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Needed: Recommendations for coax for VHF and UHF work
I am finally going to put up a VHF antenna for 2 meter and another antenna
for 70 cm. What is type of coax should I use? Rg213? Or will RG213 be too lossy? Recommendations please... Rob |
more info needed. how long will the runs be? and what will you be using
them for, accessing the local repeater or moonbounce? "Rob" wrote in message ... I am finally going to put up a VHF antenna for 2 meter and another antenna for 70 cm. What is type of coax should I use? Rg213? Or will RG213 be too lossy? Recommendations please... Rob |
"Rob" wrote in message ... I am finally going to put up a VHF antenna for 2 meter and another antenna for 70 cm. What is type of coax should I use? Rg213? Or will RG213 be too lossy? Recommendations please... Rob RG213 is WW2 technology. You are better of with Times LMR400, Belden 9913, or CPX1318. Tam/WB2TT |
I vote for the Belden 9913.
"Tam/WB2TT" wrote in message ... "Rob" wrote in message ... I am finally going to put up a VHF antenna for 2 meter and another antenna for 70 cm. What is type of coax should I use? Rg213? Or will RG213 be too lossy? Recommendations please... Rob RG213 is WW2 technology. You are better of with Times LMR400, Belden 9913, or CPX1318. Tam/WB2TT |
Hi Rob
I use Belden 9913 and am most pleased with it! TTUL Gary |
Hi -
Just curious: Do you know of any (reasonably priced) vendor that offers 9913 conveniently made up in standard lengths, with connectors? (CPX1318 is available in that form.) 73, Ed "Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr." wrote in message ... Hi Rob I use Belden 9913 and am most pleased with it! TTUL Gary |
Hamguy wrote:
I vote for the Belden 9913. You must live in a dry climate. -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =----- |
"Cecil Moore" wrote in message ... Hamguy wrote: I vote for the Belden 9913. You must live in a dry climate. Cecil, I don't think they sell the water pipe any more. I have the CPX stuff on 432, 9913 for 6m inside, and LMR400 if somebody else is paying for it. Tam |
On Sun, 30 May 2004 18:29:28 GMT, "Old Ed"
wrote: Hi - Just curious: Do you know of any (reasonably priced) vendor that offers 9913 conveniently made up in standard lengths, with connectors? (CPX1318 is available in that form.) 73, Ed The Wireman (see website), stocks no pre-made cables, but will make up a custom cable of any type, any connector, any length -- just call 'em. bob k5qwg "Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr." wrote in message ... Hi Rob I use Belden 9913 and am most pleased with it! TTUL Gary |
Thanks, Bob!
73, Ed "Bob Miller" wrote in message ... On Sun, 30 May 2004 18:29:28 GMT, "Old Ed" wrote: Hi - Just curious: Do you know of any (reasonably priced) vendor that offers 9913 conveniently made up in standard lengths, with connectors? (CPX1318 is available in that form.) 73, Ed The Wireman (see website), stocks no pre-made cables, but will make up a custom cable of any type, any connector, any length -- just call 'em. bob k5qwg "Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr." wrote in message ... Hi Rob I use Belden 9913 and am most pleased with it! TTUL Gary |
"Rob" wrote in message ... I am finally going to put up a VHF antenna for 2 meter and another antenna for 70 cm. What is type of coax should I use? Rg213? Or will RG213 be too lossy? Recommendations please... Rob Simple. Use the lowest loss coax you can afford. Dan/W4NTI |
Have fun - use twin-lead 300-ohm or ladder-line 450ohm...
