[bars] PL-259 crimping expert?

Wed Jan 15 16:19:19 EST 2020

I think I'll add a couple of related things to the topic -- one can be used
with crimps or solder and the other with soldered braids.

1. After years of frustration with nicked braids whilst using a jack knife
or razor blade, I bought a cable stripper at a hamfest, and it's great!
Mine is branded by Xcelite but also has a Cooper Tools logo.It's made in
Sweden.  It can cut cables from 0.178" to 1.57" and it's wicked easy to
use.  You can also cut the jacket away from the cut around the cable to get
the jacket off much easier.  I forget what I paid for it but the model
number is CJS200..  There are replacement blades on Amazon for $26 but no
new units, so it may have been discontinued.  There are similar tools there
for $12 - $72, with the higher-priced ones being closest to what I have.  I
may have got this at Deerfield some time ago, so check with the tool
vendors.

2.  The biggest bugaboo encountered with soldered PL-259 connectors is
getting connection to the braid.  Chuck, K1KW, taught me a technique that
makes it easier.  Use flux on the braid and tin the entire braid before
trimming it!  You can then trim it to exact length with -- wait for it! --
a TUBING CUTTER!  After trimming, screw the coax into a SILVER-PLATED
PL-259 body and use a 150+ W iron or a Bernz-O-Matic torch to heat the
connector quickly. Flow the solder through all 4 holes and use a wet rag or
sponge to cool quickly.  You can THEN solder the centre conductor.

Scotch 88 electrical tape can be wrapped around the whole thing when it's
connected together outdoors, followed by some Coax Seal.  I've had
connections last over 20 years with this setup, with no water contamination.

73,

Steve Wedge, W1ES/4

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.

On Wed, Jan 15, 2020 at 12:02 PM Marla A. Wallace <wa1gsf at comcast.net>
wrote:

