[TenTec] help in soldering pl259 outside

[Jim Brown K9YC]

On Mon, 5 Apr 2010 18:00:50 -0400, Dave Edwards wrote:

>NO pencils, circuit board irons, anything from Radio Shack, butane gadgets, 
>battery operated gadgets....they just don't have the 'umph' to get the job 
>done.

Nothing wrong with the big Weller, but I don't have one that works. The Hako 
936 that I bought about 5 years ago on the recommendation of Elecraft 
builders works VERY well to solder PL259s. Over the past few months, I've 
probably installed more than 80 of them, mostly on RG8 that's comparable to 
LMR400 without even the slightest problem. I use the iron on its highest 
setting. I've also used it on a lot of other coax cables, mostly RG8-size, 
but also RG58, RG59, RG8X, and RG6. I use nothing but Amphenol silver 
PL259s. If, on occasion, I end up with someone else's PL259 that's not 
silver plated, I scrape the plating from around the holes so that it will 
take solder. 

One thing that helps a lot is a decent bench vise to hold the connector 
while you solder it. 

73,

Jim Brown K9YC