PL259 Thread standard
 

Hello to all,
I have just bought a Ground plane adaptor off Ebay (yeah I know!) (China!
Yeah I know!) it was advertised as a PL259/SO239 male/female thread to
enable a groundplane to be fitted to a mobile antenna.

I assumed wrongly that there was an International standard with regard to
the PL259/SO239.

Naturally when a known part number is advertised, one would expect that the
normal 5/8" x 24 threads per inch standard (UNEF) would be followed.

Not so! What was sent was a 16 x 1mm adaptor.

Naturally the language difference is making it hard for me to convince the
seller that he MUST advertise the adaptor on Ebay having a metric thread.

Can anyone tell me if there is a move towards the metrification of the
PL259/SO239 connectors?

If this happens all hell will break loose, imagine trying to connect antenna
to coax at say a field day or even worse in an emergency situation?

John
VK2KCE

PL259 Thread standard
 

John,
The only change in 'standards' is with truth in advertising. Not
thread size.
- 'Doc

PL259 Thread standard
 

Metric PL259's are quite common on some Japanese white stick antennas.
'Normal' Pl259's will not screw up tightly. I think that they are normally
known as PL259(M) although I think that there is another designation as
well.

73
Jeff

PL259 Thread standard
 

"HRBE" wrote in message
...
Hello to all,
I have just bought a Ground plane adaptor off Ebay (yeah I know!) (China!
Yeah I know!) it was advertised as a PL259/SO239 male/female thread to
enable a groundplane to be fitted to a mobile antenna.

I assumed wrongly that there was an International standard with regard to
the PL259/SO239.

Naturally when a known part number is advertised, one would expect that
the normal 5/8" x 24 threads per inch standard (UNEF) would be followed.

Not so! What was sent was a 16 x 1mm adaptor.

Naturally the language difference is making it hard for me to convince the
seller that he MUST advertise the adaptor on Ebay having a metric thread.

Can anyone tell me if there is a move towards the metrification of the
PL259/SO239 connectors?

If this happens all hell will break loose, imagine trying to connect
antenna to coax at say a field day or even worse in an emergency
situation?

John
VK2KCE

I am thinking MFJ put out some antenna tuners a few years back that had some
oddball so239 connectors. The threads almost matched up and youcould force
them to mate, but it was not smooth. Also think they would send you some
replacements for the so239s.

PL259 Thread standard
 

"HRBE" wrote in
:

Hello to all,
I have just bought a Ground plane adaptor off Ebay (yeah I know!)
(China! Yeah I know!) it was advertised as a PL259/SO239 male/female
thread to enable a groundplane to be fitted to a mobile antenna.

I assumed wrongly that there was an International standard with regard
to the PL259/SO239.

Naturally when a known part number is advertised, one would expect
that the normal 5/8" x 24 threads per inch standard (UNEF) would be
followed.

Not so! What was sent was a 16 x 1mm adaptor.

Naturally the language difference is making it hard for me to convince
the seller that he MUST advertise the adaptor on Ebay having a metric
thread.

Can anyone tell me if there is a move towards the metrification of the
PL259/SO239 connectors?

If this happens all hell will break loose, imagine trying to connect
antenna to coax at say a field day or even worse in an emergency
situation?

John
VK2KCE



John,

I see you have asked this question in several places. I have read some
for what they are worth.

The Japanese manufacturers seems to have gotten a mind about a JIS for an
'equivalent' connector. I don't know this for sure, but I have come
across some incompatible look alike connectors on some well known
Japanese brand high power amplifiers.

Your Chinese parts may have been copied from one of these incompatible
connectors.

Owen

PL259 Thread standard
 

I see you have asked this question in several places. I have read some
for what they are worth.

The Japanese manufacturers seems to have gotten a mind about a JIS for an
'equivalent' connector. I don't know this for sure, but I have come
across some incompatible look alike connectors on some well known
Japanese brand high power amplifiers.

Your Chinese parts may have been copied from one of these incompatible
connectors.

Owen


The problem of metric PL259's is well known in the UK at least , and
adaptors and 'metric' connectors are available from Ham Radio dealers.

73
Jeff

PL259 Thread standard
 

On May 2, 3:17*am, "Jeff" wrote:
I see you have asked this question in several places. I have read some
for what they are worth.

The Japanese manufacturers seems to have gotten a mind about a JIS for an
'equivalent' connector. I don't know this for sure, but I have come
across some incompatible look alike connectors on some well known
Japanese brand high power amplifiers.

Your Chinese parts may have been copied from one of these incompatible
connectors.

Owen

The problem of metric PL259's is well known in the UK at least , and
adaptors and 'metric' connectors are available from Ham Radio dealers.

73
Jeff

That may explain the problem I had with a couple of connectors . I was
able to borrow a die to run over them. The metric threads must be very
close to the SAE. After rethreading them they worked but I didnt like
the way the threads looked so i trashed them.

Jimmie

PL259 Thread standard
 

The problem of metric PL259's is well known in the UK at least , and
adaptors and 'metric' connectors are available from Ham Radio dealers.

73
Jeff

That may explain the problem I had with a couple of connectors . I was
able to borrow a die to run over them. The metric threads must be very
close to the SAE. After rethreading them they worked but I didnt like
the way the threads looked so i trashed them.


Yes, they normally do up most of the way and then bind just before the inner
part has mated with the serrated teeth, so it is easy to miss if you don't
check that the cable is not free to rotate.

73
Jeff

PL259 Thread standard
 

"HRBE" wrote in message
...

I assumed wrongly that there was an International standard with regard to
the PL259/SO239.

Naturally when a known part number is advertised, one would expect that
the normal 5/8" x 24 threads per inch standard (UNEF) would be followed.


The original PL-259 was a World War 2 US military JANAP standard.
It had specifications for all the critical fit parts of a PL-259 connector.
Eventually the JANAP standard morphed into a US Mil-Spec Standard.
The current standard hasn't changed much since WW2.
A metric thread does not meet the standard.
If somebody says its a PL-259; they should meet that standard or say it is
similar but NOT compatible.
Too many manufacturers have gotten sloppy in their QC.

PL259 Thread standard
 

In article ,
"Jeff" wrote:

Metric PL259's are quite common on some Japanese white stick antennas.
'Normal' Pl259's will not screw up tightly. I think that they are normally
known as PL259(M) although I think that there is another designation as
well.

73
Jeff

so i wonder why the heck would they bother comming out with a
different sized thread?