I have some PL-259's by Amphenol with what appears to be phenolic insulation. But then, I've been buying and using them for over half a century, commercially and as a Ham. Some of my Amphenol connectors probably go back to the days when they were 10 cents each, brand new, in a barrel at the surplus store (cue Archie and Edith singing "Those were the days" :-)
Where I see the most unidentified PL-259 connectors is in commercial installations by companies that buy on price, not brand. As long as long as they take solder well, I have never found any difference in performance, at least below 200 MHz. That said, I tend to buy Amphenol simply so I don't get a surprise, especially when buying on-line where I can't inspect the parts first and returning is a hassle. SO-259's (the female connector) can be a little more problematic. Some cheap ones do not have good multi-section spring contacts to engage the pin on the male. Still, most off-brands that I've seen are fine. Where I cringe around connectors is finding ones improperly mounted on the coax, with much of the shield broken loose or globs of solder on the center pin (that mashes and deforms the female socket when the ham-handed - excuse the expression - installer grabbed his pliers to tighten the sleeve, forcing the pin into the socket). Where I've come closest to wishing violence on another tech is at the top of a mast at night in driving rain (shipboard electronics always fail in storms) trying to separate one of those smashed connectors. And, while I agree that the more expensive Type N connectors provide superior strength and weather resistance outdoors, I don't bother with them. Even on ships, the lowly no-name brand PL-259 offers superb performance when encased in inexpensive "coax-seal" - a putty like material that one simply molds around the connector and coax. After two or three years exposed to heavy salt spray at sea and corrosive stack gasses (some antennas are up near the top of the ship's funnel), cutting away the coax seal reveals a connector that looks like the day it was installed. 73 Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jim Bennett Sent: Friday, November 08, 2013 2:56 PM To: Elecraft Reflector Reflector Subject: [Elecraft] KPA500/Kat500 Cables - PL-259 Question The UPS guy is set to deliver my KAT500 and KPA500 later this afternoon. In the mean time, I've been getting "stuff" ready for the blessed event. Some of that stuff means preparing coax jumpers to run from the K3 to the KPA500 and from the KPA500 to the KAT500. From the KAT500 I may go to my 4:1 balun directly to my doublet or through a 4-position coax switch - undecided there. Anyway, many knowledgeable folks have stated, either on this reflector or on their own web sites, that it's a good idea to stick with known manufacturers of coax and connectors, such as Belden, Amphenol, The Wireman, DXE, etc. Well, I just got a bunch of PL-259 connectors from that last-mentioned vendor and noticed that they had no brand name on them. Plus, the vendor's web site doesn't say that they are "Amphenol" brand, but that they ARE silver plated and teflon insulated. Comparing these connectors with some other silver / teflon connectors in my parts drawer, I notice a difference in the center conductor. On the DXE PL-259's, the center pin is 100% surrounded with what apparently is the white teflon insulation. On the ones in my bin, there is a small silver-looking "ring" around that center pin, approximately 1 mm wide, and then teflon as the remainder of the insulation. The only other difference between these two types of connectors is that the DXE-supplied PL-259's have a much more coarse "finger grip" area than my other ones. So, the question is - with neither of them having any brand name on them, should one feel comfortable using either of them? How can you tell if a PL-259 is "crap", other than a lack of teflon insulation and silver plating? Jim / W6JHB Folsom, CA (anxiously waiting for Mr. UPS) ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
