2020-01-02 Coax Cable and Crimp-On Connectors

FB comment

Years ago at work (community college) we had an IBM mainframe and the terminals were connected with coax cables. We also had thin Ethernet cabling. I had the proper connectors and thousand foot boxes of coax, and most importantly the proper stripping and crimping tools. I installed hundreds of coaxes, and I was very diligent about doing the connectors correctly. My eyesight was good, but even though every connector I installed was done correctly, there was what I thought a high percentage – maybe 10% – of shorted cables. The solution was to cut off and install a new connector. The usual reason was a tiny wire of the shield had caused the short.

The thin Ethernet cabling had the same problem. So my conclusion was that when it comes to installing crimp-on coax connectors it’s a good idea to let it be done by a factory where the pros use big bench top machines that are specially made for doing the process. The cables are better quality and the cost difference is minimal.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *