I agree with Tom. The biggest problem, from my perspective, with the "UHF" connectors is the variability of attachment to the cable. I have no experience with crimp varieties, they may mitigate the issue, but the solder on types are ripe for trouble.
The other problem with them if you are trying to do any precision measurements---an oxymoron I suppose---is that any decent instrumentation will have type N connectors, thus adapters are necessary. Again at HF I would just include the adapter as part of the thing I was testing and not worry about it. Wes N7WS --- On Thu, 7/22/10, Tom W8JI <w...@w8ji.com> wrote: > In some connector applications ... particularly power > dividers and other applications that are "impedance- > conscious" ... SO-239 / PL-259" connectors are not > suitable. This is NEVER the case at 30 MHz and lower, so long as connection to the connector are properly done. The total impedance bump length in a UHF female to UHF male pair is about the length of the center pin of the female. All of the problems are in the female, and the length of the problem area is confined to the spread area of the female that fits over the male pin. That area is about 35 ohms impedance, not a large mismatch. The effect of that is virtually immeasurable on 30 MHz. If connections to the SO-239 are 50 ohms, the SWR caused by a SO-239 would be 1.006:1. If anyone has a problem using a single SO239 PL259 pair below 50 MHz in anything but the most critical measurement systems, they did something else wrong. This would include filters, combiners, splitters, and loads. 1/2 inch at 35 ohms is nothing below UHF. 73 Tom ______________________________________________________________ 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