[TowerTalk] PL259 Connectors Part 2

[Bob K6UJ]

Roger,

I have to confess, I have reused PL-259's back when I was a novice and 
financially insecure :-)
The old PL-259's could take a lot more heat abuse and I could get away 
with it.  (Although a few
got so hot the center pin pulled right out of the dielectric :-)
I now must live with the shame of reusing connectors, 
sigh..................hihi

73,
Bob
K6UJ

On 5/12/16 2:45 PM, Roger (K8RI) on TT wrote:
> Simple use of reducers.
>
> With the proper amount of center conductor exposed, remove between an 
> eighth to a quarter inch of jacket exposing the braid.  I prefer an 
> eighth
> Slide/push the coax through the reducer, flare the braid onto the 
> (inner) end of the reducer and solder the braid to the end of the 
> reducer. Trim any excess braid and solder from the end of the reducer.
> Pretty much the same as recommended plus solder.  Solid, secure, 
> easily checked (before assembly), and prep requiring only a little skill
> Still, Crimp is  easier, faster, no heat to damage coax,and produces 
> consistent results.
>
> SO2R with two stations (HF, VHF, and UHF),  six pack, remote antenna 
> switches, three transceivers, two amps, two tuners, two towers, many 
> antennas. Enough that I usually purchase connectors 50 or a hundred at 
> a time.  7 to 10 connectors between rig and each antenna. It varies 
> from ~50 to nearly 100 connectors in the system.  Good, properly 
> adjusted strippers for each model coax and crimpers with the proper 
> dies.  Connectors from 8X, RG-400, BuryFlex, LMR-400, LMR-600.  I can 
> not imagine soldering connectors for this setup.
>
> One thing I did (Jerry will love this) with the old, clamp type, 
> N-type connectors was to pot them with epoxy.  Single use for sure, 
> but I never had one fail <LOL>
> Actually I consider most of the connectors in the station single use 
> be they, solder, crimp, or clamp types.  When I remove connectors I 
> normally pitch them.
> The big expensive ones for hard line, I'd save, but I don't have any 
> of those.
>
> With a single station with one or two antennas, I can see saving the 
> cost of strippers and crimpers, but when running power with multiple 
> antennas plus tuners those tools and methods save a lot of time and 
> frustration.
>
> Even as a poor, as yet to get a job, Novice, I still never reused 
> solder type connectors. We'd never heard of crimp type 55 years ago.
>
> 73
>
> Roger (K8RI)
>
>
> On 5/12/2016 Thursday 4:29 PM, Jerry Gardner wrote:
>> It seems to me that people keep coming up with all sorts of wild and 
>> crazy
>> ways to solder PL-259 connectors. I suppose this is because the original
>> method developed by Amphenol decades ago has perceived shortcomings,
>> particularly in how that method prescribes soldering the coax braid 
>> to the
>> connector. Some of these "solutions" just make me wince, while others 
>> make
>> me a little nauseous.
>>
>>
>> The prep time involved with some of these methods is lengthy and tedious
>> and, in my opinion, unnecessary. Why go to all that trouble for 
>> something
>> as simple as connecting a connector to a cable? Just because hams 
>> seem to
>> be wedded to soldering? Using a coax prep tool and crimper, I can strip
>> coax and crimp a connector on in about 45 seconds from start to 
>> finish. Try
>> that with some of the bizarre methods advocated here and on other ham
>> websites.
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>
>