It should be obvious, but I will remind those not familiar with crimping tools that it is the finished SIZE of the hex crimp that is important, not the BRAND of the crimping tool. Due to their consistent quality and performance, I use RF Industries premium (silver-plated body and gold-plated center contact, with Teflon dielectric) connectors for all applications. For example, I use an RFI male N connector #RFN-1005-3C for both RG-58/U and RG-400/U cable, and I have extra ferrules to accommodate the very slightly larger outer diameter of the RG-400/U cable- even though the standard ferrule works just fine.
The RFI crimping instructions state that a 0.100" crimp is required for the center pin, and a 0.213" crimp is required for the ferrule. I have RFI, Amphenol, Kings, and Mil-Spec crimping tools with these hex dies, and the results are indistinguishable from each other. When you buy bulk "no-name" connectors at a Hamfest, you have no idea what tools are required to install them, nor do you know what the proper cable stripping dimensions are. Given the importance of proper RF cabling in a station installation, I cannot conceive of any reason why it makes sense to gamble on what may be factory rejects. 73, Eric Lemmon WB6FLY -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Yahoo Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 11:25 PM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [Repeater-Builder] Re: crimping vs soldering & types of coax connectors Have used this set http://www.l-com.com/item.aspx?id=20878 <http://www.l-com.com/item.aspx?id=20878> for hundreds of cables in varying sizes, mostly RF Industries connectors, crimped pin and furel, swept with Anritsu. Use the right connector for the right job paying attention to dissimilar metal properties, size etc. Take your time and adjust your tools properly. I have used far more expensive crimp tools but have had no quality or performance differences in the end result. Jeff