use a half-wave u-shape balun + a 1/4-wave stub on each end - and your runs can be pretty long without a lot of loss - or a lot of expense. "Rob" wrote in message ... I am finally going to put up a VHF antenna for 2 meter and another antenna for 70 cm. What is type of coax should I use? Rg213? Or will RG213 be too lossy? Recommendations please... Rob --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.690 / Virus Database: 451 - Release Date: 5/22/2004 |
Hal Rosser wrote:
Have fun - use twin-lead 300-ohm or ladder-line 450ohm... use a half-wave u-shape balun + a 1/4-wave stub on each end - and your runs can be pretty long without a lot of loss - or a lot of expense. I'm afraid this is largely a myth from the Olden Days. Back then, twin-lead was probably better than most types of coax that hams could buy... but coax has improved, and twin-lead hasn't. The myth has been overly influenced by a few measurements dating back to the 1950s, made under ideal conditions that can't be achieved in real installations. The reality is that twin-lead is difficult to install, sensitive to electrical disturbances, of very poor quality if it's also low-cost, and *very* sensitive to getting wet. The higher in frequency you go, the more each one of these things matters. (Yes, I know there are a billion TV sets out there using twin-lead - but that doesn't make it right. Most viewers in the USA have been brainwashed to accept appalling standards of TV picture quality.) Parallel-line can be excellent for power distribution and phasing *within* a stacked array. I've used it on the moonbounce array at 432MHz, in a wet climate, but those were short, straight lines that are self-supporting with mostly air insulation - a completely different thing. "Rob" wrote in message m... I am finally going to put up a VHF antenna for 2 meter and another antenna for 70 cm. What is type of coax should I use? Rg213? Or will RG213 be too lossy? Recommendations please... As many others have said, it depends how important low loss will be for *your* particular application. If a significant length is involved, and you're interested in weak signals, then RG213 (full quality, no substitutes) should be your minimum specification. People in the USA can recommend specific brands that will be available to you. -- 73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB) Editor, 'The VHF/UHF DX Book' http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek |
Ian White, G3SEK wrote:
Parallel-line can be excellent for power distribution and phasing *within* a stacked array. I've used it on the moonbounce array at 432MHz, in a wet climate, but those were short, straight lines that are self-supporting with mostly air insulation - a completely different thing. Given a single dipole, multi-band antenna, parallel transmission line is just about the only choice. The 50 ohm SWR on a one-wavelength dipole is about 100:1. The 500 ohm SWR on a one-wavelength dipole is about 10:1. Under those circumstances, it is no contest. -- 73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =----- |
I am finally going to put up a VHF antenna for 2 meter and another antenna for 70 cm. What is type of coax should I use? Rg213? Or will RG213 be too lossy? It depends on what you wan to do . As mentioned use the lowest loss you can afford. The 5/8 inch hard-line is great but not many will want to pay the $ 5 per foot and about $ 70 per connector and put up with the stuff not being easy to bend. Look at the LMR 400 or Belden makes some that is hard to find I think is called 9914. It has almost the same low loss as the 9913 but uses a solid dielectric instead of the hollow type of the 9913. If you are only using 30 or 40 feet and mostly the FM repeaters, the RG8x type is ok. As someone mentioned the RG 6 type sold for cable TV is fine for a run of 50 feet or so. The on;y problem is the connectors. IT is 70 ohm coax but for most simple systems it will not mater. I have used most all of the above but the hard-line at home and it all depends on what I was doing. I only want a few local repeaters for a rig in the house so a homemade dipole (vertical) is up about 25 feet on the tower. It has about 40 feet of rg59 and then about 30 feet of rg58 going to it. Not the best but it works fine for what I am doing. I also have a 2 meter ssb rig in the shack that is fed with the 9913 and it seems to work ok for it. Using a dual band antenna to a scanner that is programmed with 2 meter and 440 repeaters and feeding it with about 100 feet of rg8x. The 2 meter part works great but not so good on the 440 band. The satellite antennas are feed with the 9913 and sofar I have been able to keep the water out of the coax. |
