From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 16:02:52 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id QAA19132 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:02:51 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:2124 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53922-46778>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 15:59:59 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:4772 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53774-46778>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 15:59:28 -0500 Received: from mtiwmhc07.worldnet.att.net (mtiwmhc07.worldnet.att.net [204.127.131.42]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id PAA67994 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 15:59:27 -0500 Received: from default ([12.78.122.192]) by mtiwmhc07.worldnet.att.net (InterMail v03.02.07 118 124) with SMTP id <19990130205920.GSKU26678@default> for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 20:59:20 +0000 Message-Id: <000901be4c92$8b56a480$c07a4e0c@default> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 15:48:36 -0500 Reply-To: SWGibson@worldnet.att.net Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: "Stephen Gibson" To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Soldering coax connectors MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-To: X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 4.72.2106.4 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V4.72.2106.4 X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Do any of you with soldering expertise have any hints for someone who is having trouble getting the solder to adhere to the braid thru the teensy hole in the PL-259 - that's me. I've been doing it for years but it is always a pretty much hit-or-miss operation. I'd like to know how to do it properly before I go to the great ham fest in the sky. Thanks in advance. 72/73 Steve, WB4NBI From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 16:21:32 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id QAA19997 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:21:31 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:4882 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53923-46778>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:18:47 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1391 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53807-16572>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:17:41 -0500 Received: from chmls06.mediaone.net (chmls06.mediaone.net [24.128.1.71]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id QAA142830 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:17:40 -0500 Received: from mediaone.net (nzc.ne.mediaone.net [24.128.10.136]) by chmls06.mediaone.net (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id QAA07192; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:17:32 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <36B376EC.3CE87A5@mediaone.net> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:17:33 -0500 Reply-To: nzc@mediaone.net Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: Nick & Susan Caruso To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors References: <000901be4c92$8b56a480$c07a4e0c@default> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-To: SWGibson@worldnet.att.net X-Cc: Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en]C-MOEATL (Win95; U) X-Accept-Language: en X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO How obsessively do you clean the braid and other surfaces? I've found this to make a big difference. If there's lots of oxidation, a little extra flux helps. Also, if the iron can't deliver heat fast enough you can have problems. I find that if I clean with alcohol (91% isopropyl) and then either apply a little RMA flux from a flux pen it generally works fine. And, make sure you use a short stubby tip when you solder large items - faster heat transfer = better soldering. 73, --ncc kb1dej Stephen Gibson wrote: > Do any of you with soldering expertise have any hints for someone who is > having trouble getting the solder to adhere to the braid thru the teensy > hole in the PL-259 - that's me. I've been doing it for years but it is > always a pretty much hit-or-miss operation. I'd like to know how to do it > properly before I go to the great ham fest in the sky. > > Thanks in advance. > > 72/73 > > Steve, WB4NBI From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 16:28:30 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id QAA20170 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:28:29 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:1654 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53566-16572>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:27:22 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1730 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53344-46778>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:26:52 -0500 Received: from buffnet4.buffnet.net (buffnet4.buffnet.net [205.246.19.13]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id QAA116366 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:26:51 -0500 Received: from aappp41.buffnet.net (jskalski@aappp41.buffnet.net [207.41.195.53]) by buffnet4.buffnet.net (8.8.7/8.7.3) with ESMTP id QAA05253; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:29:03 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:26:45 -0500 (EST) Reply-To: jskalski@buffnet.net Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: James Skalski To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors In-Reply-To: <36B376EC.3CE87A5@mediaone.net> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII X-To: Nick & Susan Caruso X-Cc: Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion X-Sender: jskalski@valhalla.valhalla.buffalo.edu X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Heat and lots of it. Quickly get up to temp...melt that solder and let it flow. Then just as quickly...get out. Let it cool without moving it. Don't try to cool it with your thumb and forefinger. I've tried that and it doesn't work. Ouch! 73, Jim N2go From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 16:33:35 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id QAA20444 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:33:34 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:2275 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53646-46778>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:30:42 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1778 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53697-54462>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:28:42 -0500 Received: from www0r.netaddress.usa.net (www0r.netaddress.usa.net [204.68.24.47]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with SMTP id QAA109386 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:28:41 -0500 Received: (qmail 14240 invoked by uid 60001); 30 Jan 1999 21:23:06 -0000 Received: from 206.100.236.186 by www.netaddress.com via web-mailer(3.1) on Sat Jan 30 21:23:06 GMT 1999 Message-Id: <19990130212306.14239.qmail@www0r.netaddress.usa.net> Date: 30 Jan 99 16:23:06 EST Reply-To: wa4dou@usa.net Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: Roy Lincoln To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: [Soldering coax connectors] Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-To: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU, "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Use enough heat and a soldering gun. You need at least 100-140 watt gun.Are you talking inside or outside? Windy or calm? The shell of the PL-259 must be elevated in temp. considerably so that solder can flow. If using RG-8 or similiar, you need to tin the braid first. If using RG-8X or rg-58, you need to flow solder in the holes onto the ug-175 or ug-176 adapter. The gun tip must be introduced thru the holes until the shell/adapter is very hot, and the solder can flow over the braid on the adapter. Its an acquired skill and after you do many, you know how to do it by intuitive feel. 73 Roy WA4DOU------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Do any of you with soldering expertise have any hints for someone who is having trouble getting the solder to adhere to the braid thru the teensy hole in the PL-259 - that's me. I've been doing it for years but it is always a pretty much hit-or-miss operation. I'd like to know how to do it properly before I go to the great ham fest in the sky. Thanks in advance. 72/73 Steve, WB4NBI ____________________________________________________________________ Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1 From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 16:38:56 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id QAA20846 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:38:54 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:2980 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53763-46778>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:34:34 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1916 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53673-16572>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:33:07 -0500 Received: from nw171.netaddress.usa.net (nw171.netaddress.usa.net [204.68.24.71]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with SMTP id QAA145970 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 16:33:06 -0500 Received: (qmail 9360 invoked by uid 60001); 30 Jan 1999 21:26:56 -0000 Received: from 206.100.236.186 by www.netaddress.com via web-mailer(3.1) on Sat Jan 30 21:26:56 GMT 1999 Message-Id: <19990130212656.9359.qmail@nw171.netaddress.usa.net> Date: 30 Jan 99 16:26:56 EST Reply-To: wa4dou@usa.net Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: Roy Lincoln To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: [Re: Soldering coax connectors] Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-To: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU, "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Someone will disagree but the only ones to use are the silver plated white teflon dielectric PL-259 connectors. If you use nickel plated mica dielectric ones, you need to file away the plateing where you're gonna solder and "tin" those areas of the shell or adapter with solder. 73 Roy WA4DOU How obsessively do you clean the braid and other surfaces? I've found this to make a big difference. If there's lots of oxidation, a little extra flux helps. Also, if the iron can't deliver heat fast enough you can have problems. I find that if I clean with alcohol (91% isopropyl) and then either apply a little RMA flux from a flux pen it generally works fine. And, make sure you use a short stubby tip when you solder large items - faster heat transfer = better soldering. 73, --ncc kb1dej Stephen Gibson wrote: > Do any of you with soldering expertise have any hints for someone who is > having trouble getting the solder to adhere to the braid thru the teensy > hole in the PL-259 - that's me. I've been doing it for years but it is > always a pretty much hit-or-miss operation. I'd like to know how to do it > properly before I go to the great ham fest in the sky. > > Thanks in advance. > > 72/73 > > Steve, WB4NBI ____________________________________________________________________ Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1 From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 17:40:31 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id RAA22443 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 17:40:30 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:4749 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53937-16572>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 17:37:18 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:3749 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53538-54462>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 17:36:49 -0500 Received: from m7.boston.juno.com (m7.boston.juno.com [205.231.100.196]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id RAA70908 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 17:36:48 -0500 Received: (from gsurrency@juno.com) by m7.boston.juno.com (queuemail) id DZ9B3X2Y; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 17:35:54 EST Message-Id: <19990130.153844.-4120433.0.gsurrency@juno.com> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 15:30:45 -0700 Reply-To: gsurrency@juno.com Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: Gary L Surrency To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-To: SWGibson@worldnet.att.net X-Cc: qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU X-Mailer: Juno 2.0.11 X-Juno-Line-Breaks: 16-17,22-23,25-26,35-36,46-47,55-56,58-60 X-Juno-Att: 0 X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO If you're talking about RG-8/U, then I wind small, tinned bus wire around the trimmed braid. Twist the ends to retain the braid wires in place. Tin the braid and bus wires quickly with a very hot iron and small solder. Assemble the connector and finish soldering to the bus wires and braid thru the shell holes with a large iron and a big soldering tip. You have to be careful if the dialectric is foam, or it will migrate out thru the braid and interfere with soldering. 