Anyone who thinks a crimp is better than soldering is just fooling himself.
Maybe they are equal the day of proper installation, but what about 7 years
later at the top of the tower in lots of vibration?
Of course, it is basically impossible to prove this matter partly because "test
to destruct" just destructs and tests over time take too long for most. But
crimping means deforming the material, risking a larger change in impedence.
73
les Harpole
k4vud@hotmail.com
----------------------------------------
> Date: Tue, 1 May 2012 16:33:07 -0400
> From: dhallam@knology.net
> To: amps@contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [Amps] every db lost re Tubes vs. Solid State
>
> I realize that the investment of a proper crimping tool and dies for UHF
> is an investment of not insignificant proportions. But compared to the
> investment in a modern SS transceiver, it's a small price to pay to get
> the expensive RF to the antenna. In every comparison test I have seen,
> crimped connectors were equal to or better than soldered connectors.
>
> I gave up on soldering braid on PL-239's sometime ago.
>
> David
> KW4DH
>
> On 5/1/2012 4:13 PM, Manfred Mornhinweg wrote:
> >> Some years ago, I discovered a 'cure' for the problems brought to my
> >> station by
> >> cheapie connectors. They ALL went into the S***can!
> > Much the same here. And it's a real problem, because every connector I
> > can buy locally (Chile) is Chinese-made, and while the best of them are
> > satisfactory, most of the rest are junk.
> >
> > But not always is the problem attributable to a bad connector. Very
> > often it's bad installation. I don't know how it's in the USA, but
> > around here it's truly surprising how few hams know that the holes in
> > the sides of a PL-259 connector are there to solder the braid! People
> > will strip the coax, push or thread it into the PL-259, solder the
> > center conductor, and leave the braid to contact the shell by proximity,
> > telepathy, good luck, or by the never-failing (so they think) spring
> > action of the plastic jacket...
> >
> > Only the internal conductor is hot with RF, right? So it doesn't matter
> > if the braid makes no contact, right? That's what they think.
> >
> > And then there are those who have emancipated from this step. They will
> > push the coax cable into the connector, and then try to somehow patch
> > those pesky solder holes with some half-melted, pasty solder. The braid
> > inside stays untouched.
> >
> > Or those who want to do it right. They push in the cable, then heat the
> > whole connector with a torch, and flow abundant solder into those holes.
> > This time the braid gets properly soldered to the body. And so does
> > the center conductor. To the body, I mean.
> >
> > I have held workshops at three different radio clubs, to try teaching
> > people the correct installation of a PL-256 connector, and I have found
> > that many hams just plainly lack the ability to understand why it should
> > be that way, or the discipline to actually do all necessary steps,
> > specially tinning the connector body on the inside before pushing the
> > cable in, and tinning the braid...
> >
> > I have seen PL-259 connectors in which the braid had been unbraided,
> > twisted into two bundles like Salvador Dali's mustache, pulled through
> > the solder holes, and the two ends knotted together outside the
> > connector's body! A great, safe contact, sure! ;-)
> >
> > Oops, I'm in ironic mode today. Forgive me... Must be because it's 1st
> > of may...
> >
> > Manfred
> >
> >
> > ========================
> > Visit my hobby homepage!
> > http://ludens.cl
> > ========================
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Amps@contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
> >
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