I am currently running into a small problem, and am looking for some help. I am buying ~20ft of LMR400 coax cable, but I have no clue how to connect it into my CZE-15A transmitter. From what I understand, the transmitter has a female BNC connector for RF output, but I have no clue how to attach my cable. Can I just strip the cable down to the copper and stick it in the hole(which seems like a bad idea)? or do I need to purchase a male connector such as this one (https://www.rfparts.com/112563.html) and attach the cable to it, and plug it into the female connector?
I think it would be best to buy that adapter. Soldering heavy duty LMR coax directly is a bad idea because it is so thick it will easily break off. You can, however, solder lighter coaxes like RG-8X, RG-58U, etc.
It is much better to buy with ends pre-installed. Almost every time I blew a final, it was because of faulty coaxes. There is enough to worry about when transmitting that you shouldn't be concerned about a cable, so it is better to buy pre-made imo.
You will still have to be careful about that BNC connector. BNC is not a connector type that is made for heavy duty coax. If the coax bends too much near the junction, it may temporarily disconnect the antenna. Those cheap CZE transmitters are not designed for professionals, so they assume that you use lighter duty coax, and thus, include a BNC connector instead of an N or UHF which are much more rugged and tolerant to bending because they actually screw on. The BNC is just a snap in type of connector.
Just be sure that there is not much torque near the connection and you'll be fine.
Another alternative would be LMR-240. This is lighter duty, much thinner and bendable than the LMR-400, but is still very low loss at FM frequencies. They probably make this with a BNC pre-installed. Check on ebay.
Post by HighMountainRadio on May 18, 2018 2:38:33 GMT -6
Hey Nicc !!
I wholeheartedly agree with Ogrevorbis ! While I am not crazy about using a BNC connector as an RF output connector using an RF adapter (BNC Male to SO-239 or Type 'N') depending on whatever connector you order pre-installed onto the cable is an easy way to make the transition. Just be sure to tighten the adapter and coaxial cable connector snugly, while not overtightening it ! Most of these connectors and adapters are made from cheap, lighter metals, the Chinese ones even white metal and cannot withstand high amounts of torque ! How's progress ?
73, Spooky...
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