9913 and similar big coax can also be assembled in connectors this way. The idea is to provide some solid metal that is pre-tinned inside the connector holes, to ease soldering. That is much easier than trying to keep the braid wires in place as the connector is assembled, or trying to solder to only the fine braid wires. Finish the connector by soldering to the center pin and wire, and lastly trimming and/or filing the tip smooth and round.Clean any flux or excess solder off the center pin with a sharp knife, file, etc., and use acetone on a swab or cloth to remove any flux residue before putting the connector into another fitting. You want to keep these connections clean and free of contamination. Use only silver plated, teflon insulated connectors. If you have the old nickel-plated kind, pre-tin the part of the connector around the holes with solder before you begin. Some copper braid soaked with solder and flux under your soldering iron tip will speed the tinning. Using pliers, shake the excess solder off when you're done tinning. For connectors that use the reducing bushing, like those for RG-58, RG-59, or RG-8X, here's what I do: Prepare the end of the coax so that you can fold the braid back over the end of the reducer. Wrap a couple of turns of small bus wire around the braid near the loose ends and twist it to hold the braid in place. Assuming the reducer is silver-plated, or pre-tinned nickel-plated, use a very hot iron and apply small amounts of solder around the braid until the solder is soaked thru to the reducer. Avoid too much heat or you'll cause the dialectric to migrate out (especially foam dialectric). Use quick, short applications of the iron and solder until you get a secure joint with the braid sweated to the reducer. Now grab a water soaked rag, and cool the joint until you can handle it. Unwind the small bus wire, and pull it completely off. Using small wire cutters, or my favorite - a sharp small file, trim any loose braid wires back to the soldered connection on the reducer. Make sure the solder-sweated braid will fit into the PL-259 (or whatever), and trim any high spots or lumps of solder off until it will pass into the connector. Screw the reducing bushing into the connector tightly with a big pair of pliers. There's no need to solder the bushing thru the connectors holes if you properly tighten and/or waterproof the connector for outdoor use. For indoor use, it is just fine as-is. The advantage of this last method is, many times you can reuse the connector at a later date if the coax wears out. It works best, if you first cut the coax about 1-2 inches from the connector. This allows the center wire to rotate in the coax, as you unscrew the reducer, rather than just letting the center wire break. Pull out the reducer with the braid and coax in it, and then heat the center pin to remove the center conductor and dialectric. Clean up the reducer bushing and/or connector and re-use it if it's OK. 72, from yours truly, flu-ridden with a 103 degree temperature, and bronchitis / pneumonia. I'm going back to bed now...........cough, cough. Gary Surrency AB7MY QRP-L #571 Chandler, AZ (near Phoenix) ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 18:06:34 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id SAA22924 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:06:33 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:2879 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53953-54462>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:01:32 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:4399 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53939-46778>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:00:15 -0500 Received: from x3.boston.juno.com (x3.boston.juno.com [205.231.100.22]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id SAA97628 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:00:12 -0500 Received: (from wb2vuo@juno.com) by x3.boston.juno.com (queuemail) id DZ9DFDND; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 17:59:37 EST Message-Id: <19990130.225732.5127.1.wb2vuo@juno.com> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 17:59:37 EST Reply-To: wb2vuo@juno.com Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: wb2vuo@juno.com To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering Coax Connectors X-To: qrp-l@lehigh.edu X-Mailer: Juno 1.49 X-Juno-Line-Breaks: 3-4,7-8,11-18 X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Use a 140 watt or bigger Weller gun, but TAKE THE TIP OFF and push the retaining nuts tightly against the connector. It takes about 3 seconds to heat the whole mass up to soldering temp. Flow the solder in the holes and let the assemby set for 5 - 10 minutes... The connector seems to grow invisible Superglue seeing that if you touch the connector after removing the gun, it WILL adhere to you with a smell similar to the grill at McDonalds, but noisier... If you tend to "test" a connection for coneness with your fingers, first put your insurance card in your shirt pocket so the Emergency room can get to it more easily... 72/73, Keith, WB2VUO, 100% QRP from the Depths of the Great Bergen Swamp. Trustee, B/BAMS club station and the NQ2RP/B 10 Mtr QRPp beacon "My night light runs more power than my Rig!!!" ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 18:32:58 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id SAA23617 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:32:57 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:1052 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53822-54462>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:27:27 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1121 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53542-54462>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:26:58 -0500 Received: from imo29.mx.aol.com (imo29.mx.aol.com [198.81.17.73]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id SAA118800 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:26:57 -0500 Received: from DSJKALLEN@aol.com by imo29.mx.aol.com (IMOv18.1) id 2IMHa01223 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:26:30 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:26:30 EST Reply-To: DSJKALLEN@aol.com Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: DSJKALLEN@aol.com To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: AOL 4.0 for Windows 95 sub 4 X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO I've been soldering PL-259s to RG-8, et. al. for over 35 years; for what it's worth, I will throw in my two cents worth on this . . . A first caveat . . . use only silver plated PL-259s. I prefer the Amphenol 83-1SPs, but actually have had pretty good luck lately with RadioShack's silver plated Teflon PL-259s. Do not use the Amphenol Astroplate versions -- Amphenol 83-1SP-1050. 