A cable will generally have a capacitance per unit length (example, pF/Foot or pF/m), resistance per unit length, attenuation at a specific freq per given length, and amount of crosstalk if multiconductor. The easiest part to measure is the capacitance which can be done with 8052/8051. Naturally, you could have secondary effects if you have more than 2 strands because of the number of twists in the cable (the capacitance for one cable of the same length may not exactly match another cable of the same type with the same length). This works with an open ended cable. Another way is to short the cable between two conductors and measure resistance. Either way will give somewhat accurate results depending on how you calibrate your measurement. Basically, the longer the piece of wire you use to calibrate your measurements, the more precise your measurements will be. You can also take a look at digikey or mouser to actually see the datasheet. They already give you the numbers you would need. Good luck. For the experts (specifically RF Engineers) in the forum I pose the question.... How do you electronically measure the length of a single strand cable that is open and you do not have access to the other end.