I realize that the investment of a proper crimping tool and dies for UHF
is an investment of not insignificant proportions. But compared to the
investment in a modern SS transceiver, it's a small price to pay to get
the expensive RF to the antenna. In every comparison test I have seen,
crimped connectors were equal to or better than soldered connectors.
I gave up on soldering braid on PL-239's sometime ago.
David
KW4DH
On 5/1/2012 4:13 PM, Manfred Mornhinweg wrote:
>> Some years ago, I discovered a 'cure' for the problems brought to my station
>> by
>> cheapie connectors. They ALL went into the S***can!
> Much the same here. And it's a real problem, because every connector I
> can buy locally (Chile) is Chinese-made, and while the best of them are
> satisfactory, most of the rest are junk.
>
> But not always is the problem attributable to a bad connector. Very
> often it's bad installation. I don't know how it's in the USA, but
> around here it's truly surprising how few hams know that the holes in
> the sides of a PL-259 connector are there to solder the braid! People
> will strip the coax, push or thread it into the PL-259, solder the
> center conductor, and leave the braid to contact the shell by proximity,
> telepathy, good luck, or by the never-failing (so they think) spring
> action of the plastic jacket...
>
> Only the internal conductor is hot with RF, right? So it doesn't matter
> if the braid makes no contact, right? That's what they think.
>
> And then there are those who have emancipated from this step. They will
> push the coax cable into the connector, and then try to somehow patch
> those pesky solder holes with some half-melted, pasty solder. The braid
> inside stays untouched.
>
> Or those who want to do it right. They push in the cable, then heat the
> whole connector with a torch, and flow abundant solder into those holes.
> This time the braid gets properly soldered to the body. And so does
> the center conductor. To the body, I mean.
>
> I have held workshops at three different radio clubs, to try teaching
> people the correct installation of a PL-256 connector, and I have found
> that many hams just plainly lack the ability to understand why it should
> be that way, or the discipline to actually do all necessary steps,
> specially tinning the connector body on the inside before pushing the
> cable in, and tinning the braid...
>
> I have seen PL-259 connectors in which the braid had been unbraided,
> twisted into two bundles like Salvador Dali's mustache, pulled through
> the solder holes, and the two ends knotted together outside the
> connector's body! A great, safe contact, sure! ;-)
>
> Oops, I'm in ironic mode today. Forgive me... Must be because it's 1st
> of may...
>
> Manfred
>
>
> ========================
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> http://ludens.cl
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