I buy almost all of my connectors from Tessco.  Tessco carries a huge
selection of every kind of connector known to mankind.

73


Alan R. Downing
Phoenix, AZ


-----Original Message-----
From: For blind ham radio operators [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
On Behalf Of John Miller
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 9:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Crimped Coax

Radio shack has never had good crimp connectors, I dealt with a lot of it in

my CB days and none of it ever lasted especially on their pre made cables. 
IF you get decent quality crimp connectors or decent quality pre made cables

and stay far far from radio shack crap, it's every bit as good as a soldered

connector no matter what anyone says.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Steve" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 11:28 AM
Subject: Crimped Coax


> This is interesting.   I remember when I put up my first tower.  I was on 
> a
> budget.  I had good coax for my VHF antenna.  Then, I picked up 100-feet
> from Radio Shack for my junior tribander.
>
> The first or second day, I was working a JA on 20-meters.  All of a 
> sudden,
> the signals dropped, and my SWR jumped.  I went out and someone told me it
> looked like the coax had come off of the tribander.
>
> I don't know if I had enough of a loop on it or what, but the damn 
> crimp-on
> connector was living in the driven element and the coax was just hanging
> there.  Had to untape the cables, take that one down and resolder it to a
> real connector and bring it up the next day.
>
> Now, I just feel uncomfortable using crimped coax.  But, if that is what 
> LMR
> recommends, then I hope they have better crimp-on connectors.
>
> Steve, K8SP
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Alan R. Downing" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Saturday, June 07, 2014 1:18 PM
> Subject: Re: West Mountain Crimping Tool and Coax?
>
>
>> Colin, none of the LMR series of coax are supposed to be soldered.  I buy
>> a
>> ton of connectors for LMR240, LMR400, LMR600, and LMR900, and not a 
>> single
>> one of them is soldered.  Times Micro, the maker of LMR coax, wants their
>> connectors to be crimped on.  I own a whole bunch of special prep and
>> crimping tools specifically for the different sizes of LMR coax, because
>> the
>> connectors have to be crimped.