1). Slide outer coupling ring onto cable (with threads toward end of cable) -- don't laugh -- how many times have all of us forgotten to do this!! 2). Cut end of coax cable with an even and straight cut, then remove outer vinyl jacket 1 1/2" while not nicking the shield braid, 3). Without disturbing the braid, tin the entire length of 1 1/2" of braid. Use just enough heat to get a continuous and smooth flow over the braid without damaging the inner insulation (it can be done -- but it takes some experience). Clean any left over flux with isopropyl alcohol, 4). Using a small (and sharp) tubing cutter, cut the braid by rotating the tubing cutter carefully around the coax braid. Make your cut so that 7/16" braid remains on the cable end, 5). Next, trim the inner insulation so that approx. 1/16" of center insulation extends beyond the cut braid. Do not nick the center conductor. You can simply pull off the remaining section of cut off center conductor insulation, 6). Gently, tin the exposed center conductor, 7). Insert the prepared cable end into the PL-259 with some rotational motion once the vinyl outer covering meets the internal threads of the connector. You should be able to insert the cable end so that the smooth cut outer braid passes slightly beyond the solder holes and the center conductor is well in the center pin of the connector. 8). Gently solder the outer braid to the connector at each hole in the connector. The trick here is to get the connector hot enough to get consistent flow, but not too hot to melt the center conductor insulation. I use a Weller soldering station with the constant temperature tips for the job. Then, solder the center conductor to the tip of the connector. Cut off extraneous center conductor at tip of connector. Clean flux with aforementioned alcohol and your done. This method is one used in the US Navy, as well as many government agencies. Additionally, Bill Orr W6SAI describes the method in detail in his book "Wire Antennas." Using this method, the shield fits perfectly into the body of the PL-259 with continuous coverage of the braid. I have also had good success with this method on Belden 8267 (RG-213). Hope this helps the discussion. 73, Don Allen W9CW Urbana, IL From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 19:03:13 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id TAA24304 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 19:03:13 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:4844 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53984-25784>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:59:58 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1923 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53338-25784>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:59:02 -0500 Received: from omzrelay.mcit.com (omzrelay.mcit.com [166.37.204.49]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id SAA142824 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:59:01 -0500 Received: from omta1.mcit.com (omta1.mcit.com [166.37.204.2]) by omzrelay.mcit.com (8.8.7/) with ESMTP id WAA15372; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 22:58:18 GMT Received: from localHost ([166.33.24.13]) by omta1.mcit.com (InterMail v03.02.05 118 121 101) with SMTP id <19990130235847.YHUR8311@localHost>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 17:58:47 -0600 Message-Id: <19990130235847.YHUR8311@localHost> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:56 -0500 (EST) Reply-To: Brett.Gazdzinski@mci.com Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: Brett Gazdzinski To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors X-To: "Stephen Gibson" , QRP-L@lehigh.edu X-Mailer: MailRoom v2.1e X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Steve, There are a few important things.... The braid must be very clean....no re using old radio shack coax thats been outside for years.... Lots of heat....I use a big gun...solder will flow to the heat. Its better to use a lot of heat fast, then not enough for a long time. I try to get the whole connector hot, and start the solder at the top, while holding the gun on the bottom. The solder will flow down. I then cool the connector on the sponge of the solder stand.... After its cold, I solder the center conductor. This way it wont melt the coax. I never found a way to use old coax that had a badly tarnished braid. Brett N2DTS ............................................. Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 15:48:36 -0500 Reply-To: SWGibson@worldnet.att.net Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU From: "Stephen Gibson" To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Soldering coax connectors Do any of you with soldering expertise have any hints for someone who is having trouble getting the solder to adhere to the braid thru the teensy hole in the PL-259 - that's me. I've been doing it for years but it is always a pretty much hit-or-miss operation. I'd like to know how to do it properly before I go to the great ham fest in the sky. Thanks in advance. 72/73 Steve, WB4NBI From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 20:12:57 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id UAA26158 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 20:12:56 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:3867 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <54011-16572>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 20:09:14 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:3751 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53555-54462>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 20:08:25 -0500 Received: from scott.net (root@koala.scott.net [204.181.147.2]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id UAA66052 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 20:08:25 -0500 Received: from scott.net (WWW/LX@d053.ras2.scott.net [208.15.220.53]) by scott.net (8.8.7/8.8.5) with SMTP id TAA25478 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 19:08:15 -0600 Message-Id: <199901310108.TAA25478x@scott.net> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 19:08:15 -0600 Reply-To: jeffj@scott.net Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: Jeff Johns To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" X-Mailer: POST/LX 2.2a X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO On Sat, 30 Jan 1999 15:48:36 -0500, "Stephen Gibson" wrote: > Do any of you with soldering expertise have any hints for someone who is > having trouble getting the solder to