[Elecraft] Connectors

[Jim Wiley]

It's nice to have some fresh air amongst the smoke.  Thanks Jim.   


I have been using UHF connectors for decades without a single problem, 
with the caveat that I purchase ONLY brand name (e.g.: Amphenol) 
connectors, take care to install them properly, and use them only once 
(reuse of connectors removed from other cables is not permitted in my 
station) . 


And yes, I do use "type N" fittings and other less common types (type C, 
7/8 flange, etc.) for some work where appropriate.


- Jim, KL7CC



Jim Brown wrote:
> On 4/25/2012 4:09 PM, Alan Bloom wrote:
>   
>> P.S. Sorry, I guess I violated the Usenet rule against posting objective data...
>>     
>
> It should be noted that in an earlier post, I noted that I had measured 
> the loss of 1300 ft of coax with characteristics like LMR400 that had 
> been cut into 100 ft and 200 ft lengths for a DX trip. I noted that 
> there were at least 25 PL259s and 13 Amphenol barrels in line, and that 
> the loss at every frequency up to 500 MHz was less than the mfr's spec 
> for the cable at that frequency.  While I did not go to the extent of 
> finding and measuring 1,300 ft of the same coax and subtracting out the 
> loss, I submit that my measurements show that the loss in those 38 
> connectors is negligible to at least 500 MHz.
>
> And I also submit that not every small deviation from the ideal MATTERS 
> in every real world conditions. Good engineering is making good choices 
> for a given situation. The world does not need the $800 hammers demanded 
> by certain military specs.
>
> Shouting down?  Hardly -- when completely illogical arguments were 
> presented as justification for a position I pointed them out.
>
> Also -- I don't trust the precision of loss measurements for very small 
> losses -- there are two many factors that can pollute the measurement, 
> and often the accuracy of the instrumentation is a significant.fraction 
> of the result being measured. For example, try getting a good number for 
> the loss of 100 ft of LMR400 at 1.8 MHz. You'd better be measuring at 
> least 1,000 ft to get even 10% accuracy!  Several years ago, a VE1 (RGB, 
> I think) sent me data for measurements he had made of a sizable number 
> of UHF connectors in a string.  His numbers for loss in a single 
> connector were significantly less than what Alan has posted.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
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