PL259 - Can get center wires through tapered sleeve

[deblen]

If you buy Amphenol brand "PL259" conns,you cant go wrong. High quality,pre-tinned,hard insulator that won't melt when you solder.
The white soft plastic used in cheaper chrome plated conns will melt easily.
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=amphenol+...nb_sb_ss_i_2_8

The industry numbers are:


PL259 Conn-fits directly on RG213 coax 1/2" OD

UG175-bushing for adapting PL259 to RG58 coax (1/4" OD)

UG176-bushing for adapting PL259 to RG 8 coax (Mini 8) (5/16"OD)
SO 239 Coupling for joining 2 PL259,s

[deblen]

I am going to admit to a sin,that will horrify many of you.


As a marine electronic tech. on the East coast of Canada,I had to work year round & outdoors also. When it's January,the temp is zero F (-18C_ or lower & the wind is NW 30kts +,the fishing fleet is in, & they want their gear fixed,so they can go fishing when the wind drops below 25kts. That is just how it is.
Three related important lessons I learned:
First-my hands will stick to steel or aluminum masts at +5F.
Second-I can't solder with gloves on.
Three-there was not a soldering iron on the market that would solder the braid on RG213/PL259,in those conditions,without building a windbreak,etc.


The sin started as a "temporary fix under extreme conditions-a jury rig"


I discovered I could thread the PL259 onto the RG213,if I trimmed about 1/2 the braid strands & folded the braid back over the outer sheath about a 1/2". You couldn't pull the PL259 off,so it was strong.
Then I only had to solder the center,which was no problem with my butane iron.(No power up there)


I experimented with RG58 & RG8.
I found I could trim & fold the braid on them back over the sheath &"screw" /twist the UG175/176 over the braid & sheat & it was very tight.
Again,I only had to solder the center.
I even found ,with RG58,I could just make the center conductor 1/8" longer & fold it back over the outside of the center pin.


All of this worked so well & I could see no difference in VSWR on my Bird.
I would come across one of these solderless conns a cupla yrs down the road & it woul be perfect & test perfect.


I haven't soldered braid since.
I also eliminated "hair wire" shorts,from the braid being soldered inside the conn & a piece dropping off.
No partially melted insulation that destroys VSWR.
Easy to dissassemble,for any reason, & re-use the parts.


Just my humble experience. YMMV


Cheers/ Len

[Bycrick]

The previous post talking about the "soft white plastic" melting just highlights why you should buy name brand PL-259 connectors from trusted sources. The white insulator was supposed to be Teflon which has a higher heat resistance than the brown phenolic insulation. But Teflon is more expensive, so maybe something else white, but cheaper.

Plated metal parts? The good connectors are silver-plated. Cheaper, maybe nickel which doesn’t solder as well. For crimped connectors, the parts all have to be the right size; cheap copies might not be.

But I can’t see why people would look for the lowest prices on connectors. For a VHF radio antenna, you’d need at most 4 connectors plus a barrel fitting. For my last antenna run, there was 100’ of LMR-400UF at about $1/foot. Add 4 connector from Times Microwave, specifically designed to match the cable: under $5 each. Why try and save $10 buying cheap stuff?

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by mikebikeboy

Hi Neil,

It's a twist on connector, and only the tip is to be soldered. It's made by Ancor and the wire I bought is also Ancor.

I'll try twisting the center wires tighter to see if I can get it to git with all strands.

What a concept! A "twist-on" connector that requires soldering! Nice design Ancor!

[deblen]

Originally Posted by mikebikeboy

I bought some Ancor PL259 male plugs and can't seem to get the center wire of the coax through the center sleeve of the plug. For some reason it's tapered and the wires won't come through.

Anyone know how these are supposed to be put together?

I'm using RG8X coax and the connectors are specked for that size. Why is the center pin plug sleeve tapered like that?

Personally,I don't particularly like any of the conns designed to be crimped or soldered & crimped,but they will work OK for awhile,but that's just my experience. They do fill a need for those that wish to try DIY & find soldering difficult.
Here is a link showing How To for some of those Conns.
Cheers/Len
https://marinehowto.com/easy-vhf-terminations/

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by mikebikeboy

Is this the proper one?

https://www.defender.com/product.jsp?id=152997#

Originally Posted by mikebikeboy

I'm all ears if anyone can point me to a good supplier of quality PL259 connectors

Also, wondering about. Previous owner had a female coupler inside the base of the mast but I'm considering running the coax straight from antenna to the radio with no breaks. I'll leave a few feet of extra cable inside the boat, so when taking mast down, I'll snip and then just install another PL259

Is that common or should I just do the female coupler again in the base of mast

I prefer less connections

Yes, that is the right connector but without seeing it the quality is questionable. The best connector is Amphenol - silver plated. There are many cheap connectors on the market that are difficult to solder. The best place to get the right connector is a Ham Radio store. Ham Radio outlet, DX engineering, etc.