Cecil Moore wrote:
Parallel-line can be excellent for power distribution and phasing *within* a stacked array. I've used it on the moonbounce array at 432MHz, in a wet climate, but those were short, straight lines that are self-supporting with mostly air insulation - a completely different thing. Given a single dipole, multi-band antenna, parallel transmission line is just about the only choice. The 50 ohm SWR on a one-wavelength dipole is about 100:1. The 500 ohm SWR on a one-wavelength dipole is about 10:1. Under those circumstances, it is no contest. Very true... but also a *very* long way from the original question. -- 73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB) http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek |
On Sun, 30 May 2004 10:44:15 -0400, Rob hath writ:
I am finally going to put up a VHF antenna for 2 meter and another antenna for 70 cm. What is type of coax should I use? Rg213? Or will RG213 be too lossy? Recommendations please... Cable TV Hardline. You can't beat the price. HI!HI! http://jonz.net/W3DHJ/catvhardline.html 73 Jonesy -- | Marvin L Jones | jonz | W3DHJ | OS/2 | Gunnison, Colorado | @ | Jonesy | linux __ | 7,703' -- 2,345m | config.com | DM68mn SK |
Ian White, G3SEK wrote:
Cecil Moore wrote: Given a single dipole, multi-band antenna, parallel transmission line is just about the only choice. The 50 ohm SWR on a one-wavelength dipole is about 100:1. The 500 ohm SWR on a one-wavelength dipole is about 10:1. Under those circumstances, it is no contest. Very true... but also a *very* long way from the original question. Too bad English is not a context-free language, huh? -- 73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =----- |
"Old Ed" verbositized:
Hi - Just curious: Do you know of any (reasonably priced) vendor that offers 9913 conveniently made up in standard lengths, with connectors? (CPX1318 is available in that form.) WHAT is a Standard Length? And, do you want to trust factory installed cheap connectors? Even if coax comes with connectors, I take those off and install my own, so I know it was done right and will last. TTUL Gary |
Go on ebay and get yourself some 1/2 andrews hardline.
Ends are not much money for N, so239 are more pricey. If you cant, get some LMR400. www.cablexperts.com are good people. On Sun, 30 May 2004 10:44:15 -0400, "Rob" wrote: I am finally going to put up a VHF antenna for 2 meter and another antenna for 70 cm. What is type of coax should I use? Rg213? Or will RG213 be too lossy? Recommendations please... Rob |
"Tam/WB2TT" wrote in message RG213 is WW2 technology. You are better of with Times LMR400, Belden 9913, or CPX1318. Tam/WB2TT don't quote me on this but some commercial guys put up a run of LMR400 (don't remember the legenth but was 200-300ft) and even this the antenna gain it was a negitive db number at the top.. this was at 450mhz. so i know we are talking about a long run there but i still don't think LMR400 is great.. Adair |
Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr. wrote:
And, do you want to trust factory installed cheap connectors? Installed by minimum wage workers? -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =----- |
On Mon, 31 May 2004 12:37:31 -0500, Cecil Moore
wrote: Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr. wrote: And, do you want to trust factory installed cheap connectors? Installed by minimum wage workers? Who are judged by speed, not quality? Happy trails, Gary (net.yogi.bear) ------------------------------------------------ at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom |
On Mon, 31 May 2004 17:52:59 GMT, Gary S. Idontwantspam@net wrote:
On Mon, 31 May 2004 12:37:31 -0500, Cecil Moore wrote: Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr. wrote: And, do you want to trust factory installed cheap connectors? Installed by minimum wage workers? Who are judged by speed, not quality? Well, the average ham with a mighty 40-watt soldering iron and rusty pliers isn't going to do much better. At least the minimum wage guys are probably making cables with good tools -- 120-watt or better Weller irons with 1/2" tips, etcetera... Bob k5qwg Happy trails, Gary (net.yogi.bear) ------------------------------------------------ at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom |
