Project25_MASTR
Millennial Graying OBT Guy
And Motorola has not used them for the last 30 years.
PL-259 connectors.
- Thread starter Tech21
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And Motorola has not used them for the last 30 years.
actually we used them in Corporate R & D during the last 30 years.
138BG
Member
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- Jul 10, 2019
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- 46
Any type of connector can be installed poorly by someone who hasn't bothered to learn how or obtain the correct equipment for proper installation. Why blame the connector? I'd be happy to have a dime for every PL-259 in use around the globe and working just fine.
Yea I do wish for a wholesale move to N connectors.
prcguy
Member
Motorola has used PL-259s at UHF not that far back and still maybe doing it. The older T-1500 series UHF duplexer had an SO-239 type T adapter then five PL-259 connectors in the transmit path and five in the receive path and up to six if the repeater transmitter and receiver had SO-239s. There was a later version of the T-1500 supplied with many Quantars up until the last ones were sold that reduced the number of PL-259s but the antenna port, transmit and receive port still than them and to 512MHz.
A good quality PL-259 is fine through UHF and if you start swapping them out for N types at a lower frequency you have way too much time on your hands as there will be no on air benefit. I've measured countless PL-259/SO-239 junctions with vector network analyzers and there is nothing to be concerned with through UHF.
A good quality PL-259 is fine through UHF and if you start swapping them out for N types at a lower frequency you have way too much time on your hands as there will be no on air benefit. I've measured countless PL-259/SO-239 junctions with vector network analyzers and there is nothing to be concerned with through UHF.
Yeah--when I worked in Motorola's corporate R & D, we used PL-259 through the 800MHz range with no problems and they were certainly a lot easier to assemble than "N" connectors!
prcguy
Member
On the N connector being difficult to assemble, modern crimp types are super easy if you have the proper stripper and crimpers. For about $2.50 you can get a very good quality silver plated gold pin N crimp connector and you only have to solder the center pin. The strippers will do all the hard work and set you up for a perfect install.
For LMR type cables I highly recommend the Times EZ N connectors. There is no center pin to worry about and only takes about a minute to put on a connector and it will sweep perfect to at least 6GHz. The EZ connectors can run about $25 new but I buy them new surplus on Ebay for about $8 average, sometimes as low as $6 in quantity. When I'm in the field and have to install N connectors on LMR400, 500 and 600 it used to take me about 10 minutes to install a connector that will sweep ok at 6GHz using regular hand tools. Sometimes it doesn't pass the sweep test and I have to cut it off and start over. Multiply that by 24 or more connectors on a job site and that time adds up fast. So if it took me 4 hours or more to install 24 regular connectors in the past now I can easily do that in less than 30 minutes and get better connections that all pass spec and zero rejects. The EZ connectors are well worth the full price tag if you figure in the labor savings.
For LMR type cables I highly recommend the Times EZ N connectors. There is no center pin to worry about and only takes about a minute to put on a connector and it will sweep perfect to at least 6GHz. The EZ connectors can run about $25 new but I buy them new surplus on Ebay for about $8 average, sometimes as low as $6 in quantity. When I'm in the field and have to install N connectors on LMR400, 500 and 600 it used to take me about 10 minutes to install a connector that will sweep ok at 6GHz using regular hand tools. Sometimes it doesn't pass the sweep test and I have to cut it off and start over. Multiply that by 24 or more connectors on a job site and that time adds up fast. So if it took me 4 hours or more to install 24 regular connectors in the past now I can easily do that in less than 30 minutes and get better connections that all pass spec and zero rejects. The EZ connectors are well worth the full price tag if you figure in the labor savings.
I absolutely loathe the PL-259. I bought a Kenwood NX5700 and was shocked when I took it out of the box and it had an SO-239 and equal length power leads with fuses on both negative and positive leads. It screamed ham. I didn't keep it long. All of my equipment has N-type, even HF. As a matter of convenience, I make my BALUNs with N-type and I don't have to waterproof the junction as the N is waterproof by nature. I take the connection apart every week during the Summer when I mow and it is sparkling bright. The PL-259s that I had seen in use are all corroded inside. The banana plug was phased out decades ago. I hate them. Also, working in the commercial side certainly made me hate the UHF connectors more.
