[Elecraft] why mix rf connector types within the product line?

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Ed wrote:

Very few industrial radios use SO-239/PL-259.  Mainly seen on marine radios
(and CB/ham, of course). 

---------------------------- 

Virtually everything I saw on large ships used the "UHF" connectors.
Properly handled, they worked very well in the extreme marine environment
that included not just salt water, blistering sun and extreme cold, but also
corrosive stack gasses from the engines and a variety of other chemical
attacks, depending upon where the antenna was mounted.

Products like the putty-like coax seal kept the connectors free from any
moisture intrusion and looking like new for years. Connectors treated that
way outlasted the best of the coax cable jackets. We pulled them off to
replace the damaged coax, not because a connector had leaked or failed. 

I prefer BNC's simply because they don't come loose easily in normal
installations. I've noticed a number of people here have had my experience
with intermittent operation and discovered that a PL-259 connector wasn't
fully tightened somewhere. A BNC tends to be on properly or not at all. And,
of course, a simple 1/4 turn disconnects them while the PL-259 requires more
fiddling. 

Outdoors, I use either Type N or "UHF" connectors carefully tightened and
taped and add coax seal if they are exposed to the elements. 

 73, Ron AC7AC