[TowerTalk] Station Ground

[Jeff - N3YEA]

Thanks Paul ! - I never thought or heard of that before - do you tin both 
the center conductor and the braid ?
and then install the PL259 as normal ?

73, Jeff - N3YEA

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul Playford" <w8aef at worldnet.att.net>
To: "'Tom Rauch'" <w8ji at contesting.com>; "'bob finger'" 
<finger at goeaston.net>
Cc: <towertalk at contesting.com>
Sent: Saturday, January 15, 2005 7:25 PM
Subject: RE: [TowerTalk] Station Ground


> Please excuse the following rant but PL-259's and coax light my fire.
>
> Of several hundred (thousands) of PL-259's (on RG-8 or similar) I have 
> seen
> very, very few that are securely or otherwise attached to the coax braid.
> Several years ago I was a volunteer on a ham club's RFI committee.  100% 
> of
> the time when I visited the ham station I could give the PL-259 a good 
> jerk
> and it would come off of the coax.  That sir, is not a good connection, 
> for
> RF or otherwise.
>
> Then I would show the ham how I make my connections (tin the braid first)
> and how easy it is to get a good connection.
>
> A few months later I go back to the same ham station (another TVI squawk),
> give the PL-259 a good jerk, and it's off the coax again.
>
> So I gave up the RFI committee as being a lost cause.
>
> You will not pull PL-259's off of my coax, unless you are a gorilla or 
> don't
> care about the skin that used to be on your palm.
>
> Is is my experience that it is not that a good PL-259 to coax connection
> cannot be made, it is that the majority of amateur radio operators don't
> want to make a good connection.
>
> de Paul, W8AEF
>
>