I have a need to bury some loconet cable for my Garden Railroad. The typical 6-conductor telco cable I've seen does not seem suitable for direct burial. What about the cable used to wire sprinkler valves? Would that be suitable? It typically comes in 4 conductor and 7 conductor; since the loconet cable uses redundant wiring, would the 4 conductor be suitable, or would it be better to use the 7 conductor and use redundant wiring? Is there a maximum length for non-telco cable used for loconet? (I would need to run it about 50 feet). It would be used purely for loconet traffic. I'll be running separate wire for the track wiring.

-- Jon Davis (joncdavis@attglobal.net), March 14, 2002

Answers

I'd go ahead and use the 7 conductor sprinkler cable. You may need the redundancy that is built into Loconet in the garden someday! Loconet is fairly tolerant of the wire you use. I think it will work fine for what you want to do. Lay it above ground and test it just to be sure. I don't think you'll have any problems.

You are right, you definitely don't want to bury regular flat ribbon cable!

-- Allan Gartner (bigboy@WiringForDCC.com), March 16, 2002.

2 years late but for others needing to bury a loconet cable. the only fail safe cable for direct burying is gel filed 6 pair (12 conducters). this a is a telco cable filled with jelly of some sort, it keeps out water and doesn;t allow water in the cable if the outer sheath is damaged. any air core buried cable will go bad in a matter of months, you have to find it at a telco specilaty store or find your local verizon tech to help you out. also is buried splice closures for jel cable, do not use air core cable in the ground.

-- gene gleason (litespan@comcast.net), January 10, 2005.