[AMPS] N-Connectors - Thanks for the Replies

[measures]

>
>At 08:12 AM 3/2/00 -0700, measures wrote:
>
>>The reason to use  Type-N or Type-C fittings at HF is to keep water out
>>of  coax.  When used outdoors, PL-259s allow water to enter coax. .
>>During a rainstorm, a friend of mine found a small puddle of water under
>>his amplifier.  Water was entering the braid of the coax via a PL-259
>>that was outdoors, and then running down the braid to the amplifier's
>>coax fitting.
>
>To be sure. I have had several of those mysterious puddles appear on my 
>floor as well. It's always a real surprise when you finally realize where 
>all the water is coming from.
>
Indeed

>N connectors are expensive, hard to install correctly, 

I can do it.  Measure each cut carefully and it's a piece of cake/

> and in general a 
>pain in the southernmost regions. I do use them, but  only outside where I 
>need to keep the WX outside the coax and on frequencies where the high 
>return loss characteristics are important.
>
>The best solution is no connectors at all. For HF use there is little 
>reason to do so. Short pigtails with spade lugs can be weatherproofed 
>easily and the connection is capable of John Lyles power levels. SWR is not 
>a problem when this approach is used with care. My old two meter, 16 yagi 
>EME array had only one (N) connector in the entire phasing harness, that 
>was needed to connect to the change-over relay. Inside the relay box I had 
>a couple BNC'S!!! My 40 meter 4-square has only a UHF connector on the end 
>of 200 feet of coax and that only to get into the coax selector switch. The 
>EME array was about 1.2 to 1 across the low end and the 40 meter 4 square 
>is about 1.15 to 1 across the entire band.
>
>No power problems, no SWR problems, no WX problems, and the spade lugs only 
>cost about 10 cents at Checker auto! What more could a guy ask for?
>
Type C connectors.   They go cheap at swap meets because most people 
think they are useless military junk.  .  
>
cheers, Larry

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