If you buy a few UHF connectors from a distributor like Digi-Key, nobody
will be going to the trouble of cherry picking standout exemplars the
way a manufacturer might sample a few parts to a potentially large buyer
they are trying to woo. The other option is to verify the return policy
of the supplier ahead of time, buy a large quantity, and then pick out a
few random samples for close inspection. I they are junk, send the rest
back for a refund.
If you want a high degree of confidence in a product then you are going
to have to pay a premium and even that is no guarantee. Even good
manufacturers/suppliers screw up from time to time. The lower the cost,
the more risk you assume as a consumer.
73, Mike W4EF......................
On 1/3/2025 2:24 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
On 1/3/2025 4:22 AM, Rob Atkinson wrote:
If I were looking to buy a large number of UHF connectors, I'd buy a
single one to check it out first before buying a large number. I'd
buy two or three and try soldering them if solder is going to be used.
Yes, but -- for 30 years, I've been a member the Standards Committee
of the Audio Engineering Society, and principal author of most
published Standards on EMC. I'm still Vice-Chair of the EMC Working
Group, and have been a member of the WG on connectors for 30 years. As
long as 25 years ago, I was hearing from engineers of major mfrs of
connectors and microphones about their problems with counterfeit
products, and defects in their manufacture that caused problems for
users. With connectors, it was everything from control of dimensions
to contact material to dielectric. With mics, it's all about how they
sound. The mfrs on those committees were from companies like Shure,
AKG, Sennheiser, Neumann, Switchcraft, Neutrik, and Belden. Amphenol
was no longer selling audio connectors by the time I became active;
Switchcraft and Neutrik were and still are the major, first rate players.
Thirty years ago, I was reading about counterfeit aircraft parts!
Far from these issues with technical products, I'm finding counterfeit
kitchen utensils and other household items.
About 20 years ago, a colleague, also a member of the Standards
Committee and a fine engineer, was buying knock-off Chinese mics and
reselling them to churches. He had a well-equipped lab to measure
them. They would send him samples that were wonderful, but the
quantity orders arrived, they were junk -- measured performance was
random.
73, Jim K9YC
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