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Scoobydoo
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Username: Scoobydoo

Post Number: 75
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Saturday, March 04, 2006 - 11:13 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hi everyone, I am making a box to go on my wall which will have N female chassis sytle connectors sticking out of it. I am not exactly sure how to properly solder coax to the back of them. They are type N - female chassis connector in case your not sure what they look like,

Thanks for the help.
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Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808

Post Number: 9414
Registered: 8-2002


Posted on Sunday, March 05, 2006 - 9:33 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Moderator Note!

Picture posted for Scoobydoo.

Lon
Tech808
CEF808
N9CEF
CVC#2
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Hotwire
Senior Member
Username: Hotwire

Post Number: 1014
Registered: 1-2005
Posted on Sunday, March 05, 2006 - 11:20 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I can't tell by the pic. The mount on the right, is that pin sticking out hollow? I think I can see that it is threaded. Usually for soldering it looks like the pin on a PL259. You just solder in the center feed ground the braid presto. I guess you might have a solerless type there. You would need to install a ring connector onto the center feed and use a little nut and lock washer to hold it tight.73
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Scoobydoo
Member
Username: Scoobydoo

Post Number: 76
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Sunday, March 05, 2006 - 1:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

you cant tell from the pic but the one on the right is the back where you would attach the coax, that center pin has a notch in one side of it just like a PL-259 center pin. What I am un-sure of is how to solder the shield to the connector, I thought maybe I could twist the shield up and stick it in a ring connector, solder it to that then attach it to one of the mounting holes with a small bolt. I just want to do this right and do this once and also not cause any TVI problems. Thanks for the help.
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Hollowpoint445
Senior Member
Username: Hollowpoint445

Post Number: 1122
Registered: 6-2004
Posted on Sunday, March 05, 2006 - 3:43 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The insulator is white, so it's probably Teflon which is quite heat resistant. I'd twist the braid together and solder it directly to the panel connector unless you are going to take great pains to make sure your ring terminal has a fantastic connection and always will. It would be a better idea to use a panel mount that is meant to be secured with a nut instead of screws or rivets. Then you could use a ring terminal that fits over the threads of the connector and solder the shield to it. A drop of solder to connect the ring terminal to the panel mount would last a long time.

Are you going to use another panel mount in the box for the incoming coax? If you are, and the box is RF tight, you could just connect the center pins of the panel mounts with a large diameter wire and let the box take care of the ground. A drop of solder to connect each panel mount to the box would be a good idea.

Why N connectors? UHF connectors are good through VHF frequencies without much of a problem. They're certainly adequate for HF.
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Scoobydoo
Member
Username: Scoobydoo

Post Number: 77
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Sunday, March 05, 2006 - 6:26 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The box is made of plastic, it will have 4 n connectors sticking out of the front of it, i doubt its rf tight, does it need to be? What if I soldered the shield to a ring then put it behind one of the machine screws holding the n connector to the box then solder the ring to the connector and screw? Ill try soldering directly to the connector first. Why n connectors? all my antennas are going to have them so With only one antenna not having a n connector (Maco v5/8) I figured I would just use all n connectors. Im going to even put an n connector on my Maco v5/8 when I get it. Im going to be using LMR-400 coax so I figure I might as well use the best connectors too. Thank you very much for your help.
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Hollowpoint445
Senior Member
Username: Hollowpoint445

Post Number: 1123
Registered: 6-2004
Posted on Sunday, March 05, 2006 - 6:54 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yes, you ABSOLUTELY want a metal box so it's RF tight. It would also be a good idea to have separate chambers for each one so there is no leakage between cables, and have the boxes grounded to your station ground.

What exactly are you doing? Just organizing the coax leads coming into your shack? If that's the case then you should consider just using a threshold panel and pass throughs. I know they make pass throughs for UHF connectors, I would assume that they are made for other connectors as well.

Because your antenna has an N connector doesn't mean that your coax has to have one on the radio end. Are you planning on changing the UHF connectors on the back of your CBs to N connectors? "Best" is a relative term when referring to connectors. UHF connectors are the functional equivilent of an N connector at HF frequencies. They really only start to have an impedance bump problem at UHF frequencies.

