This installation FTP cable marked OFTP5E24-MS is part of the product line Masterlan - category 5E and is intended for outdoor structured cabling.
The cable is manufactured in a shielded version with a PE sheath. The cable conductors have an aluminum core, which is coated with a layer of copper - so-called CCA with a size of AWG24. Like other cables, this one is marked in meters of 1m in the range from 0 to 305m. The cable is delivered in a solid cardboard box.
What is CCA and why does it make sense today?
CCAis a relatively new data cable technology in which a aluminum core is coated with a layer of copper. Copper has excellent conductivity and resistance properties, but is several times more expensive than aluminum. Although the CCA cable allows you to take full advantage of copper while maintaining a favorable price and, most importantly, helps to save worldwide copper reserves, it is not suitable for all types of installations. Even a thin layer of copper in a CCA cable provides virtually the same conductivity with only slightly higher resistance. How is it possible? Thanks to an electrical phenomenon we call a "skin effect" or "surface effect". The skin effect is a physical process in which an electric current is forced to the surface of a conductor. This phenomenon does not occur at all at direct current, so the CCA cable is not suitable for installations where POE power is required. In electrical wiring where a frequency of 50Hz is used, the phenomenon is minimal. However, data networks use much higher frequency alternating current. The quality of a CCA cable is about finding balance. Too much copper is a waste of material, while too little copper reduces the efficiency and quality of the cable. Our cables contain at least 20% by weight of copper, thus guaranteeing parameters that are close to ordinary copper conductors.