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Hash: SHA1 "Bob" == Bob Miller writes: Gary And, do you want to trust factory installed cheap connectors? Cecil Installed by minimum wage workers? Gary Who are judged by speed, not quality? Bob Well, the average ham with a mighty 40-watt soldering iron and Bob rusty pliers isn't going to do much better. At least the minimum Bob wage guys are probably making cables with good tools -- 120-watt Bob or better Weller irons with 1/2" tips, etcetera... I spend just about eight hours a day lately at a factory where cables and other stuff are made. Every day when I walk through the cable-making section, I think to myself "wow, I wish I could use those tools for my own nefarious purposes". The tools are expensive and pretty high-quality, but the employees see them as just... tools. Jack. - -- Jack Twilley jmt at twilley dot org http colon slash slash www dot twilley dot org slash tilde jmt slash -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (FreeBSD) iD8DBQFAu3n0GPFSfAB/ezgRAqCgAJ9FDrd7JxbaB+hBBoBVzPH1hsRjLwCgpYc2 SveSZSMgPvl1QlLs8sQByBU= =Jya2 -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- |
don't quote me on this but some commercial guys put up a run of LMR400 (don't remember the legenth but was 200-300ft) and even this the antenna gain it was a negitive db number at the top.. this was at 450mhz. so i know we are talking about a long run there but i still don't think LMR400 is great.. Adair If you don't think lmr 400 is great, what do you think is that is in the same size ,type, price range ? As far as I know it and the 9913 type have the lowest loss for the nominal 1/2 inch size flexiable coax. There is some other coax types such as lmr 600 (think that is the number) that is some what larger and takes other more expensive connectors than the more comman types of pl259 or type N connectors. |
"Adair Winter" wrote in message ... "Tam/WB2TT" wrote in message RG213 is WW2 technology. You are better of with Times LMR400, Belden 9913, or CPX1318. Tam/WB2TT don't quote me on this but some commercial guys put up a run of LMR400 (don't remember the legenth but was 200-300ft) and even this the antenna gain it was a negitive db number at the top.. this was at 450mhz. so i know we are talking about a long run there but i still don't think LMR400 is great.. Adair Adair, You can get slightly different numbers from different sources, but from the CableXperts chart, the loss in 300 feet at 450 MHz would be 15.6 db for 213, 8.4 db for 9913, and 8.1 db for LMR400. For comparison, garden variety RG8 foam is 14.1 db, and 1/2 inch Heliax 4.5 db. Clearly, none is acceptable without an antenna mounted amplifier. Tam/WB2TT |
1ft, 3ft, 6ft, 10ft, 25 ft, 50ft, 100ft would perhaps be considered standard
(=often stocked). Still if you can get made to order instead then why not? "Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr." wrote in message ... "Old Ed" verbositized: Hi - Just curious: Do you know of any (reasonably priced) vendor that offers 9913 conveniently made up in standard lengths, with connectors? (CPX1318 is available in that form.) WHAT is a Standard Length? And, do you want to trust factory installed cheap connectors? Even if coax comes with connectors, I take those off and install my own, so I know it was done right and will last. TTUL Gary |
"Tam/WB2TT" wrote in message
Adair, You can get slightly different numbers from different sources, but from the CableXperts chart, the loss in 300 feet at 450 MHz would be 15.6 db for 213, 8.4 db for 9913, and 8.1 db for LMR400. For comparison, garden variety RG8 foam is 14.1 db, and 1/2 inch Heliax 4.5 db. Clearly, none is acceptable without an antenna mounted amplifier. Tam/WB2TT I agree, none of those are great numbers by any means. i honestly don't remember the specifics of it all, it might have been 800Mhz at 100 ft.. i just know that I whoever had put it up wasn't impressed with it.. (didnt' live up the posted specs) and i do believe the loss was verified with an IFR.. anyway.. i prolly should have kept my mouth shut not knowing everything in detail. Adair - kd5dyp |
I respect your opinion, but the question did not say 'multiband' antenna.
