Topband: Replacing F Connectors with BNCs

[Guy Olinger K2AV]

A clarification or two, sorry for the confusion.

First, I only use the F connectors and DXE flooded "RG6" for RX, though I
can see putting some amount of 160m power on them, I just don't do so
myself. There's a part of me that just cringes at the idea of a KW on an F
connector. Same guttural reaction as scraping fingernails across a
blackboard.

Second, the reference to bare wire used as is for center conductor is
regarding the F connectors vs. crimping or soldering to center pin for a
BNC connector. I can never seem to do the latter well without overheating
or blowing the crimp, or doing something that bollixes it. That's just me.
YMMV. The adapter deals with all the wiggling, etc of the cable end where
it gets moved a lot.

Third, I just leave the flood goo wherever it is, push on the connector
right over/under it and do the snap tool, allowing the goo to continue its
life as a sealant. I have a stripper that does the cut exactly right, but
there's always goo left. Another reason to stick with the same "RG6" that
matches everything. The goo is awful stuff to get out of shirts and pants
though. Pretty much artificial snot on steroids.

73, Guy


On Sat, Nov 16, 2013 at 1:47 PM, Guy Olinger K2AV <olinger at bellsouth.net>wrote:

> I use F female to BNC male adapters in the shack with all "RG6" cables
> terminated in F connectors.  I have gone completely to flooded "RG6",
> matching connectors, and, yes Virginia, the particular tool for those, from
> DX Engineering.
>
> I just haven't found anything better than the F connector for terminating
> "RG6" type coax, and I've never had the F/BNC adapters go bad.  Every cable
> end and device outdoors and in between is entirely F. If they were
> originally BNC, I modified them.  Using the naked bare center conductor of
> "RG6" still seems the most reliable method. I went to the DXE stuff about
> four years ago, and I simply have stopped having cable/connector problems.
>  Like flipping a switch.
>
> I have been expecting lightning-based cable conductor opens or shorts or
> outright evaporation, but in spite of cutting down 6 trees scattered around
> property that were split by lightning in that time frame, I have not had
> that problem. That's a wonder, and the question left there is why not?
>
> Yes, it does cost more, and I understand from the typical pinch-penny ham
> viewpoint that's a violation of a religious viewpoint. However these days,
> on my knees in the woods and bending to awkward places translates to a week
> on aspirin or worse to assuage pain in knees and back. Further, I am trying
> to spend my free time finishing a desperately time-consuming study on
> ground TX signal loss from sparse counterpoise antenna systems, and loss
> and signal behavior around trees. So time spent trying to find out what
> went wrong in the RX coax for the umpteenth time is a ghastly waste of
> time.  In these circumstances, if I were a business, going cheep with the
> RX coax and fittings and the subsequent time lost in repair would get me
> fired.
>
> Sometimes, if you factor in the entire cost of your time, the Cadillac
> solution is actually the least expensive path.
>
> 73, and may your knees never give you pain,
>
> Guy.
>
>
> On Thu, Nov 14, 2013 at 10:35 AM, Stan Stockton <wa5rtg at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> An alternative would be to use BNC females and an adapter to go from the F
>> male with a male BNC on the other end.  I have a of them without any
>> issues.
>>
>> 73...Stan, K5GO
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Nov 14, 2013 at 9:19 AM, Hank Garretson <w6sx at arrl.net> wrote:
>>
>> > On Thu, Nov 14, 2013 at 4:38 AM, Pete Smith N4ZR <n4zr at contesting.com
>> > >wrote:
>> >
>> > That is certainly possible, Frank - I've been using Ideal compression
>> > > connectors from Home Depot.  I have not had any reliability problems
>> with
>> > > them at all - they are just a pita to connect and disconnect.
>> > >
>> >
>> > The cable guys around here have some sort of neat slip on/over wrench.
>> > Seems to work like a charm.
>> >
>> > Google f-type connector wrench.
>> >
>> > 73,
>> >
>> > Hank, W6SX
>> > _________________
>> > Topband Reflector
>> >
>> _________________
>> Topband Reflector
>>
>
>