[TowerTalk] Fwd: Attach a PL-259 to a 1/2" hardline
Wayne Kline
w3ea at hotmail.com
Thu Nov 8 13:08:56 EST 2012
Gentelman Quite a few neat ideas,, but as with any adaptation there is more then one way to skin a cat. At one time my stations 4 towers and the 4 SQ were feed with 75 OHM 3/4 " OD catv line. Some jacked, some bare and some had the Flooded Jacked , A sticky bear to clean :( How I came up with solving my 30 plus connectors was. a 1/2 NPT female to 1/2 copper tubing adaptor, I then got dabble barrel connectors removed the snap ring removing the center cond and the two insulators place the hollow barrel into the female 1/32 copper tube end and soldered it like a sweat joint ! ( making sure you keep the snap ring end up) I then through a few trial and errors cut the outside aluminum jacket with a rotating tubing cutter, cleaned the foam off the center cond, trimmed to the barrel length,To secure this unit on the Cable I used a 1/2 black pipe TEE using the center as a Die, the rolled cut jacket let it thread on cutting ( deforming the jacket in to a NPT). A slather or penatrox tighten it up insert the top insulator and re-install the internal snap ring. Presto .. A water tight .750 caty line UHF end. YMMV Wayne W3EA
> Date: Thu, 8 Nov 2012 06:32:22 -0800
> From: guy_molinari at hotmail.com
> To: wa5rtg at gmail.com; K8RI-on-TowerTalk at tm.net
> CC: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd: Attach a PL-259 to a 1/2" hardline
>
> Stan showed me this approach and it worked out well.
>
> 73,
> Guy N7ZG
>
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless Smartphone
>
> Stan Stockton <wa5rtg at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >I have 1/2 inch CATV hardline feeding my verticals on 80m 4 Square. I just used about six inches of .625" OD (5/8") x .058" wall tubing slit about 2.5 inches and four times on either end to fit over the back of the PL-259 and outer jacket of hardlline and used some hose clamps. Takes about ten minutes start to finish, and cost is minimal. A little Penatrox, some Scotch 88, soldered center conductor and I've not had a problem in 8 years.
> >
> >Stan, K5GO
> >
> >Sent from my iPad
> >
> >On Nov 7, 2012, at 10:49 PM, K8RI <K8RI-on-TowerTalk at tm.net> wrote:
> >
> >> On 11/7/2012 10:28 PM, Kelly Taylor wrote:
> >>> One thing I considered but never tried was simply using a double-female UHF
> >>> adapter, with the centre conductor of the hardline exposed so that when it
> >>> fit into one end of the adapter the end of the adapter was up against the
> >>> aluminum jacket. Then 1/2-inch ID aluminum tubing slitted at both ends could
> >>> be compressed into the jacket and adapter threads with hose clamps.
> >>
> >> I've never tried it, but "I think" the jacket is both thin enough and soft enough it could be compressed onto the connector with out slitting. You also might be able to turn a couple of brass or hard aluminum alloy to press over the ends to hold the jacket tight onto the fitting. It'd take some experimenting as there probably isn't more than 1 or 2 thousandths between too loose and too tight for the rings.
> >>
> >> Or skin the threads off so it'd make a tight fit inside.
> >>
> >>
> >>>
> >>> There might need to be some work done to the centre conductor of the
> >>> hardline to ensure a snug fit and it probably needs some kind of oxide
> >>
> >> 3/4" hard line fits just fine. The half inch is a bit small for a direct fit. OTOH you might be able to redo the center connector so it would clamp onto a smaller center connector.
> >>
> >>> inhibitor between the aluminum and the body of the adapter, as well as good
> >>> waterproofing.
> >>>
> >>
> >> 73
> >>
> >> Roger (K8RI)
> >>> More elegant might be to choose an ID and wall thickness for the tubing such
> >>> that you could swag it to fit over the aluminum jacket AND tap it to accept
> >>> the threads on the UHF adapter. Then perhaps you only need one hose clamp.
> >>>
> >>> 73, kelly
> >>> ve4xt
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> On 11/7/12 11:06 PM, "K8RI" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk at tm.net> wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> On 11/7/2012 9:20 PM, Missouri Guy wrote:
> >>>>> FWIW...I needed connectors for the 1/2 aluminum coax
> >>>>> quite a few years ago. I didn't think of K8RI's neat idea
> >>>>> of the brass fittings back then. What I did was to make
> >>>>> an adapter-sleeve with a ~1" length of 1/2" i.d. aluminum tubing.
