AS>A few months ago, I posted a note asking for leads on obtaining a husky
AS>soldering iron for PL259 work. I had a variety of responses ... it seems
AS>there are many differing opinions ... low wattage vs high wattage, butane
AS>soldering tools, guns, etc. However, what I had seen used on a previous
AS>antenna job, and what I really wanted to find, was an old fashion soldering
AS>iron with a really big (high mass) tip.
AS>My search finally paid dividends last week when I obtained a Weller SP-175.
AS>This model is 175 watts, a 5/8" tip and 500 deg C maximum tip temperature.
AS>Early experiments with applying PL259's on various types of cable
AS>dielectrics appear favorable. Soldering additional radials to my 80M
AS>vertical (#12g copper wire to 3/4" copper tubing ring) was a breeze.
AS>Oddly enough, it's really tough locating suppliers of soldering irons.
AS>Someone very helpful in my search was John Kozlowski at Genesse Industrial
AS>Electronics, Buffalo NY. His number is 716-873-9661. Cost was <$50. If
AS>you're in the market, you might give John, or your local Weller dealer, a ca
AS>Usual disclaimers (not associated with Weller, Genessee, etc) apply.
AS>Dennis, K7FL
Dennis,
Just a hint if you're going over to LMR type coax or any of those which
have silver braid. If you have typical older age sight problems (like
me) use gold plated connectors. It was impossible for me to see if the
braid were correctly positioned in the holes (the inner foil shield is
also silver looking) with silver plated connectors. I was never sure
that I had the braid or shield showing. Use a magnifying glass to make
sure. The contrast between the gold and silver helps. Other than this
gold plated connectors are of no benefit!
73 de Brian/K3KO
to: INT:ashworth@hevanet.com
cc: INT:Towertalk@contesting.com
Vance Net Inc
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