RG-59 is Flexible Coaxial Drop Cable used Primarily Today for CCTV (Closed Circuit TV) Applications. In the Early Days of Cable TV, 300 Ohm twin lead was used. When the transmission lines used changed to 75 Ohm Coaxial Cable, RG59 was introduced as the premise distribution cable of choice, installed in many Homes and Apartments that is still in use today. For the Higher Frequencies and Bandwidths of Modern Cable TV design, RG59 is very lossy and should be replaced with a lower loss cable (like RG6) at any opportunity.
We Sell RG59 Connectors for CCTV and Cable TV Antenna applications as there is still plenty of it still left in service. Modern Manufacture of RG59 sees almost every variety that you would find in RG6, though there is much, much less of it available. Quad Shield versions with Silver Clad center conductor are used in Head End wiring.
95% braid coverage suitable for use in CCTV will have Solid Copper center conductor and Copper or Copper Clad Aluminum Braided Shield. Cable of this manufacture can be rated up to 3 GHz in bandwidth, but its loss usually precludes its use in anything other than CCTV Applications.
Solid Copper center conductor is not needed for the carriage of Higher Frequencies, but rather for the lower loop resistance characteristics preferable for DC Voltage power into the Camera, and the Lower RF Frequencies found in Baseband Video out of the Camera. Lower frequency use such as this sees loss comparable to RG6 as the two are indistinguishable in this range.
RG59 is smaller, more flexible, and easier to post-wire install. Solid Copper or Copper Clad Aluminum Shield maximizes Shield Integrity, maximizing rejection of unwanted interfering Signals.