I have routed my cable exactly as you described. If the cable has a connector in line it should not be inside the mast. The cable should be routed to a dry place and place high enough to prevent water from dripping on it. If the mast comes down annually a connector at the mast makes sense. Otherwise a continuous cable is best. Although two pl-259s and a barrel connector have insignificant insertion loss a wet, corroded connetor is a different story.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by mikebikeboy

I'm all ears if anyone can point me to a good supplier of quality PL259 connectors

dxengineering.com
theantennafarm.com
rfparts.com

mouser.com - but you need to know exactly what you want
newark.com - same
pasternack.com - lab grade, fantastic service, priced accordingly


Some of those will also crimp the ends in place for you. If you have to fish the cable through holes too small for a connector (and you don't want to drill larger holes) you can have them install just one end.



The thing about PL-259s is that the original solder ones do work well when properly soldered in place by a skilled technician. But they are hard to get right, and the connector design doesn't lend itself to crimp.


The commercial RF world has generally moved to crimp connectors rather than solder and to other types of connectors that perform better than PL-259s.

Also, wondering about. Previous owner had a female coupler inside the base of the mast but I'm considering running the coax straight from antenna to the radio with no breaks. I'll leave a few feet of extra cable inside the boat, so when taking mast down, I'll snip and then just install another PL259

Is that common or should I just do the female coupler again in the base of mast

I would suggest choosing a more waterproof connector for the break at the base of the mast, such as type N (if space doesn't matter) or TNC (somewhat smaller). They are also easier to install.

[stormalong]

Any pl-259 that has a tapered center pin is designed to be crimped. Stay away from them. Crimping the shield works but only if you have the proper crimping tool. It is not hard to solder the right connector. You may need to practice a couple of times but the good connectors can be re-used.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by mikebikeboy

I bought some Ancor PL259 male plugs and can't seem to get the center wire of the coax through the center sleeve of the plug. For some reason it's tapered and the wires won't come through.

Anyone know how these are supposed to be put together?

I'm using RG8X coax and the connectors are specked for that size. Why is the center pin plug sleeve tapered like that?

In the photo the center conductor isn't twisted properly. It should be a compact lay with no wires riding over each other.


The center crimp pin should be barely large enough to accommodate the center conductor.


It is also possible that you have some RG8x that isn't made to specification. The center conductor should be 16 gauge. You can measure by comparing to wire that is known to be 16 gauge or feeling it with a wire stripper that is accurately cut.

[mikebikeboy]

Originally Posted by deblen

I am going to admit to a sin,that will horrify many of you.


As a marine electronic tech. on the East coast of Canada,I had to work year round & outdoors also. When it's January,the temp is zero F (-18C_ or lower & the wind is NW 30kts +,the fishing fleet is in, & they want their gear fixed,so they can go fishing when the wind drops below 25kts. That is just how it is.
Three related important lessons I learned:
First-my hands will stick to steel or aluminum masts at +5F.
Second-I can't solder with gloves on.
Three-there was not a soldering iron on the market that would solder the braid on RG213/PL259,in those conditions,without building a windbreak,etc.


The sin started as a "temporary fix under extreme conditions-a jury rig"


I discovered I could thread the PL259 onto the RG213,if I trimmed about 1/2 the braid strands & folded the braid back over the outer sheath about a 1/2". You couldn't pull the PL259 off,so it was strong.
Then I only had to solder the center,which was no problem with my butane iron.(No power up there)


I experimented with RG58 & RG8.
I found I could trim & fold the braid on them back over the sheath &"screw" /twist the UG175/176 over the braid & sheat & it was very tight.
Again,I only had to solder the center.
I even found ,with RG58,I could just make the center conductor 1/8" longer & fold it back over the outside of the center pin.


All of this worked so well & I could see no difference in VSWR on my Bird.
I would come across one of these solderless conns a cupla yrs down the road & it woul be perfect & test perfect.


I haven't soldered braid since.
I also eliminated "hair wire" shorts,from the braid being soldered inside the conn & a piece dropping off.
No partially melted insulation that destroys VSWR.
Easy to dissassemble,for any reason, & re-use the parts.


