I follow the same procedure as Louis when I solder the center pin,however, I
do handle the brade connection a little differently. If I'm soldering small
coax that requires a sleeve, I place the center pin which has already been
soldered in a vice or some kind of holding tool. The area that has holes
that accept solder ly between the threads and the pin end of the connecter.
I place my 150 watt soldering gun on the groove in which the soldering holes
are located. I'm holding the gun with one hand and I hold the solder in the
other hand about three inches from the end and put the end of the solder
into one of the solder holes in the connector. The gun is not touching this
hole as I want the connector to melt the solder, not the gun. I then turn
on the gun and heat the connector until an inch or so of solder melts. I
usually do this for a couple of the holes opposit each other.
For rg8 coax, I've had trouble melting the coax in heating the shell. So
I've found a way that has worked for me for years whether inside or out of
doors. I start as before as Louis described but I do not solder the center
pin immediately. I take two or three turns of electrical tape around the
coax just behind where you've stripped back the brade. After you have wound
a few layers of tape, fold the brade over the tape rapped coax and simpley
screw it into the coax connector. It must screw in kind of hard or you will
not get a good electrical connection. Once I'm happy with the tention and
have screwed the connector on to the coax, I check for shorts and if
everything is ok, I solder the center pin. I then either put silacone
rubber or electrical tape over the solder holes in the connector,and I'm
done! I have never had a connector oxidize on me!
Bob Tinney, K8LR, [log in to unmask]
www.access-devices.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Louis Kim Kline" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Saturday, September 14, 2002 8:56 PM
Subject: Re: soldering PL259 coax connectors
Well, I am lousy at it, and I readily admit it. I usually use mini-8 coax
(usually known as either RG-8M or RG-8X) with the Large solder-type PL-259
connectors with the UG-176 reducers. I slide the reducer over the coax
and I strip the insulation back so that the center conductor is bare.I
strip enough of the outer insulation away to expose enough braid to fold
back over the reducer and thread the PL-259 connector over it with the
center conductor protruding thru the center pin so that the end of the wire
is just sticking out of the end of the center pin. I solder the center pin
like that, trimming any excess wire and solder away. The problem is that I
haven't mastered a good technique for flowing solder through the little
holes in the main body of the PL-259 to make a good connection with the
braid. I inevitably get flecks of solder in the threads of the connector,
or else I don't successfully make contact. I can kind of make a mechnical
connection by pinching the wire braid between the body of the PL 259
connector and the UG-176 reducer, but it is usually a matter of time before
the braid starts making intermittent contact. I've never found a good
technique for making this connection reliably.
73, de Lou K2LKK
At 08:14 PM 9/14/02 -0400, you wrote:
>I have been wanting to ask this question for a long time, but keep
>forgetting to put it out on the list.
>
>Do any of my fellow blind hams out there have any experience soldering
PL259
>coax connectors? Is there a safe and effective strategy that we could use
>to get this done without having to get sighted help? If you have ideas,
>spell them out for me, and I may just give them a try.
>
>Thanks.
>
>Best 73 from Tom Behler: KB8TYJ
Louis (Kim) Kline, A.R.S. K2LKK
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Work e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Work Tel. (585) 697-5753
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