Hi Mike,
I switched to crimped connectors several years ago without any regrets...
Suggestions:
1. Buy good quality connectors. I like the silver Teflon type and buy them
in quantity from N5IAW. You can find him on ebay - very knowledgeable
individual and one of the best vendors I have ever purchased from.
2. I have used both the ratcheting jaw type crimping tools (similar to DX
Engineering and others) as well as the open-frame military style
manufactured by Daniels. Either will get the job done. The open frame
tools are built like battleships but are not economical unless you find a
good deal on a used set.
3. Buy good coax stripping tools if you don't have any already - it is one
of the best investments I ever made. It has saved me an enormous amount of
time (and grief). I like the models from DX Engineering and I have found
them to be really great folks to work with as well.
4. Follow the normal best practices for weatherproofing your exposed
connections - same as you would for solder connectors. The only thing I do
a little different is I switched from UHF to N-type for exposed connections
and place 2 cascading layers of UV resistant heat shrink over a dab of
sealant around the outside of the finished crimp. I have not had any
issues with moisture ingress issues to date and it avoids all the sticky
mess of wraps. The only exception is for applications that are difficult to
access on the tower I do wrap them as well. Where I have to use UHF
connectors outdoors they get wrapped.
Hope this info is of use. Good luck on your project.
73
Matt
KM5VI
-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of Mike
Ryan
Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2017 11:00 PM
Cc: 'towertalk reflector' <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Connector Crimping Tool Advice
I am SURE that this has been discussed before, however I now need to pay
more attention to some first hand accounts and advise on the subject. I am
considering the purchase of connectors and the proper tool for crimping
these connectors onto LMR-400 primarily and some other cables over time. I
have no problem installing the 'old fashioned' style connectors but hear
more reports of crimp style connectors being used on the LMR-400 cable than
in the past. If good quality installations can be assured I am interested.
Suggestions? -Mike
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