> Giving credit where it is due (sorry, Tom)...
>
> Would you be willing to have your write-up published in the BARS
> newsletter?  If you can supply a picture or two, that would be great,
> otherwise I can just publish from your email.
>
> Me ke aloha
> -- Marla
>
>
> On January 15, 2020, at 02:03, thomas at kashuba.com wrote:
>
>
> Here's are my less experienced thoughts about crimping vs. soldering.
>
> Executive Summary:
> From my limited but painfully inquisitive experience, I find crimping
> beats soldering for most of my cable needs. I find crimped connections
> (when properly executed) are stronger and longer lasting than soldering.
> They also avoid the pitfalls of overheating the jacket/sheaths/conductors
> which can melt/short them and/or cause the brittling of conductors which
> fosters a breakdown of conductivity when the cable is flexed.
>
> Details:
> I am a recent convert to crimping.  Having had years of light to moderate
> soldering (not without issues), it was with fear and trepidation over the
> vagaries of cable diameters, jacket/sheath types/composition, as well as
> the its strange tools that I bit the bullet and picked up the fairly
> popular QuickSilver Radio crimp kit.  The most complete "Ultimate" kit runs
> about $129, less with coupons or sales.  It is similar to the other
> products from the big stores.  See QSR reference at bottom.
>
> Most crimp kits I found consist of two main tools: One more of cable
> strippers and crimpers.
>
> Strippers:
> My research finds these fall into 2 popular types.
> 1. Handle with bladed orifice that you pass the cable through, then spin
> to cut. QSR's is like that.
> 2. Cylindrical body you open and close over cable then twist. I think
> DXE's is like that, no?
>
> Crimpers:
> Seems there's only one major style as crimpers have been around a long
> time and matured.
> They usually are naught more than pliers with a jaw that holds a "die"
> which is usually changeable to fit different cable diameters and types.
> The two halves of the die usually form a hexagon which, I  believe, allows
> for better material compression and also gives indention points to maximize
> contact on the 6 flat sides.
>
> I only chose the QSR "Ultimate" kit because it had 2 die sets, each has
> multiple openings. Together they cover all major cable sizes. The kit also
> covers Anderson Power Poles plus a few other doodads.
>
> After some study, experimentation and practice, I found that, for me,
> crimping is as good or better than soldering for the reasons stated
> herein.  Although soldering has that innate hot flowing metal "must be
> working" feeling, crimping, when properly executed, almost guarantees a
> solid connection.
>
> Re outdoor use: I don't subscribe much to the argument that soldering is
> better. My fledgling logic tells me a solder joint can brittlize at low
> temperatures as much as anything else.  To be fair, crimps may also be
> subject to expansion in very cold temperatures.  However, a good crimp
> greatly compresses the material under it which also will expand thereby
> reducing the tendency to separate.  I only have a few crimped connections
> outdoors that have lived through 2 years off NE winters and haven't had any
> discontinuities nor signal degradation as witnessed by no discernible
> change is SWR. Lest us not forget that a proper connection, crimped or
> soldered, should have a very complete wrapping and sealing that will keep
> the elements out of it.
>
> Some Crimp Pros:
> 1.Solderless: Well, not quite. Most crimp methods require soldering the
> center pin which is very easy.  It is the avoidance of soldering the
> problematic and inconsistent outer braid that gives crimping an advantage.
> 2. Contact: A good crimp makes a very hard and broad contact between the
> mating pieces that is much stronger than a soldered mating because it
> compresses a large section of the materials. Soldering makes a great
> connection but typically only on a smaller section(s) of the braiding
> material which can be quite inconsistent.
> 2. Temperature: Crimping does not involve heating so it avoids melting and
> brittling of the materials.
>
> Some Crimp Cons:
> 1. You need very specific tool sizes to properly crimp a given cable size.
> 2. Requires some practice and skill to properly execute a good crimp.
> 3. Like soldering, it is paramount you properly undress the cable. In
> particular, to carefully and completely expose and dress the outer
> conductor in order to maximize the connection's surface area.
> 4. Still not solderless. The most common crimping methods only crimp the
> out conductor and use soldering for the center conductor.  I find this is a
> great trade-off since soldering the center conductor is VERY easy.
> Soldering the outer jacket is what's difficult and problematic.
>
> Hope that helps
> Tom Kashuba / KT1TK
>
> = = = = = = = =
> References:
> QuickSilver Radio Ultimate Crimp Kit:
> https://www.qsradio.com/index.html#!/Ultimate-Crimp-Kit%E2%84%A2/p/50841103
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Re: [bars] PL-259 crimping expert?
> From: Leandra MacLennan <leandra at leandramac.com>
> Date: Tue, January 14, 2020 7:08 pm
> To: Paul Pellegrini <k1vk at yahoo.com>
> Cc: Andy Wallace <soldersmoke01 at gmail.com>, "bars at w1hh.org"
> <bars at w1hh.org>
>
> I’ve purchased PL-259/PL-259-RG-58 cable assemblies from DX Engineering
> (yes, I’ve been lazy) which use crimp connectors. They look rugged. I have
> not used them outdoors for an extended period. I did use these DX
> Engineering cables outdoors for two weekends for the 2018 and 2019
> Sweepstakes contests and they worked fine. The cables were hanging,
> suspending their own weight, just from the PL-259 connector fastened to my
> off-center fed wire antennas. (For 2019 I got the antenna 30 feet in the
> air.) The cables still look brand-new.
>
> -Leandra
>
> On Jan 14, 2020, at 6:04 PM, Paul Pellegrini via bars <bars at w1hh.org>
> wrote:
>
> Andy –
> I’ve gone exclusively to crimp connections but only for inside the house
> coax runs.  I still use soldered connections outside because of
> reliability concerns in our New England weather.  Soldering a connection
> is much more time consuming and has a chance of not making a good
> electrical contact.  I always test soldered connections with an ohm meter
> to make sure there is dc continuity.  I also like to test with rf.  I do
> that by putting a dummy load on one end and then applying reasonable rf on
> the other end (usually 10W).
> Another thing about soldering rf connectors is that you need a really
> beefy soldering iron.  I have a Weller 250W gun for soldering the ground
> side of the PL259 connectors.  It works well.  My 100W Weller gun is not
> effective for the ground side.
> I have 2 crimping tools.  One is for small diameter crimps such as RG58
> and RG8X.  The second one for larger diameter RG213 and LMR400.  I got my
> tools from ebay a few years ago and can’t recall the manufacturer.   The
> connectors I buy have gold plated center conductors.  They are a bit more
> expensive.
> I’d be interested in hearing from members about their experience with
> using crimp connectors outside in the weather.
>
> 73 de K1VK
> Paul
>
>
> On Tuesday, January 14, 2020, 01:54:29 PM EST, Andy Wallace <
> soldersmoke01 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> I am wondering who in our club is an expert at coax terminations. I have
> somdered cables up till now but perhaps crimping technology has gotten
> better.
>
> Who has found good reliability with crimps? Are they OK for outdoors? How
> about connector sources (name brand is best?) and crimping kits (I see HRO
> has a kit of tools for $90)?
>
> I presume there are other crimp connections (BNC, N) which also apply.
>
> This might even be a good blurb for our newsletter (hint) but right know I
> would like to know if I can save time making jumpers around the shack.
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Andy
> KA1GTT
>
>
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