[TowerTalk] Antenna issue still puzzling me

[K8RI]

On 4/21/2013 6:23 AM, Crownhaven wrote:
> I second that.  Used RF Connection for years.

I've used them and Davis. Tell them what you want and you'll get it.

I'm not as hung up on Amphenol maybe because I've had several that had 
no threads or an incomplete center conductor from them, but no one has 
100% perfect QC. OTOH I do think they are a known quantity with a name. 
  Without any name you don't know if you are getting the same make each 
time.

   I remember the old "zero defects" mantra that went through industry 
like a dose of salts. It was good to strive for but impossible to reach 
and completely impractical from a cost/benefit analysis for any company 
that had much volume.

Inspect the things your self, before using them.  It's a bit annoying to 
haul a run up the tower only to find no threads on the PL259, or a gob 
of solder you missed that prevents the connectors from going together. 
Sometimes they'll go together with a bit of extra force, which is 
tempting when you are way up there but when a good PL259 is used next 
time they suddenly become intermittent because of the now oversize SO-239.

Quality control shouldn't stop at the factory.

73

Roger (K8RI)


>
> Hi Pete!
>
> Steve N4JQQ
>
>
>
>
> On Apr 21, 2013, at 6:37 AM, Pete Smith N4ZR <n4zr at contesting.com> wrote:
>
>> I recommend the RF Connection <http://therfc.com>.  They sell both junk and the good stuff (not just Amphenol, but other ones they have dug into). you can get junk from them, but if you ask they will steer you right, and the prices should be your guide.  I asked one time why they carried junk, and the reply was simple - "hams want cheap."
>>
>> 73, Pete N4ZR
>> Check out the Reverse Beacon Network at
>> http://reversebeacon.net,
>> blog at reversebeacon.blogspot.com.
>> For spots, please go to your favorite
>> ARC V6 or VE7CC DX cluster node.
>>
>> On 4/21/2013 4:07 AM, Jim Brown wrote:
>>> On 4/20/2013 6:28 PM, n8de at thepoint.net wrote:
>>>> My guess is that the balun has a cold-solder joint in it.
>>>
>>> Perhaps.
>>>
>>> I would also look for bad connections that are the result of junk connectors or badly soldered connectors.
>>>
>>> 99% of all connectors sold at hamfests, and even by most dealers selling to hams, are JUNK, and they can cause exactly this sort of problem that is hard to find.  This may sound biased, but it is not. If a coax connector does not say Amphenol on it, or if it is not a vintage connector with a UG number (military surplus) it is almost certainly TRASH.  This advice also applies to barrel (splicer) connectors, Tees, Elbows, and adapters from one connector type to another.
>>>
>>> REAL connectors cost about twice as much as the junk, and you have to look for the good vendors that sell them.  That's an extra buck or two for each connector. But how much did it cost you to sell one rig and buy a new one?  And your problem is still there. :)
>>>
>>> 73, Jim K9YC
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