Going by names is nearly useless.. Amphenol PL-259's are Banned from my
station, After a sizable investment in them Real / Silver / Silver)(Real
from Mouser and Verified) the threads were way out of spec from worn out
equipment and they expressed no desire to re-tool. We had multiple failures
during and after installation. Eventually we replaced them and Banned their
use.
ALL PL259's on normal coax (RG 213) are now DxEngineering Crimp ons. They
just work, especially up the tower. I trust them.
All PL259's (Lots) on RG 400 are the "Premium" Silver / Silver from W5SWL
which, coincidently have slightly out of spec threads but in such a way
that they create an excellent interference fit on any SO239's we have used.
Including an 811-H that they were almost smooth and needed replaced 20
years ago.
All PL259's on LDF4-50 are RF Industries which was initially done out of
necessity since nobody else sells them, but we have been very pleased with
the results. ( I wish they were all 7-16 DIN but the ham community just
won't make the jump to them )
Lots of trial, error and testing got us to what we now use.
Ron, WV4P
On Tue, Jun 18, 2024 at 9:50 PM Tim Duffy <k3lr@k3lr.com> wrote:
> Hi Pete
>
> Glad to hear the DXE connectors are working FB.
>
> I hope to hear you on the air.
>
> 73,
> Tim K3LR
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of
> Pete Smith N4ZR
> Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2024 8:46 PM
> To: Tim Duffy; towertalk@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Junk Coonectors (was Re: How lossy are PL-259s at
> HF?)
>
> Tim, don't misunderstand. I was not complaining, nor was I doubting
> that there is something in these connectors that is new - though I don't
> know how to find the patent number. When I saw you on Saturday, I was
> assuming that my problem was in the cable itself, Davis RF Ultraflex.
> Only today did I discover that the problem was in the connector they
> supplied. I replaced it with one of yours, and everything seems fine.
>
> 73, Pete N4ZR
>
> On 6/18/2024 4:13 PM, Tim Duffy wrote:
> > DX Engineering does stand behind their own brand. Always.
> > W3LPL said they were all OK as well.
> >
> > You could have asked me in person when I saw you Saturday.
> >
> > You should read the patent. It's available on line.
> >
> > If there is a problem, you can email me directly and I will take care of
> it.
> >
> > 73
> > Tim K3LR
> > CEO DX Engineering
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of
> Pete Smith N4ZR
> > Sent: Tuesday, June 18, 2024 3:38 PM
> > To:towertalk@contesting.com
> > Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Junk Coonectors (was Re: How lossy are PL-259s
> at HF?)
> >
> > Any experience with DX Engineering PL-259s? I bought a half-dozen crimp
> > type for RG-8X, on the theory that DXE would stand behind their own name
> > brand. They are even stamped with a DX Engineering patent notice -
> > like what's to patent? They feel a little lighter than WW2
> surplus,but...
> >
> > 73, Pete N4ZR
> >
> > On 6/18/2024 1:14 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> >> On 6/18/2024 6:15 AM, Rob Atkinson wrote:
> >>> When shopping for UHF connectors at a hamfest, bring an Amphenol male
> >>> and use it to test any connectors that have a UHF female involved. Do
> >> I consider this a fool's errand. The only connectors or adapters I
> >> will buy at a hamfest are MIL-surplus or Amphenol-branded, and they're
> >> sold by individual hams. I've probably used a hundred or more of them
> >> over the years, all bought in lots of 50 or 100 from franchised
> >> distributors as part of a group purchase that I or others have
> >> organized for clubs to which I've belonged.
> >>
> >> For more than 25 years, I've served on the Standards Committee of the
> >> Audio Engineering Society, which includes representatives of major
> >> manufacturers like Switchcraft, Neutrik, Shure, AKG, Neumann,
> >> Audio-Tehcnica, Sennheiser, and Beyer Dynamic. (not Amphenol -- they
> >> haven't been in the audio biz for 40-50 years, which Switchcraft and
> >> Neutrik have dominated for that long). Over the years, I've seen many
> >> reports from some of them about counterfeits of their products. With
> >> microphones, the defects are sound quality; with connectors, they're
> >> failure to properly mate, dissimilar metals that you can't solder to
> >> or degrade with time, dielectrics that melt when you try to solder.
> >>
> >> Yes, there are other mfrs of connectors, but I wouldn't go near them
> >> unless I was a mfr who could vet the company, get samples, see their
> >> quality control. Years ago, W2VJN did that for some antenna switching
> >> products, and he got quality. Our chances of getting quality
> >> connectors are about as good as winning the lottery.
> >>
> >> When I got back on the air in 2003, I was ignorant of this issue with
> >> ham connectors, and bought a lot of adapters to fill my junk box. Over
> >> the next 5-6 years, they caused me untold grief trouble-shooting the
> >> failures they caused in my station.
> >>
> >> 73, Jim K9YC
> >>
> >> _______________________________________________
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >
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