I want more N connections, too. They are not that difficult to do well, I think easier than PL-259s are. (The Senior Chief in my shop, at my last active duty base, checked our connectors by tug of war.)Either you've never had to assemble one, or you're a glutton for punishment!
I like that fact that you can temporarily join an N-Type male to a TNC or BNC female just by pushing it on as they are all in the "N" family. I do this all the time when testing or aligning equipment. Can't do that with a PL-259.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Well now, let us not under estimate crappy install shops:
Our PD has a 'crime prevention' van they use for different things. It has a VHF and 800MHz radio. I was taking a look at the install when it arrived, just sort of doing my usual checks….
Some meathead installer at the upfitter shop didn't have an N connector for the 800MHz radio, so Mr. Meathead short soldered the center pin of the PL-259 so it would slide over the female N center pin.
Of course they denied it, even though I had photos. Never gave that shop any more work after that. "And I would have got away with it, too, if it wasn't for you pesky customers!"
Ya gotta appreciate how often the McGyver technique is used successfully, though.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Yeah, kind of hard to be mad at them, sheer balls/brilliance. I suspect they'd done it many times before and wonder how many vehicles are out there with this same setup.
jhooten
Member
What, no mention of the Motorola Mini UHF?
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ
I like the mini-UHF better than PL-259. I would rather have a TNC or BNC connector than mini-UHF. TNC if I have to connect/disconnect more than twice, BNC if it's staying put, until its replaced.
wowologist
Certifiable
sacks of pure sax; silvered nickel, gold pin, delrin N's ....for 0.405 ....Merry Christmas, happy holiday's to all and to all a 5/9+40
to all and to all a 5/9+40
to all and to all a 5/9+40
majoco
Stirrer
I don't see it in the PL-259's that you seem to use in the US. Here we have 2 PL259's, one for RG8 and a similar one for RG58, in fact the RG58 is the same as the RG8 except it has a screw-in reducer. Don't forget to put the sleeve over the cable before you start. The inside of the cable end of the plug has a coarse thread, you cut the outer plastic back about one inch and slide it off, then undo the braid and fold it back over the outer. Cut the centre insulator carefully about 1/4" forwards of the braided section so as to expose the centre. Now insert the centre through and out of the pin and when the braid meets the end of the threaded portion, start turning. The outer braid is just the right size to be threaded through the coarse thread - it's quite tight. When it gets too tight, the centre insulator has come to the end of the inner - stop now. No soldering required. Cut the centre close to the end of the pin and solder. Trim the braid off close to the body. Done. If you want to be picky, you can shrink a sleeve over the very last bit of exposed braid.
Attachments
prcguy
Member
When you unscrew and separate the two parts of your RG8 connector is there a series of holes in the body that allows you to see the dielectric when fully assembled? If so that is the same connector we use here on the right side up side of the planet and those were never intended to screw onto the braid. The holes are for soldering the braid to the connector body for a positive and permanent connection. I have assembled as you described for a temporary non critical use but would never do that for a long term permanent installation. The contact area for the braid and connector would be subject to movement and changes in contact pressure as the cable heats and cools, etc. I have taken down a few old antennas where someone has assembled a connector as you describe and the braid was green and corroded at the threaded portion of the connector.
jhooten
Member
Reducers:
UG-175 for RG-58 sized (.195") cables
UG-176 for RG-59 or LMR240 Sized (.240") cables
pcrguy
The only time I don't solder is when installing on a cable (RG-59) with the braid made of aluminum that won't take solder well.
Now I'll date myself, I have installed CCTV stuff in the (distant) past that used UHF connectors instead of BNC. Hams aren't the only ones.
Project 25_MASTR
Good to see I'm not the only one to put an N on a CB.
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