[TowerTalk] F to UHF adapters

[N2TK, Tony]

Guy,

Tnx for the info. It sounds like I should just crimp on a PL-259 to solve the problem without adding more connectors.

 

And I agree with you about the Amphenol elbows. Found a good stock of them many years ago. 

 

73,

N2TK, Tony

 

From: guyk2av at gmail.com [mailto:guyk2av at gmail.com] On Behalf Of Guy Olinger
Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2016 2:23 PM
To: N2TK, Tony <tony.kaz at verizon.net>
Cc: ve4xt at mymts.net; towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] F to UHF adapters

 

It is important to understand one's adapters. 

 

An F connector in the outdoors absolutely needs help for sealing. Also the female F connector has a built-in problem which is due to its diminished size: the tongue which must connect to the pin in the male connector is very small, and just because of physics, cannot withstand repeated connection/disconnection before some fail to make connection. This is exacerbated if the connector EVER EVEN ONCE gets water into it. 

 

If one wants to use and reuse a female F to UHF male adapter, the best thing for ongoing success is to lightly treat the female side with silicon grease. Create a short, like one foot length, of RG6 with male connectors both ends. Connect the cord to the adapter. Seal that connection and NEVER undo it again. At the other end attach a female F to female F adapter, and make your recurring connections to that end. If either of the tongues go bad, throw away the female to female, and replace it with a new one, which will have a new, unstressed tongue. The extra female to female (very common, very cheap) is easily carried in a kit with analyzer, etc.

 

Quite some number of adapters, and some solderable connectors, have issues. Just for one terribly aggravating example, the cheap male to female UHF elbow adapters, which have an internal spring (yes, a SPRING) to make the connection around the corner. These get old, heat up at QRO and make for problems transmitting that are hard to find with an ohmmeter after the fact. Amphenol UHF elbows have the male pin with screw threads on the internal end, which screws into the center conductor to the female side. I spent four or five hamfests glomming up Amphenol UHF elbows for a lifetime supply. Never had any trouble since. 

 

Cheap and convenient can sometimes cost one big time. Caveat Emptor.

 

73, Guy K2AV

 

On Sun, Oct 2, 2016 at 1:45 PM, N2TK, Tony <tony.kaz at verizon.net <mailto:tony.kaz at verizon.net> > wrote:

Hi Kelly,
With the F connector it is easier to pull the cable through the conduit, if
I need to. But that is about it.
N2TK, Tony


-----Original Message-----
From: ve4xt at mymts.net <mailto:ve4xt at mymts.net>  [mailto:ve4xt at mymts.net <mailto:ve4xt at mymts.net> ]
Sent: Sunday, October 02, 2016 1:17 PM
To: N2TK, Tony <tony.kaz at verizon.net <mailto:tony.kaz at verizon.net> >
Cc: towertalk at contesting.com <mailto:towertalk at contesting.com> 
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] F to UHF adapters

Hi Tony,

I'd suggest you're best off going with Plan B.

While I'm not a connector conspiracy theorist saying every adapter is evil,
if you don't need an adapter, what's the upside of using one?

73, kelly, ve4xt

Sent from my iPad

> On Oct 2, 2016, at 11:56 AM, N2TK, Tony <tony.kaz at verizon.net <mailto:tony.kaz at verizon.net> > wrote:
>
> I use RG6 with male F connectors on my receive antennas and 80M 4-sq.
> At the Comtek box and receive antenna box, both are covered but
> outside, I use F-female to UHF-male adapters. Even though they are
> covered from the elements they corrode and fail.  Could not find an
> Amphenol adapter in their catalog.
>
>
>
> Does anyone know if there is a good quality adapter out there? If no
> luck finding a good adapter I can always crimp on PL-259's.
>
>
>
> Tnx
>
> N2TK, Tony
>
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