[TowerTalk] Crimp Connector Tool

[Gedas]

In an efficient industrial setting you would not believe how many RF 
jumpers a worker or two can churn out in an hour. Our engineering 
facility also had a HUGE production area (where we made all the SINCGARS 
radios for the ARMY) and several dedicated stations out of several 
hundred would be just for making jumpers etc.

It's all pneumatic powered and so "pre-programmed" that an operator can 
start with a pre-cut length of RG-142 or RG-174 etc and in less then 1 
minute have a pair of SMA or other connectors crimped on both ends. 
Another operators job would be just to make pre-cut lengths of coax. 
That operator would just cram in the coax into a die, push a foot-switch 
and have it lop off all the non-needed braids, overcoat, & dielectric 
parts exactly to length in one pass....That operator could several 
cables every minute and require zero measuring or thinking.

It then goes down the line for heat shrinking and labeling etc. Anyway, 
no way you or I can do things like that at home but for a company that 
can invest $1000 in the dies and jigs etc for a dedicated station they 
can make a huge profit. Having us build our own everything rather then 
outsourcing meant way more profit in the end esp when I was told we 
ended up selling over 1/2 million of those radios.

Gedas, W8BYA

Gallery at http://w8bya.com
Light travels faster than sound....
This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.

On 1/8/2020 3:49 PM, Joe Subich, W4TV wrote:
> On 2020-01-08 3:13 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
>> So materials cost for a 6 ft jumper is about $25.
>
> If materials is 50% of the selling price, a company is not making
> much profit!
>
> How many jumpers can a competent production worker make and test
> in an hour?  If that worker is making $10/hour, he/she is costing
> the employer at least $15/hour with local/state/federal payroll
> taxes *without* any other benefits.  Add benefits, the cost of
> supervision, the cost of packing, cost of storage/carry, cost of
> sale (credit card fees, commercial terms for direct sales or discounts
> to retailers), cost of commercial overhead (buildings, electricity,
> interest/depreciation for equipment) accounting, advertising, etc.
> and that "50% over the cost of materials" is likely to produce
> considerably less than 10% net profit before corporate taxes.
>
> When all is included, the producer of commercial cable assemblies
> who prices at twice the cost of materials is likely to make $1 - $2
> per cable assembly in real (spendable) profit.
>
> 73,
>
>    ... Joe, W4TV
>
>
> On 2020-01-08 3:13 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
>> On 1/8/2020 7:24 AM, Keith Dutson wrote:
>>> While the cost may seem excessive, keep in mind these are made from 
>>> the best
>>> RG-400 cable available to ABR, and normally shipped to commercial
>>> communications customers.
>>
>> It's at least 50% labor. First quality RG400 (Harbour Industries) 
>> costs about $2.50/ft from good ebay vendors. Don' know cost of the 
>> crimps, but 83-1SP with silver reducer is about $4.50 if you buy in 
>> quantity. So materials cost for a 6 ft jumper is about $25. I'm long 
>> retired, so my time comes pretty cheap. :)
>>
>> 73, Jim K9YC
>
>
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