I agree with most of what has been said in support of UHF connectors for HF and low VHF -- with two reservations.
1. Many SO-239s provided as part of radio equipment are not up to the quality of Amphenol units. In particular, the spring fingers of the socket for the male pin loosen over time to the point that the connection becomes less than solid. This is particularly a problem if the connector is used repeatedly. I usually replace with Amphenol units, if I can get to them. Another great option is the Oak Hills BNC kit, designed to fit the hole pattern of the SO-239. 2. The other potential problem with UHF connectors, in my opinion, is the integrity of the shield connectivity through the connected pair. If the backshell loosens, there is no longer a solid connection either at the toothed parallel portion, nor through the backshell. This can be an issue in mobile or other high vibration environments and has caught me many times. Note that a type N, C or BNC pair makes it's shield connection through the inner spring tension sleeve, maintaining contact almost until the pair separates. The backshell is just used for mechanical, not electrical, purposes. FWIW Regards, Joel Joel R. Hallas, W1ZR ______________________________________________________________ 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
