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[TowerTalk] Connector insertion loss

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Subject: [TowerTalk] Connector insertion loss
From: w5hvv@aeneas.net (Rod Fitz-Randolph)
Date: Mon, 1 Sep 1997 16:50:05 -0500
>At 10:18 PM 8/31/97 -0500, Chuck Dietz wrote:
>>What is a "captivated N connector?"
>
>A captivated n connector is a connector that has special teflon ring washers
>that cradle a small annular lip on the center pin itself. The idea is that
>with a ring on either side of the lip, the pin will NOT move forward and
>back with temperature expansions and contractions. They do work too. Hard to
>explain what it looks like without drawing a picture though. They look like
>regular n connectors on the outside, but have the extra washer inside to
>hold the pin.
>73,
>Scott
>KA1CLX
___________________________________________________________________________
Scott, I truly believe that, if you have a several hundred foot run of coax
like I do, that regardless of whether or not there is an annular ring or lip,
when the center conductor of the coax retracts by as much as a 1/4", something
will give!  Either the coax's center conductor will pull the connector's
center conductor through and backward OR it will separate at the solder joint
where the coax center conductor is soldered to the connector's center
conductor.  The forces of metal contracting with lower temperature are very
high.  There has been quite a bit written about the phenomena on N connectors
in the past.  Several commercial tower/antenna installers have also warned
me about that phenomena.

Respectfully,

Rod, N5HV



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