I used belden 300-ohm twinlead for 2-meters because I had a long run to the top of a tree on the other side of the yard. The specs showed it to be low-loss at 2-meters. The cost was affordable - much less than low-loss coax. So I used a u-bent half-wave piece of coax on each end and a 1/4-wave of 75-ohm coax with it - and it performed very well in the real world and the impedence match was good. I even had the project published in the Antenna Compendium a few yrs back. "Cecil Moore" wrote in message ... Ian White, G3SEK wrote: Parallel-line can be excellent for power distribution and phasing *within* a stacked array. I've used it on the moonbounce array at 432MHz, in a wet climate, but those were short, straight lines that are self-supporting with mostly air insulation - a completely different thing. Given a single dipole, multi-band antenna, parallel transmission line is just about the only choice. The 50 ohm SWR on a one-wavelength dipole is about 100:1. The 500 ohm SWR on a one-wavelength dipole is about 10:1. Under those circumstances, it is no contest. -- 73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =----- --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.690 / Virus Database: 451 - Release Date: 5/22/2004 |
I've used it with success - recently. 450-ohm window-line (has copper-clad
steel conductors, so its tuff) then on each end: a combination to match impedence - a 75-ohm 1/4-wave stub (goes from 50 to 112.5 ohm) then a half-wave u-bent setup (112.5 to 450 ohm) see page 165 of Antenna Compendium vol 6 for a better description - I wrote that article back in 1999 or so. I've also used similar setups and 300-ohm belden twinlead. It may be a myth from the olden days, but 2+2 still equals 4 - just like the old days. And its not a myth - it really does work. Hal w4pmj "Ian White, G3SEK" wrote in message ... Hal Rosser wrote: Have fun - use twin-lead 300-ohm or ladder-line 450ohm... use a half-wave u-shape balun + a 1/4-wave stub on each end - and your runs can be pretty long without a lot of loss - or a lot of expense. I'm afraid this is largely a myth from the Olden Days. Back then, twin-lead was probably better than most types of coax that hams could buy... but coax has improved, and twin-lead hasn't. The myth has been overly influenced by a few measurements dating back to the 1950s, made under ideal conditions that can't be achieved in real installations. The reality is that twin-lead is difficult to install, sensitive to electrical disturbances, of very poor quality if it's also low-cost, and *very* sensitive to getting wet. The higher in frequency you go, the more each one of these things matters. (Yes, I know there are a billion TV sets out there using twin-lead - but that doesn't make it right. Most viewers in the USA have been brainwashed to accept appalling standards of TV picture quality.) Parallel-line can be excellent for power distribution and phasing *within* a stacked array. I've used it on the moonbounce array at 432MHz, in a wet climate, but those were short, straight lines that are self-supporting with mostly air insulation - a completely different thing. "Rob" wrote in message m... I am finally going to put up a VHF antenna for 2 meter and another antenna for 70 cm. What is type of coax should I use? Rg213? Or will RG213 be too lossy? Recommendations please... As many others have said, it depends how important low loss will be for *your* particular application. If a significant length is involved, and you're interested in weak signals, then RG213 (full quality, no substitutes) should be your minimum specification. People in the USA can recommend specific brands that will be available to you. -- 73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB) Editor, 'The VHF/UHF DX Book' http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.690 / Virus Database: 451 - Release Date: 5/22/2004 |
Bob Miller wrote in message . ..
