Hello:
I have been following this thread with great interest. In the last 2 days I
have soldered 16 connectors - both indoors and outdoors (dodging yellow
jackets !) - and using two different solders and three different irons. I
tried rasping the holes as previously suggested but I couldn't see much
difference there. The 60-40 rosin core solder seemed to have a lower
melting point than the silver-containing (Radio Shack) solder. This was a
must outdoors where ANY breeze would slow down the process. The irons were
the Radio Shack high wattage gun, the Solder-It Solder Pro 120 butane iron,
and a 25-watt pencil iron (RS). At the base of the tower, with available
AC, the big gun delivered the heat quick and kept it hot for the time I
needed. The Solder-It butane unit was good, but any breeze would cool the
junction momentarily - really frustrating at times. Indoors, interestingly,
and particularly when I ran out of the 60-40 rosin core solder and started
using the other, the pencil iron (which is left constantly on) was
absolutely the best. The Solder_it iron is apparently geared towards the
lower melting point solder paste that they sell (which I have yet to figure
out how to use with a PL259). It simply coud not handle the silver
containing solder.
As an aside, in my opinion, the biggest pain about putting on PL259's on
RG-8-like cables is getting the center conductor twisted tight enough to fit
inside the PL259 center oriface. I, many times, end up twisting and
scraping (with a wire-cutter/pliers) until it is tiny enough to fit. Nuts !
Why can't they conform to each other better ?!
My thumb aches from all the twisting of the '259's. Think I'll go soak it
!! :)
Jamie
WB4YDL
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