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Screened and shielded cable systems are an emerging technology today for a variety of reasons; from providing heat dissipation to tackling alien crosstalk.

In part, this emerging technology matters because of all the non-telecommunication signals that are in buildings today. These signals include DC circuits, cable TV, HVAC circuits, security devices, building power, electromagnetic noise, motors, fluorescent lights and more.

In a presentation from Valerie Maguire of The Siemon Co., she noted several benefits of shielding. They include reduced pair-to-pair crosstalk, reduced alien crosstalk, substantially improved noise immunity at all frequencies above 30 MHz and significantly higher Shannon capacities.

A main key benefit: heat dissipation. “Screen/shields do not retain heat,” Maguire noted. “They, in fact, have great heat dissipation.”

The other main key: limiting noise. “We must be concerned about environmental or outside noise. That also goes for differential noise and ground loop noise,” Maguire said.