If you insist on changing to a different connector then why not consider a BNC connector instead? They're more common, easier to deal with, and because they are actually a 50 ohm connector they work well into the UHF spectrum.
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Scoobydoo
Member
Username: Scoobydoo

Post Number: 78
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Sunday, March 05, 2006 - 8:36 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yes, I just wanted a neat way to bring the coax into the room, sounds like more trouble then its worth to make a panel, even if I used a metal box inside on the wall how would I isolate them from each other? Im going to have four antennas, VHF 151-155, UHF 460-470 for my GMRS repeater im building, Discone scanner antenna and lastly the maco V5/8 for 11 meters. What is a threshold panel, could you send me a link to a pic of one? Have no idea what a threshold panel is? The main reason I got hooked on n connectors is they are waterproof, UHF are not, I guess I could goop them up with silicone. Thank you very much for all the help your giving me.
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Hollowpoint445
Senior Member
Username: Hollowpoint445

Post Number: 1124
Registered: 6-2004
Posted on Sunday, March 05, 2006 - 9:31 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sorry - I should have written bulkhead panel. For some reason I confuse the terms bulkhead and threshold.

Basically it's a metal panel that you can use to connect your internal cabling to outside cabling. In your case you could mount feed through connectors on the bulkhead to make things neat and orderly, and also use it as the single point in your grounding system.

I won't post a link as anyone selling such an item would be a direct competitor to Copper. However, I will tell you that Polyphaser would be a good place to look for such an item.
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Scoobydoo
Member
Username: Scoobydoo

Post Number: 79
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Monday, March 06, 2006 - 12:36 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ok, looked around on there website but didnt really see anything I could use. They did have some solid copper bulkhead panels but they were huge, 15x17 inches. Could I just get a small electrical box and mount it on the wall? What could I use to isolate them from each other? Steel Tubing? Thanks for the help.
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Tech291
Moderator
Username: Tech291

Post Number: 376
Registered: 11-2004


Posted on Monday, March 06, 2006 - 7:45 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Scoobydoo,
why not just use the polyphaser's for the feedthrough?


TECH291
CEF#291/CVC#6
KC8ZPJ

*** Tech 833 note ***

Polyphaser DOES make a bulkhead mount version of about all their units for exactly this purpose!
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Scoobydoo
Member
Username: Scoobydoo

Post Number: 80
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Monday, March 06, 2006 - 9:00 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Arent polyphaser's really expensive? The bulkhead mount on there website is Humongus! No way at I cutting a 15x17 inch hole in my wall. Im going to go look at some metal electrical boxes and I may mount some polyphasers in it, If I choose not to use polyphasers, will standard bulkhead feedthrough's work? Thank everyone for the help, I really apprciatte it.
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Scoobydoo
Member
Username: Scoobydoo

Post Number: 81
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Monday, March 06, 2006 - 9:05 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well, after looking at some polyphaser prices, there not too bad, I will buy one for the GMRS repeater since it is so expensive. Where I live we hardly ever get lightning storms, heck, we hardly ever get storms of any kind, lol. Will standard feedthrough bulkhead connectors work ok for everything else? Thanks again everyone for the help on this matter.
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Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833

Post Number: 1255
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Tuesday, March 07, 2006 - 10:37 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

A bulkhead mount Polyphaser is the same size as the ones Copper sells, but instead of the mounting being the way it is on the Copper website, the bracket is 90 degrees from that so you can just drill a hole the size of your coax and mount the Polyphaser right to the wall where the cable goes through it.
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Scoobydoo
Member
Username: Scoobydoo

Post Number: 83
Registered: 8-2005
Posted on Tuesday, March 07, 2006 - 1:56 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I guess I am not looking at the right thing on there website. Could you provide a link or picture? Thanks.
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Tech833
Moderator
Username: Tech833

Post Number: 1262
Registered: 8-2002
Posted on Wednesday, March 08, 2006 - 10:17 am:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sorry, can't put links to websites on this forum anymore. The rules are really tight. You'll find them easily.
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Tech808
Moderator
Username: Tech808

Post Number: 9429
Registered: 8-2002


Posted on Wednesday, March 08, 2006 - 12:54 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post    Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Try doing a GOOGLE (www.google.com) Search for: Coax Bulkhead Mounting Plates

It will bring up:

Results 1 - 10 of about 65,500 for Coax Bulkhead Mounting Plates

Hope this helps,

Lon
Tech808
CEF808
N9CEF
CVC#2

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