[NLRS] BNC elbow

[Phil Lefever]

>I don't know if its out of the same batch of connectors or not,
>but I bought a 90 BNC elbow there (the "Candy Store", and it fell
>apart the first time I tried to use it. They gladly exchanged it,
>but I have since become adverse to using adapters of any kind now,
>unless absolutely necessary.....
>
>I would gladly pay two to three times as much for a GOOD QUALITY
>adapter after my experiences, but, no matter where I buy them from,
>they all seem to become intermittent after being used for a while.
>Thats hard to take at $3-$5 a piece for the crappy ones which are
>all I can seem to find. I speak in general terms for all RF adapters,
>but especially the SO-239 to SMA adapters for the HT's!

The number 1 rule with all connectors or adapters is to ONLY buy
the ones where the manufacturer is proud enough of the product to
put their name on it! Remember that "Made in USA" isn't a brand
name either.... For me if it doesn't say Amphrenol or Kings on it
I keep looking. As far as I remember Radio City generally doesn't
sell brand name connectors. Ditto with most hamfest vendors except
for PL-259's maybe. Mostly its all shiny nickle plated junk. Also
avoid the Nickle plated stuff if you are working near strong RF
sources and you dislike intermods....

The best story I have heard comes from a tech tuning a 70cm cavity.
He was using an "N" connector elbow in the signal path and something
was amiss. Finally he removed the elbow and things were normal. When
sweeping the elbow later he found it to be a low pass filter with
a cutoff _below_ 70cm! Upon disassembly he found the way they made
the inner conductor bend was with a SPRING (in an "N" connector no
less!). And no the manufacturer wasn't proud enough to put their
name on it ;)

73

Phil, KB0NES