At our club we use S4 timers connected to TAG HL553 impulse distributors then to TAG finish eyes and start wands (sometimes ALGE start wands). Does it matter whether we use 22, 18 or 16 gauge wires for our connections? What about interference shielding? Should we be using shielded cable with a drain wire?
I tried looking into the technical specifications of the S4 timer and saw nothing about what kind of signal gets sent through these wires (whether it is current or voltage dependent and the amount of current I am dealing with).
Our longest run is about 3000ft and we currently piggyback on the chairlifts 22 gauge 24 pair communication line. We use 4 of the pairs for our system and they branch off at three different locations to connect to our start stations. I think at that point we are using 4 pair 18 gauge direct burial line. Of the 4 pairs, 2 are for race impulses and 2 are for voice communication via ALGE SV4 speech amplifiers.
Ideally id like to keep a spool of cable on hand that I can use everywhere and will stand up to harsh weather, wildlife, and carry the timing impulses with maximum reliability, all the while not breaking the budget.
I looked at one type that has interferance shielding as well as interlocking aluminum armour. It might be nice to have that as it would pretty much completely eliminate the risk of wildlife chewing through it plus protect against any sort of debris damaging the wires (eg trees falling on it) but im thinking it may be overkill.
Anyways just looking to start a discussion on the ideal wiring setup for permanent installations.
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