Nick, I wasn't talking about the outer jacket (which is rubber like, and mainly just holds everything together and protects the shield), but the conductor insulation. I assume you meant the jacket.
The 1804a has a very light shield.. And, obviously, the conductors are very fine so there isn't much conductor for long runs.
The "milspec" stuff all varies and some of it should definitely be avoided for our application. I've bought stuff from ebay, and you really need to know what you're buying. Stuff like how fine are the strands, how are the conductors twisted, shield construction. Not all of that cable is teflon insulated.
I've also bought from Allied Wire and Cable. Anyone who wants to learn more about this style of cable should dig into their catalog and familiarize yourself with what is available, the numbering scheme, etc.
And I've said it before and I'll say it again..... We really should do a quad vs. non-quad comp. Most of the "milspec" on ebay is not quad. Though AWC has it.