adhere to the braid thru the teensy > hole in the PL-259 - that's me. I've been doing it for years but it is The first couple of times I tried it I had the same problem, but a guy at our department's radio shop showed me my problem and it was so simple. I was using a soldering iron that just wasn't powerful enough for the job. Now when I do one of these I borrow my dad's soldering iron. I'm not sure how many watts it is, but it's a big rascal and it really lets the solder flow into the hole. Good luck! 73 Jeff W4JEF *=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Jeff Johns W4JEF - AMSAT# 32615 -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=* |jeffj@scott.net w4jef@amsat.org | Reserve Patrol Captain | | Satellite: Mir R0MIR-1, AO-27 | Jefferson County Sheriff's Dept| |200LX+BayPac+FT50=Portable Packet| QTH Birmingham, AL USA | *=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-* From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 21:16:32 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id VAA27712 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 21:16:31 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:2826 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <54007-25784>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 21:12:16 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1334 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53870-46778>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 21:11:37 -0500 Received: from sierra.psnw.com (root@sierra.psnw.com [205.199.144.107]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id VAA49066 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 21:11:37 -0500 Received: from rakefet.com (ct1-37.psnw.com [206.43.246.37]) by sierra.psnw.com (8.9.1/8.9.0) with ESMTP id SAA19131; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:11:13 -0800 (PST) Message-Id: <36B3BB41.E252771F@rakefet.com> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:09:05 -0800 Reply-To: rakefet@rakefet.com Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: Vic Rosenthal To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors References: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-To: DSJKALLEN@aol.com X-Cc: Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.06 [en] (Win98; U) X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO DSJKALLEN@aol.com wrote: > > I've been soldering PL-259s to RG-8, et. al. for over 35 years; for what it's > worth, I will throw in my two cents worth on this . . . A point that I haven't seen yet: crappy coax with poor braid coverage is much harder to solder. The dielectric melts and comes through the braid, which keeps the solder from sticking. If you have the right tools and do it right, you will be successful, but it makes doing it a marginal soldering iron even harder. 73, Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sat Jan 30 22:32:20 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id WAA29581 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 22:32:19 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:2382 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53865-16572>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 22:29:16 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:2884 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53750-16572>; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 22:28:45 -0500 Received: from x12.boston.juno.com (x12.boston.juno.com [205.231.101.26]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id WAA161280 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 22:28:44 -0500 Received: (from ka7you@juno.com) by x12.boston.juno.com (queuemail) id DZ9US3BR; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 22:28:08 EST Message-Id: <19990130.194445.18831.1.ka7you@juno.com> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 22:28:08 EST Reply-To: ka7you@juno.com Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: ka7you@juno.com To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors References: <000901be4c92$8b56a480$c07a4e0c@default> X-To: SWGibson@worldnet.att.net X-Cc: qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU X-Mailer: Juno 1.49 X-Juno-Line-Breaks: 0,7,10,14-21,23-40 X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Stephen, Many of the connectors you are likely to come across are Cad plated-the really shiney kind. this is ove r brass usually, and to get a good solder connection, I would file througn the cad plating to the brass. Then use a heavy soldering iron instead of a solder gun. You need the larger mass to help heat up the connector. I would suggest a 100 watt or bigger iron, although I have a 50 watt iron with a very massive tip, and it works well. I have a 300 watt iron at work, which I use to solder stainless steel bars. It does a Great job on coax connectors, but be careful to not get it too hot! The real trick, is to get in there with lots of heat, get it hot fast, get it soldered, and get out quickly. The longer you keep the heat applied, the hotter the coax will get, and if you melt the coax, you've just wasted your time and posssibly a connector. Good luck, and practice on some scraps first. 7 3, Rod Johnson KA7YOU from grid CN97AK near Issaquah, Wa. 160M thru 1296 MHz-higher bands pending ARCI-QRP #7251 QRP-L #844 NWQRP #120 NorCal #2007 and others On Sat, 30 Jan 1999 15:48:36 -0500 "Stephen Gibson" writes: >Do any of you with soldering expertise have any hints for someone who >is >having trouble getting the solder to adhere to the braid thru the >teensy >hole in the PL-259 - that's me. I've been doing it for years but it >is >always a pretty much hit-or-miss operation. I'd like to know how to do >it >properly before I go to the great ham fest in the sky. > >Thanks in advance. > >72/73 > >Steve, WB4NBI > > ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sun Jan 31 00:23:13 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id AAA02398 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 00:23:12 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:2987 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53831-24786>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 00:20:09 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1618 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53610-18388>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 00:18:22 -0500 Received: from fh106.infi.net (fh106.infi.net [209.97.16.33]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id AAA61998 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 00:18:21 -0500 Received: from [208.136.65.60] (pm1-60.dcwt.infi.net [208.136.65.60]) by fh106.infi.net (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id AAA18565 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 00:18:19 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 05:18:15 -0500 Reply-To: dcork@sl001.infi.net Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: David Corkarn To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors In-Reply-To: <000901be4c92$8b56a480$c07a4e0c@default> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO I read an artical in QST a few years back and there was a hint and kinks on just this subject. I do not remember who the auther was but I do remember the content. When your soldering PL-259's you do not want hi heat. You want a large heat mass. A soldering gun will not do it. It just heats up the the connector and melts the insulation. Remember the beg old soldering irons? They are perfect for soldering PL-259's. They have a large heat mass and a low temp so you can get in and out with out melting anything and the hole will be filled just like the premade jumpers. I bought mine at a ham fest for a $1. Its come in handy not just for connectors but also for desoldering large joints. I hope this helps. 72/73 David Corkran KE4BAF >Do any of you with soldering expertise have any hints for someone who is >having trouble getting the solder to adhere to the braid thru the teensy >hole in the PL-259 - that's me. I've been doing it for years but it is >always a pretty much hit-or-miss operation. I'd like to know how to do it >properly before I go to the great ham fest in the sky. > >Thanks in advance. > >72/73 > >Steve, WB4NBI From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sun Jan 31 00:39:44 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id AAA02791 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 00:39:43 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:1733 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53790-18388>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 00:35:37 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:2025 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53624-24786>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 00:31:00 -0500 Received: from mail-gw5.pacbell.net (mail-gw5.pacbell.net [206.13.28.23]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id AAA17250 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 00:30:59 -0500 Received: from pacbell.net (adsl-216-101-184-13.dsl.pacbell.net [216.101.184.13]) by mail-gw5.pacbell.net (8.8.8/8.7.1+antispam) with ESMTP id VAA02008 for ; Sat, 30 Jan 1999 21:25:55 -0800 (PST) Message-Id: <36B3EB23.83163D9C@pacbell.net> Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 21:33:23 -0800 Reply-To: fifield@pacbell.net Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: David Fifield To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-To: qrp-l@lehigh.edu X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en] (Win95; U) X-Accept-Language: en X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Haven't seen anyone comment on the little butane torches that they sell at flea markets and hamfests.....do these work okay for PL259s? Dave Fifield, AD6A From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sun Jan 31 11:41:28 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id LAA00783 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 11:41:27 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:2532 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53899-24786>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 11:38:30 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:4169 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53319-24786>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 11:38:00 -0500 Received: from ll.aa2ys.ampr.org (d185d1581.rochester.rr.com [24.93.21.129]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id LAA167428 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 11:37:58 -0500 Received: by ll.aa2ys.ampr.org via sendmail from stdin id (Debian Smail3.2.0.101) for qrp-l@lehigh.edu; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 11:35:35 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 11:35:35 -0500 (EST) Reply-To: mulveyr@iname.com Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: Rich Mulvey To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors In-Reply-To: <36B3EB23.83163D9C@pacbell.net> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Sender: mulveyr@ll.aa2ys.ampr.org X-To: David Fifield , qrp-l@lehigh.edu X-Mailer: XFMail 1.3 [p0] on Linux X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO On 31-Jan-99 David Fifield wrote: > Haven't seen anyone comment on the little butane torches that > they sell at flea markets and hamfests.....do these work okay > for PL259s? I have one ( I think that I bought it from RatShack a couple of years ago... ) It works fine for PL-259's, especially when you're far away from AC power. :-) - Rich -- Rich Mulvey http://mulvey.dyndns.com Amateur Radio: aa2ys@wb2wxq.#wny.ny.usa From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sun Jan 31 12:25:09 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id MAA02041 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 12:25:08 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:4920 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <54133-24786>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 12:22:47 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1624 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53518-24786>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 12:22:12 -0500 Received: from nbrmr1002.ac.com (NBRMR1002.ac.com [170.252.248.71]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id MAA24080 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 12:22:11 -0500 Received: from amrhm1101.ac.com ([170.252.192.7]) by nbrmr1002.ac.com (8.8.8/8.8.8) with SMTP id LAA01969 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 11:14:35 -0600 (CST) Received: by amrhm1101.ac.com(Lotus SMTP MTA v4.6.2 (693.3 8-11-1998)) id 8625670A.005F43FE ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 11:20:33 -0600 Message-Id: <8625670A.005F4367.00@amrhm1101.ac.com> Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 18:03:29 +0100 Reply-To: mahlon.r.haunschild@ac.com Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: mahlon.r.haunschild@ac.com To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering coax connectors Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline X-Lotus-FromDomain: ANDERSEN CONSULTING X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Hi, Steve, et. al. I saw the other comments on the list on this subject (all of which are good) and would just like to second the notion of using LOTS OF HEAT. Why? 