Topband: Connectors for top band use

[by way of Bill Tippett <btippett at alum.mit.edu>]

I never thought I'd be concerned about RF connectors at 160 but I have 
recently discovered the hard way that those crimp on Radio Shack PL259's 
are quite unsatisfactory as they do not provide for a solid, dc shield 
contact.

Here in suburban northern NJ I have made a small career of 160 noise 
abatement with several sense antennas for my MFJ1025 and several mini flags 
and pennants and a mag loop or two. However we're having a very cold and 
very dry winter making the ambient noise level quite high. On inspection 
after many frustrating evenings trying to listen thru the local crud I 
found intermittent readings on my rx antennas - all attributable to those 
damn little connectors.  When the shield isn't solidly connected the 
imbalance caused makes the difference between S9 level crud and comfortable 
listening. SWR on the flags goes from more than 3:1 to less than 1.2:1 when 
the connector is properly seated. The physical connection despite feeling 
"solid" is just not so.

I do not use crimp on connectors myself but purchased lengths of rg58 with 
those connectors installed from Radio Shack but am completing the 
replacement of the connectors with good quality Amphenols now.