On Mon, 31 May 2004 17:52:59 GMT, Gary S. Idontwantspam@net wrote: On Mon, 31 May 2004 12:37:31 -0500, Cecil Moore wrote: Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr. wrote: And, do you want to trust factory installed cheap connectors? Installed by minimum wage workers? Who are judged by speed, not quality? Well, the average ham with a mighty 40-watt soldering iron and rusty pliers isn't going to do much better. At least the minimum wage guys are probably making cables with good tools -- 120-watt or better Weller irons with 1/2" tips, etcetera... Speaking of tips . . here's one. I've never been happy with any of the Weller irons, not even the clunky big 300W versions when it comes to "doing" PL-259s. Turns out that Sears has a very light and compact transformerless pistol type "instant heat" 400/150 watt iron which I bought for $59.95 about a year and a half ago. Does a great job on connectors and heavy antenna wire. Bob k5qwg w3rv |
Brian Kelly wrote:
Well, the average ham with a mighty 40-watt soldering iron and rusty pliers isn't going to do much better. At least the minimum wage guys are probably making cables with good tools -- 120-watt or better Weller irons with 1/2" tips, etcetera... Speaking of tips . . here's one. I've never been happy with any of the Weller irons, not even the clunky big 300W versions when it comes to "doing" PL-259s. Turns out that Sears has a very light and compact transformerless pistol type "instant heat" 400/150 watt iron which I bought for $59.95 about a year and a half ago. Does a great job on connectors and heavy antenna wire. I've never been happy with monster irons either, but have had very good results using a hot-air gun as 'pre-heat' for my regular 45W Weller. It's very easy to judge how long to pre-heat the whole connector body. Then the regular small iron has plenty of power to make a good, clean joint in the solder holes. The same technique is also good for fine soldering work on large lumps of metal. The bonus is that a hot-air gun is much cheaper than a large iron, and you can also use it for other things too, like heat-shrink tubing. (Did somebody mention removing old paint? What's this "paint" stuff? :-) It isn't a technique to use at the top of a tower... but there isn't *any* good way to do heavy soldering under those conditions. For that kind of application, seek out the pressure-sleeve connectors that only require the center pin to be soldered. -- 73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB) http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek |
Hal Rosser wrote:
I've used it with success - recently. 450-ohm window-line (has copper-clad steel conductors, so its tuff) then on each end: a combination to match impedence - a 75-ohm 1/4-wave stub (goes from 50 to 112.5 ohm) then a half-wave u-bent setup (112.5 to 450 ohm) see page 165 of Antenna Compendium vol 6 for a better description - I wrote that article back in 1999 or so. I've also used similar setups and 300-ohm belden twinlead. It may be a myth from the olden days, but 2+2 still equals 4 - just like the old days. And its not a myth - it really does work. What frequency? What length? What loss did you measure? Was it raining? Of course twin-lead can "work" in a wide range of applications. The myth is that it can beat a modern coax cable at VHF, on a long run with practical installation difficulties, and in the rain. -- 73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB) http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek |
"Ian White, G3SEK" wrote in message ...
Brian Kelly wrote: Well, the average ham with a mighty 40-watt soldering iron and rusty pliers isn't going to do much better. At least the minimum wage guys are probably making cables with good tools -- 120-watt or better Weller irons with 1/2" tips, etcetera... Speaking of tips . . here's one. I've never been happy with any of the Weller irons, not even the clunky big 300W versions when it comes to "doing" PL-259s. Turns out that Sears has a very light and compact transformerless pistol type "instant heat" 400/150 watt iron which I bought for $59.95 about a year and a half ago. Does a great job on connectors and heavy antenna wire. I've never been happy with monster irons either, but have had very good results using a hot-air gun as 'pre-heat' for my regular 45W Weller. It's very easy to judge how long to pre-heat the whole connector body. Then the regular small iron has plenty of power to make a good, clean joint in the solder holes. The same technique is also good for fine soldering work on large lumps of metal. That's clever, I have a heat gun (somewhere), I'll try it. Sounds like the method might reduce the total number of BTUs/calories absorbed by the dielectric which has always been a concern here. Barbequed coax is very annoying. The bonus is that a hot-air gun is much cheaper than a large iron, and you can also use it for other things too, like heat-shrink tubing. (Did somebody mention removing old paint? What's this "paint" stuff? :-) It isn't a technique to use at the top of a tower... but there isn't *any* good way to do heavy soldering under those conditions. .. . . propane torch . . For that kind of application, seek out the pressure-sleeve connectors that only require the center pin to be soldered. w3rv |
