On Mon, 11 Nov 2013 22:23:37 -0800, Frank Precissi wrote: > Glad this topic came up, because im about to redo all my pre-made cables > and its one of those topics that people like me are afraid to ask because > they are sorta newbie-ish (cue the "You should have learned this before you > got your ticket" grumps). > > What is your opinion of this method: > > http://www.k3lr.com/engineering/pl259/
I wouldn't touch that method with a (your) ten foot pole. You have a very weak point at the point of entry into the PL. A few flexes of the coax, and your shield will be broken and non-existent. Solder through the holes and allow the black sheath to reinforcingly hold the coax in the connector. It should only be trimmed back far enough to clear the holes. I've never been able to use the tinned shield method. Too many stray wires, and/or too large to freely enter the center of the connector without catching. I also don't like the idea of enlarging the holes in the PL, although that seems the least undesirable of the things people have mentioned. If you do, at least make sure there are no burrs on the inside to catch the braid as you thread the coax into the hole. While on the subject, someone mentioned not being able to get the tip of the gun (I use a gun) into the channel where the holes are. Why not? My 300+ watt tip isn't that large. It should fit fine. You do NOT put the tip into the holes themselves. You heat the outer until the folder will freely flow between outer, shield, and (if using one) UG reducer. Make sure solder is FLOWING, not just sitting there stuck on some piece of flux or something. It should flow from one hole to the next IN the shield. Someone mentioned the word waterproof. PLs are NOT waterproof. The best you can do is to make sure moisture can't get into your connection on either side of your connector. Fully seal several inches either side, multiple layers. I haven't used it in years, but I used to use Scotch Kote. A layer of 33 or 88 tape, Scotch Kote, and another layer of tape, each one extending beyond the last layer does a pretty good job and you'll pull brand new connections out of it 10-20 years later. Gary -- http://ag0n.net 3055: http://ag0n.net/irlp/3055 NodeOp Help Page: http://ag0n.net/irlp ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
