[TowerTalk] Crimp on Coax connectors

Thu Sep 5 16:20:56 EDT 2019

There is a size difference and the attenuation is greater for the RG400 
cable than the LMR400 cable.  Therefore the connectors will be different 
also.

You can look at the specs for each cable here:

LMR400 https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/tmv-lmr-400

RG400 https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/dxe-rg400-ctl

Different manufactures will have slightly different specs but will be 
fairly close to these.

Chuck K9LC

On 9/5/2019 3:01 PM, Jamie WW3S wrote:
> whats the difference between LMR-400 and RG-400 ?
>
> ------ Original Message ------
> From: wc1m73 at gmail.com
> To: "'Julio Peralta'" <jperalta4 at verizon.net>; "'Tower Talk'" 
> <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
> Sent: 9/5/2019 1:53:33 PM
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Crimp on Coax connectors
>
>> I used solder connectors exclusively for many years, but switched to 
>> crimp a
>> while back. I've had no problems at all.
>>
>> One reason I switched was because I had a few instances of problems with
>> overheating the shield braid on UHF solder connectors. That can melt the
>> dielectric, and sometimes I didn't realize it until the connector failed
>> later. Also had instances of the tinned shield breaking at its interface
>> with the non-tinned shield as the cable flexed. Tinning the shield and
>> soldering it takes more time than crimping, and it's difficult to get 
>> the
>> connector hot enough to solder the shield to it without melting the
>> dielectric, especially when installing a connector outdoors, and 
>> especially
>> when it's cold.
>>
>> I think as long as you use the right connectors and crimp dies, and 
>> do the
>> prep correctly, crimp connectors are faster and easier to install and 
>> are
>> more reliable than solder connectors. It's much easier and faster to 
>> replace
>> a crimp connector outdoors.
>>
>> I used to get my connectors from RF Parts or The RF Connection, and I 
>> have
>> an RF Industries ratcheting crimp tool with various dies. It came with a
>> good quality metal stripping tool, the kind that makes multiple cuts 
>> as you
>> spin it around the cable. This system worked pretty well, but the 
>> stripping
>> tool sometimes didn't cut through completely or cut too far, and I 
>> felt the
>> blade spacing wasn't ideal for the RF Industries connectors I was 
>> using. As
>> for those, I tried several models of their UHF connectors for LMR-400 
>> size
>> cable and I wasn't able to find one with a center conductor tube that 
>> easily
>> fits the BuryFlex and LMR-400UF coax I use. Even for the best one I 
>> found,
>> the center conductor strands had to be perfectly straight and tightly
>> twisted before tinning, and even then I'd often have to remove a 
>> strand or
>> shave a little solder off the center conductor to get it into the tube.
>>
>> Not so with the DXE UHF connectors, which are custom made for them. The
>> center tube of their DXE-PL259CS8U connectors easily accommodates tinned
>> BuryFlex and LMR-400UF. It's a pleasure to use them compared with the RF
>> Industries connectors.
>>
>> I also really like the DXE cable prep tools, which are far superior 
>> to the
>> RF Industries stripper I was using. You have to be careful to match 
>> the tool
>> to the type of coax and connector you're using. For the DXE Engineering
>> LMR-400 compatible connectors (DXE-PL259CS8U), you want part number
>> DXE-UT-405C-P1.
>>
>> DXE doesn't have a custom N crimp connector, but they sell Amphenol N 
>> crimp
>> connectors for LMR-400 compatible cables and have a prep tool 
>> specifically
>> designed for them. It's part number DXE-UT-405C-N1. Amphenol has two 
>> crimp
>> connectors for LMR-400 compatible cables. The one DXE sells is their 
>> part
>> number AML-172102H-2. The last 2 is for two connectors. The actual 
>> Amphenol
>> part number is 172102H243. Amphenol has another compatible connector 
>> with
>> part number 172102H243-11. The only difference appears to be that the 
>> one
>> DXE sells is designed for finger tightening, while the other one can be
>> tightened with a wrench. I was able to get a somewhat better deal on 
>> larger
>> quantities of the 172102H243-11 connectors from one of the major online
>> suppliers (Mouser?) so I went with them.
>>
>> I also got the compatible DXE cable gripping tool, DXE-CGH-8U. Not 
>> strictly
>> necessary, but it makes the job a little easier, especially if you have
>> arthritis or a weak grip in the hand holding the coax.
>>
>> Bottom line: go for it.
>>
>> 73, Dick WC1M
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Julio Peralta <jperalta4 at verizon.net>
>> Sent: Thursday, September 5, 2019 11:17 AM
>> To: Tower Talk <TowerTalk at contesting.com>
>> Subject: [TowerTalk] Crimp on Coax connectors
>>
>> I'm going to have to cut and apply coax connectors to existing runs 
>> of RG8
>> type coax in the process of installing my SPG.
>>
>>
>>
>> It's my intention to use crimp on coax connectors. I'm wondering if 
>> anyone
>> has had any problems with them? This is assuming they will be 
>> sufficiently
>> water proofed using one of the many techniques discussed here many 
>> times.
>>
>>
>>
>> I really like the crimp connectors available from DX Engineering even 
>> though
>> they're a little more expensive.
>>
>>
>>
>> Julio, W4HY
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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