[TowerTalk] New Conduits

[Al Kozakiewicz]

-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com [mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of K8RI on TT
Sent: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 7:20 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] New Conduits

For low bands and particularly 160 and 75 I much prefer UHF connectors. N do not do well when running the legal limit into a high SWR. I've also lost a few due to thunderstorms, but nary a single UHF. 


It's interesting that you should mention that.  At the lake QTH, where there is currently a mish mash of sub optimal antennas, I had started using crimp on N connectors with LMR400.  I run a legal limit amp there.  The ground mounted HF6V started acting up and I traced the problem to an N connector that looked like it had arced over.  The SWR bandwidth of the HF6V on 80m is very narrow, and I had probably tried operating too far away from the center point.

On one of the antenna feedlines with UHF connectors, I had a similar problem.  In that case, however, it wasn't the connector that arced over but a cheap barrel connector with bakelite insulation.

Al
AB2ZY