On 6/5/2010 5:49 PM, Geoffrey S. Mendelson wrote:
I recently was able to use a crimp on tool for F connectors for RG-6 quad
shield coax. To make sure everyone understands, I am in Israel, and RG-6
quad shield coax is cheap and easy to find.

Any other coax is almost impossible to find. Pl-259 connectors, called
"UHF" connectors here are rare items. I can get them locally, but I have
to special order them and they are expensive. Since I can not see them
before I order them, I am as likely to get nickle plated ones with
phenolic insulation as I am to get any other kind, and once ordered are
not returnable.

BNC to PL-259 adaptors, are easy to get, and can be ordered from a reliable
local souce for a relatively small price. The same with N to PL-259.

Looking around at the crimp-on F connectors before I ordered them, I found
that you can get crimp on BNC connectors for RG-6 quad shield coax.

Here's my questions, Note when I say crimp-on, I mean the ones that crimp
from the rear, like commerical F connectors, not the ones that crimp
around the plug. I have never been able to get any of them to "fit right":

1. Can I connect a 75ohm BNC plug (which is a different size) to a
50oHm BNC socket?

No the size of the center conductor pin is different between 75 and 50
ohm connectors and will either make bad contact or damage the socket.


2. Are there crimp on 50 ohm BNC plugs which will work with RG6 quad shield?
I know there are variations, but most are similar in size.


I don't think so, as there are large differences in the diameter of the
2 kinds of coax, both the diameter of the center conductor and the
outside diameter of the coax.

3. Are there crimp on N connectors that would fit the RG6 quad shield coax?
More likely due to the size a crimp on center element that screws into the
plug body?

I've never seen any and can't think of any commercial reason that anyone
would make one.

4. Are there crimp on PL-259 connectors?

Yes, I use them all the time. I like them much better than the solder on
type. Most need the center pin soldered but the crimp connection to the
shield is much easier and better done than when soldered

Thanks in advance,

Geoff.



It's my experience that Teflon insulated PL259's are inferior to the
phenolic insulation type. The PL259 is a non constant impedance
connector that gains no benefit from Teflon insulation as to impedance.
The ability of Teflon to hold the center pin in placed is greatly
inferior to phenolic. One of the advertised benefits of Teflon is to
withstand more heat, true but by the time the connector is heated enough
to hurt the phenolic, the coax your trying to install is melted way.
Nickel is harder to solder to than silver but the real problem with
cheap PL259s is the inside diameter of the area with holes your supposed
to solder through. I've measured a few and found them to uniformly to
have a too big of an inside diameter. This means there is a larger gap
between the metal of the connector and the shield than should be. This
gap is hard to impossible to fill with solder and makes for poor heat
transfer to the braid of the shield. Finding good connectors is much
harder than it used to be as most high-end equipment manufacture are not
using PL259s anymore and what hams can get are largely junk I'm afraid.
I've seen on ham equipment SO239, the jack half, ones that were molded
metal instead of machined brass. Those are hard to thread on a plug onto
and are of a soft pot metal that cracks or binds.


John Passaneau W3JXP