coax cable?

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tapermark
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coax cable?

Post by tapermark »

I received my coax cable with connectors. I guess I assumed it would come assembled. My question is how do I put the connectors on? It has a scrap metal pin and silver connector. Do I need to solder this? I have no idea how to do this.
tapermark
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Post by tapermark »

I'm still looking for guidence on this matter.
anon
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Post by anon »

Hi tapermark-

I'm not sure what kind of coax connector you have (there are many different types) but here is a link to a page that has instructions for both the crimp type and the solder type - you can look at both and see which set of instructions looks right. By the way, these instructions are for BNC type connectors:

http://www.clarkwc.com/TechnicalBNC2.htm

And here's a page (careful, it's a PDF!) that has instructions for a type N connector:

http://www.amphenolrf.com/products/Asse ... /typen.pdf

Good luck and post a followup if these instructions don't help. Also, I'd like to point out that I got these links of of the very excellent www.epanorama.net (link to coax info) website which I highly recommend when you have trouble with any sort of electronics project.
tapermark
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Post by tapermark »

Well thanks for the links. Man that stuff is way over my head. I received the type N connectors. I can't believe they don't assemble the cable for you when you order a complete setup. I just don't feel comfortable doing soldering. I don't even get the instructions. :cry:
anon
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Post by anon »

I'm not sure where in the world you live but there's a good chance that you could find an amature radio tech to help you out. If you're in the US, try searching on the ARRL site for a club near you and contact them. You might also try asking around at electronics stores, especially places that repair electronics - someone there might be able to do it for you. Sometimes, if your lucky, even your local Radioshack might have a HAM or two working there who can help you out.

To hopefully alleviate some frustration, I'd just like to point out that when you buy cable and ends separately, the company who sold them to you is usually doing you a favor. In radio, you always want to use the shortest length of coax possible so the idea is to cut the coax to the minimum length you need and then attach the ends. That way, your getting the strongest signal possible to your antenna and you get some left over coax in case you need to use it later for repairs or more equipment.

If all else fails, you can buy an adapter (type N to type F for example) and use type F connectors (your regular cable TV style coax connector) which you can buy at Radioshack for a couple bucks and which are really easy to put on - no soldering required! You would then just attach the N to F adapters to each end of the cable. Take a look at this page, item 26-8020 for an example of the kind of adapter I'm talking about. Let me know if this isn't clear enough. Good luck!
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