Brian Kelly wrote:
I've never been happy with monster irons either, but have had very good results using a hot-air gun as 'pre-heat' for my regular 45W Weller. It's very easy to judge how long to pre-heat the whole connector body. Then the regular small iron has plenty of power to make a good, clean joint in the solder holes. The same technique is also good for fine soldering work on large lumps of metal. That's clever, I have a heat gun (somewhere), I'll try it. Sounds like the method might reduce the total number of BTUs/calories absorbed by the dielectric which has always been a concern here. Barbequed coax is very annoying. If you prefer your PVC under-cooked, wrap some aluminum foil around it... and don't point the heat gun that way :-) The bonus is that a hot-air gun is much cheaper than a large iron, and you can also use it for other things too, like heat-shrink tubing. (Did somebody mention removing old paint? What's this "paint" stuff? :-) It isn't a technique to use at the top of a tower... but there isn't *any* good way to do heavy soldering under those conditions. . . . propane torch . . Yeah, right... -- 73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB) http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek |
It is perhaps worth noting that all the cute comments about cheap
materials and labor would apply equally well to nearly all the products we buy these days. Who here makes all his own clothes and shoes, for example? As to cables, some sources (e.g., Cable Experts) seem to pride themselves on good quality. And it would be a sad state of affairs if they (and other professional cable makers), couldn't install connectors much faster AND better than the typical ham with his motley hand tools. Some exotic cable types are not even spec'ed for user-installed connectors, by the way--even if said user is a competent electronics house. Such cable types REQUIRE factory-installed connectors. (This is NOT stuff needed by the average ham, fortunately.) Notwithstanding all this, there are undeniably some junky, Chinese ready-made cables out there. I bought a few from HRO, and about 20% turned out to be bad. So now I will buy only the relatively upmarket ready-mades (like Cable Experts). I notice that our local HRO seems to be phasing out the no-name ready-mades; so I suspect I wasn't the only one to have problems with them. 73, Ed "Gary S." Idontwantspam@net wrote in message ... On Mon, 31 May 2004 12:37:31 -0500, Cecil Moore wrote: Gary V. Deutschmann, Sr. wrote: And, do you want to trust factory installed cheap connectors? Installed by minimum wage workers? Who are judged by speed, not quality? Happy trails, Gary (net.yogi.bear) ------------------------------------------------ at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom |
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"Old Ed" wrote in message ink.net... ............................................. Notwithstanding all this, there are undeniably some junky, Chinese ready-made cables out there. I bought a few from HRO, and about 20% turned out to be bad. So now I will buy only the relatively upmarket ready-mades (like Cable Experts). I notice that our local HRO seems to be phasing out the no-name ready-mades; so I suspect I wasn't the only one to have problems with them. 73, Ed It's also worthwhile seeing what the cable looks like. A couple of years ago I bought 100 feet of generic (Carol?) RG8 foam. Looked OK. Next time I bought a 25 foot piece of the same brand with connectors. Well, when the connector came off, I saw it was not the same cable; next to no shield. Tam/WB2TT |
I have some andrews 1 5/8 coax, a 75 and 110 piece. No ends just the
coax. Any takers. I am in Daytona FL. Say $100 and $150 for them. On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 20:23:35 -0400, "Tam/WB2TT" wrote: "Old Ed" wrote in message link.net... ............................................. Notwithstanding all this, there are undeniably some junky, Chinese ready-made cables out there. I bought a few from HRO, and about 20% turned out to be bad. So now I will buy only the relatively upmarket ready-mades (like Cable Experts). I notice that our local HRO seems to be phasing out the no-name ready-mades; so I suspect I wasn't the only one to have problems with them. 73, Ed It's also worthwhile seeing what the cable looks like. A couple of years ago I bought 100 feet of generic (Carol?) RG8 foam. Looked OK. Next time I bought a 25 foot piece of the same brand with connectors. Well, when the connector came off, I saw it was not the same cable; next to no shield. Tam/WB2TT |
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