[TowerTalk] Re: Hardwired coax

[john at kk9a.com]

Once I discovered a lightning damaged connector just hours before a contest 
and I just cut it away and soldered the centers together and the shields 
together in a pig tail fashion.  I taped it up and operated the contest 
without incident.  In fact I never got around to making a permanent repair 
and I used it that way for a year until I dismantled the station.  This was 
done on one hardline run on a SO2R station and I saw no noticeable 
difference between using the pig tail line or the one with proper hardline 
connectors.

73,
John KK9A



To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] Hardwired coax
From: K7LXC
Date: Mon, 30 Apr 2007 11:49:28 EDT


Howdy --

    I'd like an estimate of the implication to SWR of  hardwiring some
RG-213. By that I mean using crimp butt connectors to couple the  inner
conductor
and the shield instead of your normal connectors. The shield is  pulled off 
to
the side and twisted together so that it's basically one conductor  where 
it's
butt connected as well.

    There's a VE1 that's done that for years with  hardline (I think he just
twists the conductors) on 160M and then using liter  soda bottles over the 
top
for wx proofing but I've got no idea of the say, 20M  implications. Would 
you
see a big jump in SWR or what? The situation is that a  6' jumper was used 
to
connect a damaged feedline so there are butt connectors at  both ends of the
jumper.

    Tnx for your input.

Cheers,
Steve     K7LXC
TOWER TECH