Coaxial cables are a higher-grade cable designed to meet specific impedance and to carry higher quality signals, which can be operating at higher frequencies and data rates. A coaxial cable contains two conductors, which are centered on the same axis. Within a coaxial cable is an inner conductor for the signal usually made from copper surrounded by a dielectric material. The center conductor and insulator are surrounded by the shield or ground conductor and an insulating outer sheath or jacket.

The spacing between the outer ground to the inner conductor is important to maintain throughout the length of the cable. The ratio of the inner conductor diameter to the outer ground shield and the dielectric material are parameters and properties that determine the cable’s characteristic impedance. The characteristic impedance is what determines whether a high-frequency signal is effectively passed through a cable with little degradation or not.

Coaxial cables are often used for radio frequencies and radio transmission, feed lines to antennas, Internet and cable interconnects. They are now found in high-end electronic test equipment, where high frequency signals are being probed. They are often used in network analysis, interfacing with a vector network analyzer and networks of interest.