Ham Radio . Magnum Experimentum
Antennas, experiments, engineering and other articles of interest to radio folks.
RF Connectors are an important part of Amateur Radio and we discuss them here.
You would think the world of RF connectors of the pedigree of the “N” would rigorously follow the dictates of the standards that define them. Thankfully most do, but exceptions arise and here is one such example of why it pays to “trust, but verify.”
Cutaway examinations, mathematical calculations, VNA measurements and proposed compensation techniques round out a nice article by W0QE about the UHF connector.
A savvy ham performs testing on the UHF Connector and compares with BNC and N connectors.
Real measured data reveal the UHF (PL259 and SO239) connectors have real limitations.
Lab tests show post WW2 connector designs perform exceptionally well up to 500 MHz. The SMA, BNC, TNC and N connectors are great.
We pit the PL-259 (and SO-239) against more recent connectors. This is the list of contenders plus a description of the test setup.
The PL259/SO239 (aka UHF) connectors have harsh critics and religious defenders. Questionable measurement techniques complicate matters. Let’s clear things up.