Hi Paul.

28-May-04 21:18:04, Paul Westell wrote to All


 PW> Are we having fun yet?


 PW> Most designs I have seen so far suggest an "N" connector and a few
 PW> use BNC. "N" fittings are not available locally except by special
 PW> order, and I judged BNC to be too prone to deterioration from the
 PW> pervasive moisture through much of the year,

AFAIK BNC connectors are designed for indoor use only.

 PW> The only threaded fitting easily available here for 50 ohm cable was
 PW> a "PL 255"

"PL 259"?

 PW> (is this a "P" type connector?) as is used on CB and VHF
 PW> radios.

"UHF" ?

 PW> When I converted to the "PL 255" from the "F"
connector, I seem to
 PW> have lost about half my signal strength

Were you using a signal strength meter or are you judging by the
throughput?

AFAIIK F connecctors are designed for 75 ohm TV antennas and don't work
well in 50 ohn setups.

 PW> Is this indeed the cause, or am I just contending with the
 PW> overabundance of maple leaves that appeared with spring.

could be the leaves.

 PW> Will BNC connections be any better?

 if you use the RG58 version (designed for 50 ohms) is could make a
 difference...

there's also sometiong called TNC which appears to be like BNC but with a
threaded shroud instead of the bayonet clip.

 PW> How much risk do I run of
 PW> damaging the transmitter if I return to using 75 ohm connectors

little risk AFAICT, but they will cause reflections whhich will distort the
signals.

 PW> Any thoughts?

get some amalgamating weatherproofing tape if you haven't already, in use
it's a strip of a rubbery substance that can be stretched (about 10 times)
and wound around the connection it's not adhesize coated, but sticks to
itself to form a very good seal.

1000 times better than insulating tape.

you've got a harsh environmnet there, freezing temperatures and salt spray.
a liberal coating of penetrol (or other non-metallic anti-corrosioan paint)
may help maintain the perfoprmance of the antenna,

any cardboard parts etc could also be treated with polyester resin (like
is used for fibreglass)

 -=> Bye <=-

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