SMA/BNC adapter for bcd396xt ?

[Gator596]

Am looking to purchase/build a couple of different antennas and need some opinions.
Should I worry about wearing out the SMA mount on the bcd396xt with frequent antenna changes? If yes, and I go to a SMA to BNC adapter on top of the scanner, will the extra impedance of the adapter cancel out the improvements I was hoping to get with the new antennas?

 

[zz0468]

Should I worry about wearing out the SMA mount on the bcd396xt with frequent antenna changes?

Yes, you should worry. SMA connectors are not well suited for frequent disconnects unless you go to the trouble of using a torque wrench (8 in/lb). And even then, they can be damaged with excessive use.

If yes, and I go to a SMA to BNC adapter on top of the scanner, will the extra impedance of the adapter cancel out the improvements I was hoping to get with the new antennas?

Use the adapter, and ignore the effects. Even a mediocre quality adapter like that has less than a tenth of a db loss below 1000 MHz. You'll never notice the difference, and your SMA connector will thank you.

 

[hvscan]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9530/5.0.0.328 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/105)

If you are running coax to the scanner, I would suggest an SMA to BNC adapter that has a small length of thin coax between the 2 adapters. That will further help to reduce the pressure on the radio's built in SMA connector.

 

[Gator596]

Thanks for the great advice/tips!