'Cause you want to get the connector shell hot enough to solder quickly to prevent melting the dielectric (this is particularly a pain with foam dielectric cable). I sorta limped along for years with the standard-issue Weller 100/140-watt gun, but I always had to supplement it with a soldering iron for that last bit of heat. Then, I used one of those "PyroPen" butane-fired irons with a big tip and that worked better, but at the considerable expense of convenience. Then, one day, I saw in a pawnshop a Weller 300-watt soldering gun, bought it, and now I can solder PL-259s like a pro. It's probably the best $12 I ever spent! Another thought: when I'm done soldering the shell, I immediately cool it off with a wet paper towel or rag. This is, again, in the interest of keeping the dielectric and jacket from melting. Since I've gotten away from foam/vinyl and stuck with PVC dielectrics & jackets, melting hasn't been NEARLY as much of a problem. I also solder the center conductor in a slightly different way, without tinning it: first solder the shield in the usual way, then cut off the center cond. flush with the end of the pin, give it a bit of liquid flux, build up a dollop of molten solder on the soldering gun tip, then apply said dollop to the center conductor. As soon as it starts to flow, pull it away immediately. This should leave the end of the pin sealed, with no sharp edges, and minimal solder wicked up the center conductor into the dielectric (again, I'm trying to keep the dielectric from melting). I must say that I've never thought of using the gun without the tip, though. Have to give that one a try sometime. 73 Mahlon - N4EEE -------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 15:48:36 -0500 Reply-To: SWGibson@worldnet.att.net Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU From: "Stephen Gibson" To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Soldering coax connectors Do any of you with soldering expertise have any hints for someone who is having trouble getting the solder to adhere to the braid thru the teensy hole in the PL-259 - that's me. I've been doing it for years but it is always a pretty much hit-or-miss operation. I'd like to know how to do it properly before I go to the great ham fest in the sky. Thanks in advance. 72/73 Steve, WB4NBI From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sun Jan 31 14:51:20 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id OAA06025 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 14:51:18 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:4692 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <54051-13520>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 14:45:27 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1927 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53585-18388>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 14:33:10 -0500 Received: from relay02.netaddress.usa.net (relay02.netaddress.usa.net [204.68.24.182]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with SMTP id OAA144682 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 14:33:09 -0500 Received: (qmail 19677 invoked from network); 31 Jan 1999 19:33:07 -0000 Received: from nw176.netaddress.usa.net (204.68.24.76) by outbound.netaddress.usa.net with SMTP; 31 Jan 1999 19:33:07 -0000 Received: (qmail 14982 invoked by uid 60001); 31 Jan 1999 19:33:07 -0000 Received: from 206.100.236.179 by www.netaddress.com via web-mailer(3.1) on Sun Jan 31 19:33:07 GMT 1999 Message-Id: <19990131193307.14981.qmail@nw176.netaddress.usa.net> Date: 31 Jan 99 14:33:07 EST Reply-To: wa4dou@usa.net Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: Roy Lincoln To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: [Re: Soldering coax connectors] Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Hi All, I've noted with interest, and some amusement, the various comments regarding the installation of PL-259 connectors. It brings to mind the "Hints and Kinks" article of some years ago, in which hams described various methods of doing the job, some of which were quite complex and quite convoluted. The proper installation of PL-259 connectors is not difficult but it does require some skill which only doing will bring. By far the best method i read about here is the one that Don Allen W9CW described. Don and i would disagree about the need to remove the flux on the braid but i do remove the flux from the center conductor of the connector, after soldering. The use of the tubing cutter to cut the tinned braid is a class act and i recommend it also. There are those who stated that a Weller 100/140 watt dual heat gun was inadaquate for the job. They are incorrect in this assessment. I've used not only my 100/140 but also my 250/330 watter as well and found little to recommend the higher wattage one.(I will however recommend to everyone, that Weller is the only manufacturer of soldering guns worth their salt) I've used Wens, Craftsmans, and others. I was not impressed. I've found it unnecessary to tin the center conductor before soldering it. I do not use nor like foam dielectric cable. The loss characteristics simply aren't better than poly dielectric cable, by a factor sufficiently great, to warrent putting up with the agrivation of foam that evaporates when subjected to some heat, and the center conductor will frequently migrate into the braid when the cable is subjected to bends, and sometimes just the heat from the sun. I've probably installed 1000 or more of these connectors in the past 30+ years. I don't remember having more than 5 to require removal and replacement after cooldown because of being shorted and 3 or 4 of them were attributable to foam dielectric coax. The dimensions suggested for cutting braid, jacket, center conductor, etc. are given so that anyone can do the job, without experience. With experience comes the intuitive feel for proper dimensions without measuring. It isn't rocket science and doesn't require a great deal of precision. Number one(1) is using enough heat to get in, get it done and get out, in a relatively short period of time. I prefer to let the connector cool on its own rather than risk any means of rapid cooling that depends on water, moisture,etc. PL-259 connectors are not weatherproof. They require sealing. The type "N" connector and BNC's have "seals" which are supposed to prevent weather from entering them .However they often do not work properly and i've never developed any trust in them. I seal all connectors when used outdoors. Sealing connectors is a topic which could be discussed at length, in and of itself. I have very little experience using "torches". I once bought a small