[HomeBrew] audio jacks (RCA type)

[N2EY@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/6/03 9:03:41 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
brewerj@squared.com writes:

> It's good to keep in mind though, that the lowly RCA plug is a BETTER choice
>  (impedance bump-wise) than the PL-259 ("VHF" connector) is. While they're
>  not the most rugged, they do work fine up to, and including HF.
>  
All true - in fact, they work well up to at least 2 meters (my Heath HW-2036 
uses one for the output!)

In fact, Heath used RCA jacks for their 100 watt class HF rigs 
(SB-100/101/102, HW-100/101) and others. Never heard of one failing from 100 
watts of RF!  But it seemed kinda odd that you'd pay $370 for an SB-101 kit 
back in the late '60s and the RF out was a phono jack...

Disadvantage of the phono is that you can't use big coax (RG-8 etc.) 
directly. 

Advantage of the phono is cheapness and the ease of installation of coax. 

Also (and this is a biggie if it ever happened to you!) if somebody or 
something gets tangled in the coax, they won't pull the rig off the 
table......Sounds minor until somebody drives over the coax on Field Day and 
it catches the bumper...

73 de Jim, N2EY