> >>>>> The tubing fit over the standard PL-259 connector
> >>>>> and the coax.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I found a thick steel washer in the junk box
> >>>>> that is about the same size as the CUTTER WHEEL in a copper tubing
> >>>>> cutter.
> >>>>> I rounded off the edge of the washer and installed it in the
> >>>>> cutter. I then used the "cutter" to ROLL two indented rings
> >>>>> on each end of the aluminum tubing (4 rings total). That worked, but I
> >>>>> found that the aluminum coax was TOO SOFT to "fuse"
> >>>>> to the aluminum sleeve. I solved that problem by making
> >>>>> some hard plastic inserts that "just fit" inside the coax.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> I removed the foam inside the coax with a homebrew
> >>>>> hollow "drill" made from a chunk of mild steel so the
> >>>>> inserts could slide in. It worked well and the connections
> >>>>> are still good many years later.
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Yeah, you may have to use a small lathe to make the inserts, but I know
> >>>>> some of you have one in your shop. Those inserts may be needed
> >>>>> *IF* you find that the brass compression fittings that Roger used
> >>>>> are somewhat loose when compressed over the soft aluminum
> >>>>> coax.
> >>>>
> >>>> I like your idea and I'm trying to picture it a bit better. It has a
> >>>> certain elegance to it, but unfortunately takes a bit more work and I've
> >>>> noticed a lot of us are not extremely gifted on ambition...at least I'm
> >>>> not. OTOH I can't resist a challenge, particularly if it doesn't cost much.
> >>>>
> >>>> I wonder if a swagging tool couldn't be built to fit the jacket tightly
> >>>> onto the PL-259 Barrel? This would give a large area of contact and
> >>>> might be strong enough to hold well. The problem with swagging onto the
> >>>> barrel is the Aluminum tends to spring back. OTOH swagging to an ID
> >>>> slightly undersize with a bit of a bell on the end of the jacket and
> >>>> then pressing the PL-259 into the end of the coax jacket might work
> >>>> well. Now some one just needs to make the tools to do this well. <:-)).
> >>>>
> >>>> As in writing computer programs, there are usually far more than one way
> >>>> to get the same result. My approach was neat and easy, but you are
> >>>> correct in that using the compression fitting the coax is a bit small
> >>>> for the fitting. It will tighten down fine, but it takes care to keep
> >>>> things straight. Of course if you have a good lathe and a bit of skill,
> >>>> you can build the equivalent of of a 7-16 DIN. With some brass rod of
> >>>> the proper size you can also build the connectors used on Heliax. Those
> >>>> are fairly simple, but it takes about a 4" rod and that brass rod is
> >>>> kinda pricey!
> >>>>
> >>>> 73
> >>>>
> >>>> Roger (K8RI)
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> 73,
> >>>>> Charlie, N0TT
> >>>>>
> >>>>> On Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:01:07 -0500 K8RI <K8RI-on-TowerTalk at tm.net>
> >>>>> writes:
> >>>>>> On 11/7/2012 5:32 PM, Tom KD8DEG wrote:
> >>>>>>> I use standard copper pipe compression fittings if the cable is
> >>>>>> the
> >>>>>>> aluminum 75 ohm cabel tv line. They work great.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> A couple ways of making adapters.
> >>>>>> http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/conn.htm
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> 73
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Roger (K8RI)
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> Tom KD8DEG
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Maki"
> >>>>>> <lists at oakcom.org>
> >>>>>>> To: "towertalk" <towertalk at contesting.com>
> >>>>>>> Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2012 10:00 AM
> >>>>>>> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Fwd: Attach a PL-259 to a 1/2" hardline
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> Well, they do make female F connectors for anything up to .750,
> >>>>>> but
> >>>>>>>> normally it's terminated with pin connectors. The pin connectors
> >>>>>>>> though are useful as a starting point to transition to UHF.
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> -Steve K8LX
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>> On 11/7/2012 9:49 AM, Jim W7RY wrote:
> >>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>>> Is this 75 Ohm CATV cable?
> >>>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>>> If so, there are NO standard adapters or connectors. The cable
> >>>>>> TV
> >>>>>>>>> industry does not use "connectors" on this type of coax. The
> >>>>>> cable
> >>>>>>>>> connects directly to the device through a hole in the side of
> >>>>>> the
> >>>>>>>>> device.
> >>>>>>>>>
> >>>>>>>>> 73
> >>>>>>>>> Jim W7RY
> >>>>>>>>
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