[TowerTalk] PL259 Insertion Loss?

[Steve Maki]

On 1/16/2012 8:11 PM, Jim Brown wrote:

>> Some PL259 stuff is suffering from production and /or material quality more
>> then type N

> I can show you N-connectors that are junk. Further, N-connectors on some
> cables are well known to suffer from "creep," whereby the center pin
> recedes back into the cable, no longer making contact with the mating
> connector. This cannot happen with the UHF family of connectors.

Another issue with female N connectors is fragile center pin *fingers*. 
Maybe it's just MY pickle-head employees, but they manage to 
occasionally break them, usually up on a tower, and when it's a $400 
precision female N load... well you get the picture. There is a reason 
why the commercial wireless industry is going to 7/16 DIN, and it's not 
just electrical performance but mechanical robustness.

That said, on HF the quality UHF connector is ideal, in my opinion.

-Steve K8LX