one from Radio Shack that used small cylinders of butane(i think). It worked but the seal didn't and the cylinder always leaked out before the next use. I understand that they've come out now with torches that use disposable lighters and some that you recharge with butane fuel. I've heard good reports. A thinking person seeks techniques that get good results and keeps an open mind and varies his techniques in an effort to continuously upgrade and improve his skill and results. A forum such as we have is a valuable method of learning other techniques to try and from other peoples experience. I ,for one, appreciate it. BTW, earlier today i received an e-mail from a guy who suggested that he had some rather "ratty" looking coax of probably 30 years age, or more. The braid was corroded and he said it still met specs. I found it stretched my ability to believe to the breaking point, but i wished him my blessings in his use of it. However ,at WA4DOU, coax gets tossed every few years.:o) 73 to all Roy ____________________________________________________________________ Get free e-mail and a permanent address at http://www.netaddress.com/?N=1 From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Sun Jan 31 20:27:45 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id UAA16672 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 20:27:43 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:3695 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <54316-24786>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 20:24:48 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1222 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <54258-13520>; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 20:19:56 -0500 Received: from x3.boston.juno.com (x3.boston.juno.com [205.231.100.22]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id UAA161608 for ; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 20:19:55 -0500 Received: (from wb2vuo@juno.com) by x3.boston.juno.com (queuemail) id D2B7UW63; Sun, 31 Jan 1999 20:19:53 EST Message-Id: <19990201.011743.5087.2.wb2vuo@juno.com> Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 20:19:53 EST Reply-To: wb2vuo@juno.com Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: wb2vuo@juno.com To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: Re: Soldering Coax Connectors References: <19990131.142034.-70923.0.sigcom@juno.com> X-To: sigcom@juno.com, qrp-l@lehigh.edu X-Mailer: Juno 1.49 X-Juno-Line-Breaks: 0-1,4-5,9-10,15-16,18-23 X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Hi Steve. I am sending this to the List, too... As for using the tip nuts pressed against the body of the connector, I would have to dig up the original article, but I saw in the ARRL "Hints & Kinks" book about 20 years ago. What you do is run the full current through the connector, and the highest resistance in the "line" heats up first, this being the braid and adapter. The whole shell gets VERY hot and the solder flows nicely into all the nooks and crannies. I still need to remove the cad-plate on the cheap connectors. I use a Dremel Moto-tool with a Scotchbrite (tm) wheel that I cut from a pad. I attach it to the sanding disk mandrel and it takes the plating off in a couple of quick passes. I wear a dust & fume mask as cadnium is not good to breathe or ingest. Tinning the connector is not needed with this method as lond as the plating is removed to shiny brass. 72/73, Keith, WB2VUO, 100% QRP from the Depths of the Great Bergen Swamp. Trustee, B/BAMS club station and the NQ2RP/B 10 Mtr QRPp beacon "My night light runs more power than my Rig!!!" ___________________________________________________________________ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866] From owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Mon Feb 1 07:52:10 1999 Received: from fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU (fidoii.CC.lehigh.EDU [128.180.1.4]) by oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id HAA19948 for ; Mon, 1 Feb 1999 07:52:09 -0500 (EST) Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1]:3143 "HELO Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with SMTP id <53742-27124>; Mon, 1 Feb 1999 07:48:15 -0500 Received: from nss4.CC.Lehigh.EDU ([128.180.1.13]:1396 "EHLO nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU" ident: "IDENT-NOT-QUERIED") by fidoii.cc.Lehigh.EDU with ESMTP id <53663-42488>; Mon, 1 Feb 1999 07:47:11 -0500 Received: from NE.3Com.COM (gilligan.synnet.com [158.101.96.253]) by nss4.cc.Lehigh.EDU (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id HAA99858 for ; Mon, 1 Feb 1999 07:47:10 -0500 Received: from usboxmta.ne.3com.com (usboxmta [158.101.96.105]) by NE.3Com.COM (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id HAA05191 for ; Mon, 1 Feb 1999 07:36:39 -0500 (EST) Received: by usboxmta.ne.3com.com(Lotus SMTP MTA v4.6.2 (693.3 8-11-1998)) id 8525670B.00477268 ; Mon, 1 Feb 1999 08:00:23 -0500 Message-Id: <8525670B.004771C4.00@usboxmta.ne.3com.com> Date: Mon, 1 Feb 1999 07:51:12 -0500 Reply-To: Peter_Simpson@ne.3com.com Sender: owner-qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU Precedence: bulk From: Peter_Simpson@ne.3com.com To: "Low Power Amateur Radio Discussion" Subject: soldering coax connectors Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline X-To: qrp-l@lehigh.edu X-Lotus-FromDomain: 3COM X-Orcpt: rfc822;qrp-l@fidoii.CC.Lehigh.EDU X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 beta -- ListProcessor(tm) by CREN Status: RO Silver-plated teflon is the only way to go! I finally perfected my technique this year. I would add that there is some coax that is unsolderable, due to the low melting point of the foam dielectric, which then comes through the braid, making a gooey, unsolderable mess. I think it was older Tandy stuff. I threw it out. Tinning the braid is the key. Go easy, just enough solder to stick the wires together. Too much means you won't be able to get it into the connector. And make sure to screw those internal threads on the PL-259 onto the jacket of the coax. That makes a dandy strain relief/seal! Now, can anyone help me figure out how to do a neat job on the RG-58 reducer? If I solder the braid to the reducer, it's too thick to thread into the plug. If I put the reducer/braid in without soldering, it all bunches up as I screw it in. Too little braid and not much space between the reducer and the PL-259 seems to be the problem. I tend to bail out, and crimp a BNC onto the RG-58, then use an adapter :-) Oh, and when you're buying SO-239s? Make sure you buy good ones. I have been replacing the cheap ones Heathkit used because they no longer grip the center pin. 72, Peter, KA1AXY