Dave Platt wrote:

Whats the problem I'm missing here..?
73 de Mike, WB9B

I suspect it might be the word "quality", or the absence thereof.

Yep - something about "doing it right", as Peter says also. Not just to
ape the professionals, but because the "right" way is the one that's
most reliable and won't let you down.

A lot of my ham training was in VHF portable contesting, where you and
your friends are out on a hill for a weekend with whatever you brought
with you... and nothing more. It quickly taught me that a little
"quality" in the right places goes a long way toward making the whole
ham radio experience much more enjoyable.

In that particular case, a lot of the spoilt weekends were due to
connectors, of which there are dozens in a complex station. "Quality"
involved assembling connectors properly at home, so they wouldn't fail
up there on the hill - and after we learned that lesson, it all became a
lot more fun.

But there's something else as well, beyond all the practical reasons: I
actually *enjoy* doing ham radio well, with quality.

Perhaps more of us should come out and say that...


Anyhow, back to the PL-259s:

The high-quality silver-plated PL-259s seem to solder easily enough as
long as you have a high-enough-wattage iron or gun. A small
fixed-wattage, non-temperature-controlled soldering pen probably won't
do the job.

That's true, but DON'T BUY A 200W IRON - it's a waste of money!

* Buy a cheap hot-air gun from the DIY store.

* Use it to pre-heat the connector body until your regular little iron
can easily melt solder on the connector body (not just a blob in the
hole, but flowing easily onto the body).

* Take the hot air away, and quickly solder the connector with your
regular iron.

It's quick, easy, low-cost, you get a "free" hot-air gun... and it
produces a top-quality job.

I now use this method for all kinds of heavy-duty soldering, with
nothing larger than a Weller TCP iron.


A good point about removing nickel plating first:

I've read recommendations that if you're going to solder a
nickel-plated PL-259, you should take a file and rough off the nickel
in the area around and in the holes, and on the adapter inside (if
present). The brass under the nickel will take the solder somewhat
more readily.

*Inside* the holes is the important place to remove the nickel. Ream it
out with a drill, or the pointy end of a triangular file.


--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
Editor, 'The VHF/UHF DX Book'
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek