Having heck with connector ends on 9913

[Texas Mobil 219]

Is there any way to specail little trick to geting the Amphenol end on this 9913. Ive tried two way that i found on the net and each time its messed up.

Any suggestions.

[linx]

Explain more. What's going on bud?

This video is for RG213 but it's just like putting a connector on LMR400, so I imagine it's the same for 9913 since it looks and has the same phsyical size as LMR400.

[youtube]

YOUTUBE_ADMIN

YOUTUBE_ADMIN

[/youtube]


Tell me what's going wrong and I can help.

[lonesome 500]

9913 has just a hair bigger center conductor than 213 or rg8.......sometimes it's tough to start them on

but other than that ... same

[linx]

True.

One thing to follow on those instructions man. He mentions to "tin the center conductor" which is just more or less getting some solder residue on the center wire. After you get it done and you're heating up and filling the tip in with solder, it makes life a lot easier if you coat it litely as he says.

['Doc]

Oh, does that mean you're having fun yet?
Yes, I think it's funny. Mainly cuz I've been there too. The cussing didn't phase the neighbors much, but it sure scared the dogs!
Two areas where you can have lots of 'fun', center conductor and screwing the @#$ connector onto the braid. With the center conductor, just reduce it's diameter enough to fit. If you clip a strand or two it won't make enough difference to matter. But, be sure to 'clean' it up a bit to keep it from deforming or shorting out. As far as screwing that @#$ thing onto the braid... got any pliers? Couple of them? And whatever else you do, don't forget to put that @#$ 'shell' on first, and in the right direction!! (NO, I didn't do that the first time, now just shut up!) Oh, and have 'fun'!
- 'Doc

...and it helps to 'tin' things before 'screwing' around with it.

[pipsqueek]

After I go through all the gyrations of getting them on, I reach for the 100 watt solder gun.
On 213 and International 9086 (9913 type) I find that a quicker hotter solder job will do less heat damage to dielectics than longer soldering with lesser wattage. Those same 6" visegrips that you used to screw the thing on will now make dandy heatsinks to remove exces heat from the finished job.
Pips

[North Texas Mudduck]

only problem with the way he did it it, the braid and center would be to close together for high power
i have seen this setup arch and blow out

instead of wasting a inch of the tip like he did

measure where the center will stick out tip of pl259 about 1/8 inch
then with the braid seperate it back and fold it back over the coax then screw on the 259 then solder the tip on

but everyone has their way
good video

[lonesome 500]

paladin tools.............no muss .no fuss............no quess work

every coax man needs 2......58 and rg8

[Texas Mobil 219]

I agree there North Texas and can relate to Doc. I will be running power and i feel like it will be to close too. Thats was kind of the problem i was seeing.

When i first tried getting the 259 on I layed back the out braid and tried screwing it on and it only went half way in. And i felt like i was going to screw the out side up with pliers. I did it another time and tried to trim the braided side back about 3/16 of an inch. That was a pain and didn't feel or look good either.

Im going for the two pairs of Vise grips and alot of torc today.

Thank for your all's help and suggestion.

219

[lonesome 500]

[Please login or register to view this link]

[Midlander]

He done everything right, but left too much braid on. He should have made the braid a little shorter.

[626]

haha sucks doesnt it.

I screwed up a bunch of connectors before I got it right. I remember the first time... I melted the dielectric. not fun but, I promise that it does get easier. I used a soldering torch to fill in the holes in the connector and tinned the braid before I screwed the connector on.

GUNNY

[Texas Mobil 219]

I go t it in finally. Im pretty inpressed with the performance of the 9913. So far ive been able to pump that signal out about 30 miles. Swrs came in flat and the amp will swing what its suppose to.


Have a great New year

219 Swinging hard in Texas.

[Jb1rd]

One quick question, before long I'm gonna have my shot at putting on connectors when the stuff gets here. I read an article about putting connectors on and the individual had said trim it up as such, and pull the braid back over the coax, then mustard up enough umph to get the end on it, solder the tip and your done. Is this correct or am I missing a step? Will be using lmr 400uf. Thanks Mike

[Texas Mobil 219]

If your going to use a reducer for your connectors then yes. Pull your outside shield back over the reducer. If you useing a 259 connector with out a reducer. You have to trim it . Dont bend the outside shield back. You will never get the connector on.

Ill find the wed site the shows step by step on how to put the end on. Get back with ya tonight

['Doc]

The short answer is to not make it any more difficult than it has to be. Coax comes in a bunch of different physical sizes, the diameters are not all the same. That's just a fact of how they are made. Coax connectors are not all exactly the same size, but because of how they are made they are certainly more 'exacting' than the cable they are designed to fit, that goes for the 'reducers' too. The manufacturers tend to make coax slightly too large rather than slightly too small (I've had lots of trouble because of the 'too big' cable, honestly can't remember ever finding any cable that was too small). And when you think about it, if you squeeze in some 'extra' shielding to make that cable better, there's gotta be some 'give' somewhere, otherwise there just ain't no room in there. An extra 1/1000 of an inch here means there's gonna be 1/1000 of an inch less somewhere else, if you're gonna keep the same diameter cable to be able to use a 'standard' size connector. The diameters of the conductors and of the cable determines the characteristic impedances of that cable which is the whole point of the thing.
Having said that...
There really are some tricks to putting PL-259's on 9913 coax. None of them are easy, and 'dirt' common. And like any 'fudge factor' thingy, there are some draw backs. As long as those draw backs don't do any particular harm, no big deal.
One 'trick' is to make that center conductor slightly smaller than it is, but only to the extent needed to make stuff fit. File, sand, whatever the @#$ thing down till it fit's inside the center pin. The "but" in that is to only reduce it's diameter where it's needed! Once it's soldered, the apparent diameter is going to be as close as it was to start with.
The dialectic (center insulation) is supposed to be there to keep that impedance what it's supposed to be, even inside that '259'. So don't get rid of it. That means doing some 'fine' measuring, can't just 'eye-ball' it (much, anyway).
And getting the body of that '259' to fit can be soooo much fun! I've never seen any 9913 that you could fold the braid back over the jacket and make a connector fit. That doesn't mean that there isn't some somewhere, just that I've never seen any. If you can do that without deforming the cable, good for you! Same for LMR 400 or similar sized cable. So what do you do? How about greasing that part to make getting the connector on easier? Several "but's" with that! A little bit goes a long way. Make sure that 'grease' doesn't 'eat' coax to start with. And remember that you gotta solder that @#$ braid!
One 'trick' that I found works is to hold the cable using sandpaper when screwing on that connector. Not with a pair of pliers holding the cable, but just your hand! Use the pliers on the connector.
And lastly... The connectors go on last! ~After~ you've run that 9913 where it's supposed to go. Unless you've got more 'room' than typical (size of holes, etc.).
- 'Doc

Makes using RG-58 sound a whole lot 'better' idea, don't it??

[Jb1rd]

Well, I was asking the question about the braid based on one person's pictures from my first post. The guy had taken the connector and folded the braid back over the jacket, and somehow managed to get the connector on and finished with no need to solder the barrel holes, soldered the tip. I was wondering if that is what they were talking about doing. Seems like the more I Google soldering them on, I come come across ways that just blow my mind. Earlier this morning I found one where the guy folded the braid back over the jacket, put the connector on. Trimmed all the excess braid, soldered the tip and soldered the braid that was just barely sticking out at the back of the connector. I don't know, it won't be here till Monday and I'm already having a cow, and just looking at the different methods looking for tips to help me along and to hopefully have 4 good connectors is making me pull my hair out and there not even here yet! I'll just read the link that Texas Mobile 219 puts up and stick with that and maybe I'll have some hair left. Maybe I'm just making it complicated, Oh this is making my head hurt. Mike

['Doc]

If it works, it works. Don't waste a lot of good worry on it that can better be spent in getting just one more can of beer in the fridge! Speaking of which... if you happen to have a spare foot or two of that 9913, strip all that extra stuff off of the dialectic and use it for a straw with that beer. Works great!
- 'Doc


(Leave that spiral thingy inside, gives that beer a swirling sort of, foams real good!)

[Jb1rd]

Well, I don't drink anymore doc, but if you want to try something way back when I was running with those professional drinkers Doc, Beef cake as all called him would put a dent just below the mouth of the can. Said it had something to do with the flow as it comes out of the can and made it smoother. I don't know never worked to well on whiskey bottles, so I don't know and if it does and you start going through more, it's not my fault. Mike

[Jb1rd]

Yeah, your right Doc. Just got up from a nap so my mind is a little clearer. I have watched and watched that video posted by linx, and it looks relatively easy after watching it as much as I have and will be watching it again when I go to put a connector on. I see all the other ways after doing a google search, have found some really good ones as well, but it's the things I don't know about or think that I know that are bothering me. It would tickle me to death if the first one I made worked, will it I don't know. I do run power though, so reading about the arc was nice and now knowing to cut the braid back, because I would have never guessed it. So not to question anything to death, if I follow that video and or web link from Texas Mobile 219 that should cover all the bases? Mike

[Texas Mobil 219]

Once you figure it out it pretty simple. One thing tho. get an extra foot or two. Cut a peace off and practice. If you get the double shielded make sure you get all the foul. It will have a tendency to cause a short if you not carefull.

Good luck on the new coax man.

[Jb1rd]

Yeah, it's the double shielded never thought anything about the foil. Thank you, Mike

['Doc]

No idea if there are any made for 9913, but the little 'trimming' doo-hickies for preparing the coax for a connector are worth their weight in gold! Everything trimmed to the proper length with a few twists of the wrist. Usually made for the different 'sizes' of coax, small, medium, etc. No idea what the part number or manufacturer's name is but them things is nice!
- 'Doc

[TwentyTwo-Zero]

Lots of good info in this thread. About the only thing I can add is a little trick I learned/use when it comes to stubborn center conductors. If you heat the center pin of the connector prior to inserting the center conductor it seems to feed in a bit easier when you thread the connector onto the coax. When it cools you will have a nice tight interference fit between the center conductor and the pin. Measure the center conductor prior to putting the connector on so when it is completely threaded on the tip of the center conductor lines up with the lower portion of the tapered end on the pin. Heat the pin just below the taper and the solder will flow nicely down into the tip for a clean, secure connection.

[23SF363]

interesting vid on fittings, i always had a problem working on coax (fittings, etc.)