Guy,
Tnx for the info. It sounds like I should just crimp on a PL-259 to solve the
problem without adding more connectors.
And I agree with you about the Amphenol elbows. Found a good stock of them many
years ago.
73,
N2TK, Tony
From: guyk2av@gmail.com [mailto:guyk2av@gmail.com] On Behalf Of Guy Olinger
Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2016 2:23 PM
To: N2TK, Tony <tony.kaz@verizon.net>
Cc: ve4xt@mymts.net; towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] F to UHF adapters
It is important to understand one's adapters.
An F connector in the outdoors absolutely needs help for sealing. Also the
female F connector has a built-in problem which is due to its diminished size:
the tongue which must connect to the pin in the male connector is very small,
and just because of physics, cannot withstand repeated connection/disconnection
before some fail to make connection. This is exacerbated if the connector EVER
EVEN ONCE gets water into it.
If one wants to use and reuse a female F to UHF male adapter, the best thing
for ongoing success is to lightly treat the female side with silicon grease.
Create a short, like one foot length, of RG6 with male connectors both ends.
Connect the cord to the adapter. Seal that connection and NEVER undo it again.
At the other end attach a female F to female F adapter, and make your recurring
connections to that end. If either of the tongues go bad, throw away the female
to female, and replace it with a new one, which will have a new, unstressed
tongue. The extra female to female (very common, very cheap) is easily carried
in a kit with analyzer, etc.
Quite some number of adapters, and some solderable connectors, have issues.
Just for one terribly aggravating example, the cheap male to female UHF elbow
adapters, which have an internal spring (yes, a SPRING) to make the connection
around the corner. These get old, heat up at QRO and make for problems
transmitting that are hard to find with an ohmmeter after the fact. Amphenol
UHF elbows have the male pin with screw threads on the internal end, which
screws into the center conductor to the female side. I spent four or five
hamfests glomming up Amphenol UHF elbows for a lifetime supply. Never had any
trouble since.
Cheap and convenient can sometimes cost one big time. Caveat Emptor.
73, Guy K2AV
On Sun, Oct 2, 2016 at 1:45 PM, N2TK, Tony <tony.kaz@verizon.net
<mailto:tony.kaz@verizon.net> > wrote:
Hi Kelly,
With the F connector it is easier to pull the cable through the conduit, if
I need to. But that is about it.
N2TK, Tony
-----Original Message-----
From: ve4xt@mymts.net <mailto:ve4xt@mymts.net> [mailto:ve4xt@mymts.net
<mailto:ve4xt@mymts.net> ]
Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2016 1:17 PM
To: N2TK, Tony <tony.kaz@verizon.net <mailto:tony.kaz@verizon.net> >
Cc: towertalk@contesting.com <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] F to UHF adapters
Hi Tony,
I'd suggest you're best off going with Plan B.
While I'm not a connector conspiracy theorist saying every adapter is evil,
if you don't need an adapter, what's the upside of using one?
73, kelly, ve4xt
Sent from my iPad
> On Oct 2, 2016, at 11:56 AM, N2TK, Tony <tony.kaz@verizon.net
> <mailto:tony.kaz@verizon.net> > wrote:
>
> I use RG6 with male F connectors on my receive antennas and 80M 4-sq.
> At the Comtek box and receive antenna box, both are covered but
> outside, I use F-female to UHF-male adapters. Even though they are
> covered from the elements they corrode and fail. Could not find an
> Amphenol adapter in their catalog.
>
>
>
> Does anyone know if there is a good quality adapter out there? If no
> luck finding a good adapter I can always crimp on PL-259's.
>
>
>
> Tnx
>
> N2TK, Tony
>
> _______________________________________________
>
>
>
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