It isn't fancy but very easy to do what I did 20 years ago on the phasing lines
for 80m 4 Square. I just cut pieces of 5/8" aluminum tubing about 2 inches
long and used a band saw to make four slits in each end. Perfect fit over the
1/2" hardline and PL-259 barrel. Then a little Noalox and hose clamps for the
CATV end and the barrel of the PL-259 plus a good taping job. Never had a
problem.
3/4" hardline connectors are really nice using a 3/4" (inside threads) to 1/2"
(straight with no threads) copper fitting that can be self threaded onto the
hardline. You need to be able to remove the guts of an Amphenol PL-258 to
solder it inside the copper fitting. A dental tool works pretty well for
removing the retainer ring. I have used those for over 40 years and have never
had one fail.
73... Stan, K5GO
> On Jun 4, 2020, at 2:00 PM, <lee@k7tjr.com> <lee@k7tjr.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Guys,
> There is an article in one of the ham magazines from years ago that
> describes how to make an adapter from brass tubing compression sleve fittings
> (from auto parts store) that adapts from 1/2 inch CATV Hardline cable to UHF
> male connectors RG-8 size. Anti-oxidants required. I have been doing this for
> years with no problems at 1500 watts. There is a pair on my 80 meter 4-square
> as we speak. Its been so long that I have since forgotten where the article
> was. Perhaps an internet search would bring it up. I would write something up
> but I have my hands full at the moment with cleaning up after a tornado like
> storm with 100 MPH winds that went right over my house. Minimal damage except
> for the top 1/3 of my 160 vertical and lots of tall trees down in what's left
> of the yard. All else is fine with nothing I can't repair.
> Good luck.
> Lee K7TJR Culver OR
>
>
> Clamps do work ok with CATV hardline, but you have to be careful as it is
> very easy to crush the hardline. Also, waterproofing is always a pain.
>
> As W7WKR posted, I also adapt pin connectors, which are the standard way of
> terminating catv hardline. Here are some comments:
>
> Pin connectors have the same thread size (5/8") that is found on so-239s or N
> connectors. They are fairly cheap to buy new or can be found on ebay. One
> difficulty with pin connectors compared to many other hardline connectors is
> that it is nearly impossible to install them on catv hardline unless you have
> a coring tool of the right size to fit the hardline. This is because the pin
> connectors clamp onto the shield from both sides, so you have to completely
> remove the insulation from the hardline for 1-2" back up into the cable.
> Coring tools are > $100 new, but I have found them used for $20-$40. The used
> ones are often pretty worn out: however, with care you can sharpen the
> cutting parts with a file or stone, which makes a big difference. It can also
> be tricky to figure out how much center conductor you need sticking out for a
> given pin connector- some of the connectors have little tick marks on the
> outside that show the correct length to cut the center conductor.
>
> Once you have the pin connector on, then:
>
> 1. For type N: the body of a "clamp" type N connector will screw directly
> onto the pin connector (discard the smaller clamp part with male threads that
> normally goes on the RG-8). I just cut the pin to length and file the end
> down to a point. You do have to be careful that the point is not too wide,
> otherwise it might break the female contact.
>
> 2. For UHF: there are similar clamp-type UHF connectors available with the
> same 5/8 thread in the connector body. Here is one example:
>
> https://www.w5swl.com/Coax-Connector-UHF-Female-Clamp-fits-RG-8AU-RG-213-Series-Cable--by-W5SWL_p_466.html
>
> just cut the pin to the right length, solder on the center female connector,
> and screw the body on.
>
> 3. You can also just drill a hole in a metal box and attach the pin connector
> with a nut meant to go on SO239s.
>
> There are also splice connectors to join two pieces of hardline. These are
> nice because they don't require any waterproofing. There are also some that
> end in an F connector instead of a pin.
>
> Tor
> N4OGW
>
>
>
>
>
> r
>
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