Design of Armorless Ocean Cable

A low-loss coaxial ocean cable has been developed to be used as the transmission medium for the SD system. The strength member of the new cable is located inside the inner conductor. In deep-sea applications only a plastic jacket is required to protect the coaxial; in shallow water, where mechanical hazards are great, armor wires are applied over the coaxial in a more or less traditional manner. A major concern in the development of the cable was that its transmission characteristics be predictable and be stable with time. This necessitated the consideration of mechanical and electrical requirements as one problem. Over 10,000 nautical miles of the new cable is performing satisfactorily in systems reaching to Europe, Asia, and Central America.