[ARC5] Collins stuff and RCA jacks

[Todd, KA1KAQ]

On Tue, May 14, 2013 at 11:27 PM, Richard Knoppow
<1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>wrote:

>
>    No one has mentioned the spring contacts of the RCA plug, the body of
> the male and center contact of the female. Even dicounting corrosion both
> tend to become stretched with use and make poor contact. While its possible
> to compress them they usually have become fatigued and won't hold the
> compression very long.  RCA connectors have been shown many times to have
> good electrical properties but were never intended to be heavy duty.
>

And that is the biggest problem with them, Richard. Many of the ones
damaged were a result of misuse, when someone stuck in a scanner plug (RCA
to SO-239) adapter, and/or attached a stiff piece of RG-213 etc, shoved the
rig back against the wall or whatever else, causing the connector to flex
and often breaking the ceramic as well as stretching the contact. Did this
with my first KWM-2A back in the mid 80s and ended up replacing the RCA
with a bulkhead BNC which was flaky due to its lightweight construction and
didn't like any cable movement. Small connectors tend to not like lateral
movement.

~ Todd,  KA1KAQ/4