[Elecraft] Array Solutions Lightning Arrestor

[Jim Brown]

On 1/23/2018 10:29 AM, Walter Underwood wrote:
> N connectors have better weatherproofing.

How does that matter for connections inside a weatherproof enclosure 
that mounts the arrestors?  They also have the problem of cable 
migration from the connector.

> They handle 1500 V instead of 500 V.

In 60 years of hamming, I've never seen a quality UHF connector that 
arced. Of course, I've never run more than 1.5kW, and I try to use 
antennas that are close to resonance.  :)

> But I mostly like them better because they are engineered instead of a historical accident.:-)

The technical superiority of N-connectors for use at HF is a wild 
exaggeration, to the extent of being an urban myth. Yes, there is a 
SMALL impedance difference at a junction, but it simply doesn't matter 
at 6M and below, both because the difference in Zo is relatively small, 
because the length is small as a fraction of a wavelength, and because 
as frequency increases, small mismatches are reduced by the loss in the 
feedline (and NOT loss due to mismatch).

There is, of course, a FICTIONAL loss called "mismatch loss," which 
shows up in the lab with test equipment that is carefully engineered to 
have 50 ohm output Z. But the output Z of real world transmitters is 
rarely 50 ohms -- it's usually a lot lower.  Funny -- because it isn't 
real, we didn't learn about it in our transmission lines classes back in 
the '60s.

What matters a lot more is the QUALITY of the connector. Smart hams 
don't use el-cheapo, non-branded connectors. Except for receive 
antennas, I use only soldered Amphenol 83-1SP connectors and mating 
Amphenol jacks and Amphenol adapters.

73, Jim K9YC