so the ratio stays stable across the band.
What DC resistance does to a satellite drop
A satellite receiver sends 13 V or 18 V up the same coax to power the LNB, and the current is typically 200 mA to 500 mA. With an 18 AWG loop resistance near 12.8 ohm per 1000 ft, a 200 ft run drops about 1.3 V at 500 mA, and a 300 ft run drops close to 2 V, which can push the LNB below its minimum operating voltage on a cold morning. RG11 halves that drop, and on long dishes this is the figure that decides the spool.
Attenuation per 100 ft at the frequencies that matter
Cable data sheets quote loss at 100 ft or per 100 m, and the number that matters depends on what the cable carries. Analog CATV channels sit from 54 MHz to about 1 GHz, DOCSIS 3.1 downstream extends to 1.8 GHz, and MoCA 2.5 uses 1125 MHz to 1675 MHz. Loss rises with frequency, so a cable that looks fine at 55 MHz can be marginal at 1.5 GHz. Always read the curve, not the single figure at 1 GHz. A 2 dB difference at 1 GHz becomes 3 dB or more at 1.8 GHz, and it lands on the highest order QAM channels first, which is why a move to a wideband plant sometimes forces a cable change rather than another amplifier stage.
Fit, connectors and the wall box problem
RG11 is stiff. Its bend radius is roughly 10 times the cable diameter, near 4 in for a static bend, and a standard single gang box with a 1 in knockout will fight it. Pulling RG11 through a finished wall usually ends with a kink at the box, and a kink is a permanent impedance bump that no connector can repair. Connectors are family specific: an RG6 F-connector will not seat on an RG11 dielectric, and forcing it produces a shield contact that passes a continuity test and fails at 1 GHz. RG11 needs its own compression connectors and its own strip tool, and the cable is normally reserved for exterior runs, trunk lines and long drops where the extra loss figure justifies the handling cost.
Drop cable or trunk: where each one belongs
Treat RG6 as drop cable and RG11 as trunk or long drop cable and most decisions resolve themselves. Inside a house, runs are short, corners are tight and the cable has to pass through the same holes as electrical cable, so RG6 quad shield does the job with less risk of a kinked install. Outside, a run from the demarcation point to a detached garage or a pool house at 200 ft is where RG11 earns its price. If the design already needs an amplifier, check whether that amplifier is compensating for a cable that should have been larger, because adding gain to a lossy line also amplifies the noise the line picked up. Cable first, gain second, and the meter reading will follow.
Splitter and amplifier placement
Place amplification as close to the source as the design allows, then split. A two way splitter costs about 3.5 dB per port and a four way about 7 dB, so the split is often a bigger loss than the cable itself. Put the amplifier ahead of the splitter and keep the high level signal on the shortest possible RG6 jumper to the first splitter. Amplifiers placed at the far end of a long RG11 run raise noise as well as signal, which shortens the usable margin.
When quad shield RG6 is the better buy
Quad shield RG6 adds a second foil and braid layer, which improves shielding effectiveness against ingress from nearby transmitters and against leakage that interferes with other services. In a house with a cell booster, a ham radio or a lot of switching noise, quad shield RG6 on a 60 ft run will outperform RG11 on the same run because the limiting factor is interference, not attenuation. Spend the difference on shield coverage before you spend it on conductor size.
RG6 against RG11 on the specs that change a design
| Spec | RG6 | RG11 | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Center conductor | 18 AWG copper | 14 AWG copper | Lower loss and lower voltage drop |
| Dielectric | 4.6 mm foam | 7.2 mm foam | Larger cable, stiffer feel |
| Nominal OD | 6.9 mm | 10.3 mm | Bigger holes and boxes |
| Attenuation at 1 GHz | About 6.5 dB | About 4.0 dB | Per 100 ft, both directions |
| Bend radius | About 2.5 in | About 4 in | Tight stud bays are RG6 only |
| Connector | Standard F series | RG11 F series | Separate fittings and tools |
Real-World Application Scenarios
Three field cases. A 220 ft underground run to a detached garage with a satellite receiver uses RG11 with a flooded jacket and compression connectors, because the LNB current would sag on RG6. A 45 ft interior run to a bedroom TV uses quad shield RG6, since interference from a nearby panel and tight stud bays favour the thinner, more flexible cable. A cable modem fed from a street pedestal 160 ft away uses RG11 to the ground block and RG6 from the ground block to the modem, which keeps the high frequency loss down exactly where the DOCSIS carriers sit.
Related Guides on This Site
Conductor size is only one variable. Our RG59 vs RG6 comparison explains why the older thin coax falls short at digital frequencies, and the coaxial cable RG6 guide covers shield types and jacket options for indoor and outdoor routes. For connector selection and strip dimensions on the smaller cable, the RG6 cable guide lists the compression fittings that hold under pull.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Is RG11 better than RG6 for internet?
A: It is better only when the run is long or the signal is already marginal. For a typical 50 ft to 80 ft interior run, RG6 quad shield delivers the same service because the cable loss is a small part of the total budget. Past roughly 150 ft, or where the modem sits far from the ground block, RG11 buys several dB of margin.
Q: Can I use RG6 connectors on RG11 cable?
A: No. The dielectric and shield diameters differ enough that an RG6 fitting will not grip an RG11 jacket, and forcing one gives an intermittent shield contact. RG11 needs its own compression connectors and a strip tool set to the RG11 geometry. A mismatched fitting often passes a continuity test and then fails on the higher channels.
Q: How far can RG6 run before I need an amplifier?
A: There is no fixed number, because the answer depends on the signal at the source and the loss of every splitter on the path. As a working rule, keep a 6 dB margin at the outlet and count about 6.5 dB per 100 ft at 1 GHz plus 3.5 dB per two way split. If the arithmetic runs out, RG11 is often cheaper than an amplifier.
Q: Does RG11 work with MoCA?
A: Yes, and it can help. MoCA 2.5 occupies 1125 MHz to 1675 MHz, where RG6 loss is at its highest. RG11 loses less at those frequencies, so long backbone runs between rooms benefit. Keep in mind that MoCA also depends on splitter quality and on the number of splits, so the cable alone will not fix a poor topology.
Q: Is quad shield RG6 worth the extra cost?
A: It is worth it where interference is the problem rather than distance. Quad shield improves shielding effectiveness and reduces leakage, which matters near transmitters, boosters and industrial equipment. On a short clean run with no interference source, standard shield RG6 performs the same, and the money is better spent on better connectors.