[TowerTalk] ...and another coax adapter question

[Jim Brown]

On 11/24/2023 10:59 AM, Scott Townley wrote:
> How do I separate the wheat from the chaff?  I have a fully equipped 
> bench...I would think the go-to would be a TDR measurement.  Any 
> better/additional suggestions?

Look at them carefully. If they aren't labeled Amphenol or stamped with 
MIL-spec numbers, they're junk.  It's all about mechanical construction. 
Measurements won't show it.

I've bought surplus MIL-spec adapters at ham flea-markets. Amphenol 
parts are sold by legacy electronics vendors like Allied, Newark, Arrow, 
etc. There are a few ham vendors who sell them, but many also sell junk 
connectors. The real thing is 2-3x more expensive. Here's one quality 
vendor that sells both the real thing and the junk. They don't offer 
quantity discounts, while the traditional electronics vendors do.

https://www.rfparts.com/sitemap

We sometimes need to study the Amphenol parts listing to know which 
connector to buy. For example, they manufacture the solder-type PL259 
with at least 4 different part numbers, all of which start with 83-1SP. 
The one we want is the one with no suffix, because the body is silver 
plated, and thus easier to solder to.

73, Jim K9YC