What happens as RF signals travel over cable?

What happens as RF signals travel over cable?

• A. RF signal levels decrease over distance
• B. RF signal levels increase over distance
• C. RF signals remain constant
• D. RF signals invert

Answer: (A)

As RF travels along a cable, the signal loses strength due to losses in the transmission line. The energy is dissipated as heat in the conductors and dielectric, and additional losses occur at connectors and along the path. This attenuation increases with distance and is also more pronounced at higher frequencies, so the farther the signal travels, the weaker it becomes. Amplifiers can be used to restore levels, but in a passive cable the signal naturally decreases over distance. The other options don’t fit because a passive cable doesn’t add energy (so levels don’t increase), it doesn’t keep constant amplitude, and while phase can shift, the waveform isn’t typically inverted just by traveling along the line.

As RF travels along a cable, the signal loses strength due to losses in the transmission line. The energy is dissipated as heat in the conductors and dielectric, and additional losses occur at connectors and along the path. This attenuation increases with distance and is also more pronounced at higher frequencies, so the farther the signal travels, the weaker it becomes. Amplifiers can be used to restore levels, but in a passive cable the signal naturally decreases over distance. The other options don’t fit because a passive cable doesn’t add energy (so levels don’t increase), it doesn’t keep constant amplitude, and while phase can shift, the waveform isn’t typically inverted just by traveling along the line.