Type N Connectors

[Jon M. Schumacher]

David,

I agree with John concerning the preference for solder-on N-connectors.  We used both solder-on and crimp styles for outdoor use at remote sites.  Either will work fine, but you need good quality (i. e. expensive) connectors in both cases.  The Amphenol tools for crimping were among the best available.

It is important to seal the outdoor connectors if they will be expected to last for years or decades.   I liked to apply several layers of good quality all-temperature electrical tape.   We have opened connectors installed properly and after decades of service, found the metal still shiny and the connection integrity intact.

Beware some of the import connectors available today.   Their quality is suspect, especially at UHF.   We ordered a couple of hundred right-angle N-UHF connectors from a large supplier for a recent project.  The techs noticed that there was a large power loss through the connector.  Finally one of the guys took one apart and found the right angle inside was actually a spiral-wound wire that acted as a choke at UHF.  This would have been unnoticeable at HF or 50 MHz., but it sure screwed up at 420 MHz.    Dielectric material used as insulation in a connector can have an effect at UHF as well.

                                                                 Jon, K1NV


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