Just my humble experience. YMMV


Cheers/ Len

I found this video showing the technique you are talking about. Actually I tried it and it seems good

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPlcT9SXNPs

Originally Posted by deblen

I even found ,with RG58,I could just make the center conductor 1/8" longer & fold it back over the outside of the center pin.

What is the purpose of doing that?

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by deblen

I am going to admit to a sin,that will horrify many of you.


As a marine electronic tech. on the East coast of Canada,I had to work year round & outdoors also. When it's January,the temp is zero F (-18C_ or lower & the wind is NW 30kts +,the fishing fleet is in, & they want their gear fixed,so they can go fishing when the wind drops below 25kts. That is just how it is.
Three related important lessons I learned:
First-my hands will stick to steel or aluminum masts at +5F.
Second-I can't solder with gloves on.
Three-there was not a soldering iron on the market that would solder the braid on RG213/PL259,in those conditions,without building a windbreak,etc.


The sin started as a "temporary fix under extreme conditions-a jury rig"


I discovered I could thread the PL259 onto the RG213,if I trimmed about 1/2 the braid strands & folded the braid back over the outer sheath about a 1/2". You couldn't pull the PL259 off,so it was strong.
Then I only had to solder the center,which was no problem with my butane iron.(No power up there)


I experimented with RG58 & RG8.
I found I could trim & fold the braid on them back over the sheath &"screw" /twist the UG175/176 over the braid & sheat & it was very tight.
Again,I only had to solder the center.
I even found ,with RG58,I could just make the center conductor 1/8" longer & fold it back over the outside of the center pin.


All of this worked so well & I could see no difference in VSWR on my Bird.
I would come across one of these solderless conns a cupla yrs down the road & it woul be perfect & test perfect.


I haven't soldered braid since.
I also eliminated "hair wire" shorts,from the braid being soldered inside the conn & a piece dropping off.
No partially melted insulation that destroys VSWR.
Easy to dissassemble,for any reason, & re-use the parts.


Just my humble experience. YMMV


Cheers/ Len

I'm glad you wrote this. As a ham radio enthusiast with a major interest in antennas, I must have used and re-used PL259's hundreds of times. With RG8 and RG58. When I started the hobby I always soldered. Then after wanting to re-use the connectors several times I just stopped soldering the braid. Makes it easy to clean it up for re-use.



Some coax has teflon dielectric, I believe. If that is the case, it would stand up fine to soldering temperatures. But with the low-loss foam dielectric, soldering the braid, if you heat it too long, does run the risk of creating a near-short condition which could fail later.



On the other hand I have taken apart old connections where the braid was not soldered and seen some braid corrosion, but only in marine conditions.

[mikebikeboy]

Originally Posted by waterman46

On the other hand I have taken apart old connections where the braid was not soldered and seen some braid corrosion, but only in marine conditions.

Add some dielectric grease to the braid help prevent the corrosion, where the connector screws / twists on over it?

[deblen]

Originally Posted by mikebikeboy

I found this video showing the technique you are talking about. Actually I tried it and it seems good

What is the purpose of doing that?

My purpose in not soldering the center on RG58 was usually for temporary connections for test or short term use. It was just an aid in salvaging conns easier.


Thanks for the video. It shows the basic idea that I used,but I use a dull pocket/jacknife instead of nibbling cutters. Dull knife to prevent nicking the wire.

[mikebikeboy]

Originally Posted by deblen

Thanks for the video. It shows the basic idea that I used,but I use a dull pocket/jacknife instead of nibbling cutters. Dull knife to prevent nicking the wire.

Why is this method considered a sin? Not the traditional or something? A "hack" that works, yet always a considered a hack?

[David B]

Originally Posted by mikebikeboy

I bought some Ancor PL259 male plugs and can't seem to get the center wire of the coax through the center sleeve of the plug. For some reason it's tapered and the wires won't come through.

Anyone know how these are supposed to be put together?

I'm using RG8X coax and the connectors are specked for that size. Why is the center pin plug sleeve tapered like that?

That tapered pin looks like it is supposed to be crimped. Only the larger (standard) diameter part of the pin is going to make contact with the SO-239 socket centre.

At the worst, just remove one of two strands from the last part of the pigtail on your 8X, and with a decent sized and very hot iron, you should be able to get the solder flowing by capillary right up to the un-trimmed section without melting the dielectric of the coax of the PL-259.