[TowerTalk] Soldering Iron, Connectors, Cable

[Don W7WLL]

Slow down folks, let's not get bent because someone may differ from your 
position. But let's not get into an attack mode.

IMHO 99% of what I see posted here is based on someone's personal experience 
or learned knowledge. From time to time the post may deal with a proven and 
generally accepted scientific fact, but it is the exception.

It is wise to consider all opinions and weigh them against your personal 
situation, choosing the one or ones that you feel best comfortable with.

I am considerate of someone's concerns about a product or service, and it 
may or may not affect or influence me. The important thing is that the post 
was taken in consideration, perhaps used or perhaps discarded.

We all are different (thank gosh) and we all live in different places and 
have different stations. Although the existing various programs are a big 
help, they are not an end by themselves. Vertical spacing between beams is a 
good example. We all have been told there is a basic rule, based on sound 
theory. But many have seen no or minimal problems using closer spacing than 
specified as the norm.

I have the greatest respect for those who have tried something and then pass 
along the results. But sometimes it appears that posts get into hair 
splitting. For many this may lead to deadening of the brain.

We all have a Delete button.

Just another opinion,

Don W7WLL



-----Original Message----- 
From: Bryan Swadener via TowerTalk
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2016 2:31 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Soldering Iron, Connectors, Cable

I apologize for presenting my opinion.
Clearly, someone knows better than I.
My decades of experience must mean
nothing.

Bryan WA7PRC

     Date: Tue, 10 May 2016 13:52:50 -0700
From: [Deleted]
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Soldering Iron, Connectors, Cable

On Tue,5/10/2016 1:18 PM, Bryan WA7PRC via TowerTalk wrote:
> The idea that only Amphenol produces good quality connectors is
> not correct. There are others. DX Engineering supplies top-shelf
> connectors and adapters at reasonable cost.

Unless you are in the position of a mfr or vendor to buy and test
samples from known mfrs, or have worked for a mfr who has done that,
you're in no position to know whether a mfr's product is good or not,
let alone "top shelf." The electronic products I've seen from DXE are of
good quality, but I've not seen their connectors or cables.

> Others have touted The RF Connection as a source of good quality 
> connectors at reasonable cost.

That may be, but they sell a lot of JUNK connectors too. When I got back
on the air around 2003, I filled my parts box with 5-10 each of the 5-8
pin DIN connectors they were selling. They were junk -- metal that
wouldn't take solder, dielectric that melted under minimal heat from a
good iron.

In the same time frame, I also stocked up on lots of low cost coax
connector adapters, barrels, elbows, and Tees at Chicago area hamfests,
typically paying $2-$4 each. In the four years that followed, I learned
the hard way that those connectors were JUNK -- they fell apart,
overheated, went intermittent, and outright failed -- each time causing
me lots of grief in troubleshooting the problem.  A $12 connector or
adapter seems expensive, until you've crawled through an attic, along a
coax run, or climbed a tower to find a $4 piece of junk.

>  They seem to have a wide selection.

Yes. They also sell Amphenol, and a broad selection of hard line
connectors they have been able to find. But I will no longer do biz with
them because I learned that they pulled what I consider to be a very
dirty trick on their employee who  I dealt with on a large group
purchase several years ago.

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