What to do with Excess Cable? (
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ก.ค. 2024
- Mike, K7MHM, has some extra coax. Watch to learn more.
Subscribe: / davecasler . Ask Dave Playlist: goo.gl/inaQeB. Tip Jar: ke0og.net/tip-jar
Edited by Callum Jakeman
To learn more about me, visit: www.dcasler.com/about/
Tip jar (on my website): www.dcasler.com/tip-jar/ (provides a method to use your credit card via PayPal, Also describes Patreon)
To pose an Ask Dave question: www.dcasler.com/ask-dave/ or www.ke0og.net/ask-dave/
To order the most recent and up-to-date Amateur Extra videos on a thumb drive: dcasler.com/aevids-on-stick/
Theme music is "Sour Tennessee Red," by John Deley and the 41 Players, courtesy TH-cam Music Library.
I use drawings from OpenClipArt.org, including the "walking man"
Technician training videos, see www.ke0og.net/training/
General training videos, see www.ke0og.net/general/
Amateur Extra training videos, see www.ke0og.net/extra/
List of the Ask Dave videos, see dcasler.com/ask-dave/#askdavelist
Thanks to my sweet wife, Loretta, KBØVWW, for both audio and video assistance! (Her website is www.aldea-art.com.)
My primary website: www.dcasler.com
The ham radio part of my website (direct link): www.ke0og.net
My publishing website: www.mtsneffelspress.com, where you can find my fantasy and science fiction books, as well as some local history books I publish for the Ridgway Railroad Museum and the Ouray County Historical Society
My Amazon author page, which lists my print and Kindle books: www.amazon.com/-/e/B00471I0Q4.
I'm often asked what equipment I use to create the videos. The devices include the Panasonic DMC-G7 camera, Panasonic HDC-TM90 video camera, GoPro Hero2 HD camera, Tascam DR-05 audio recorder, Audio-Technica ATR-3350 lapel microphone, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W560 digital camera, the Kodak Zi-8 video camera, my iPhone 5S. Software used: CyberLink PowerDirector 17 on an HP Gaming Pavilion, also using Smoothdraw 4.0.5.0, FastStone Image Viewer 5.3, FastStone Capture 8.0, Audacity 2.1.1, LibreOffice 5.0.4.2, and Ink2Go 1.7.2. You can see how my studio is set up by viewing • Tips for Making Instru... .
Twitter: @dcasler - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
![[TH] VCT Pacific Stage 2 - Week 3 Day 3 // DFM vs PRX | DRX vs TLN](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/il3Twexat3A/mqdefault.jpg)
Depends how much cable - but I try to avoid cutting them short because the most expensive and useless cable is the one that is ALMOST long enough.
Darn! I cut it three times , and it is still too short! ;>)
It's always long enough for the next shortest run or jumpers. I just make each cable for use to length. Coax is a wear item not a lifetime investment. Lots of guys losing a lots of DBs in all those extra feet of coax between expensive rigs and expensive antennas for fear of not being able to reuse one piece of relatively cheap(compared to radios etc.) coax for the rest of their lives. Buy M&P cut to length, the connectors are so much nicer and reusable if you're careful, that'll save you more than not cutting cables to length over a lifetime. Can get a linear to get more wiggles out but you'll never get yer ears back.
Love how you are a very common sense guy!!
It is true that the N-connectors’ lower loss and better VSWR at VHF frequencies and above is of little advantage to most hams.
But, the N-connector is designed to be waterproof, having a gasket set deep inside. For some uses this is an advantage. The quality of construction and smoothness of screwing on the shield is generally better with N-connectors too, FWIW.
But for some hams such as myself, who collect and use surplus military radios, and who collect and use high-quality RF test equipment (HP, etc) the PL259 is almost never used, only the N-connector (and the BNC for lower frequencies). So for those hams it makes sense to standardize on using N-connectors, as I do. It’s alway good to have a box of adapters either way!
Excellent! Thank you for the information.
Wanna bet Dave? I use a Johnson Viking II with a National HRO-5TA1 with ALL the coil sets ever made for it for CW. It was my Novice station, I switched between the two with a furnace relay and used contacts made from tacks on a wooden board to switch antennas. Dipoles, and one 40/15M vertical with a Coke bottle insulated conduit vertical made up my antennas, all hand built with 450 ohm ladder line feeding them all except the vertical, the first piece of coax I ever bought. It was military surplus coax with only the milspec number and impedance marked on it- 62 ohms. Really exciting times for an 22 year old kid. I started with a J-38 key and eventually had a Continental Railroad telegraph bug. Now I am 65, and still enjoy the thrill of a new contact. I'll talk to anyone, Tech or Extra and all between. I do not label anyone, but I get excited when I talk to a Ham that makes some of his own gear! I like your videos, haven't seen much that was new to me, but you might surprise me someday. 73's!
Good to hear about your radio life.
I put up a 15' vertical for a special event station, 3 x 5' aluminium poles insulated from earth with a Newcastle Brown Ale bottle, short coax, variable capacitor with a roller coaster.
Love making stuff, h.f. ssb/cw 5 Watt tcvr, 2 Watt one valve xtal tx, resistive type SWR meter, repaired a 1944 era Wireless 19 Set running 2 Watts, a Pixie on 5.262 MHz plus other gear.
Bought an ex-army key when I was about 15 and knew no Morse, I just wanted one, it's what I use now for 40+ years, mainly use cw. Licensed aged 19 and now 67.
G4GHB
Great video as always! 👍👍👍
Thank you.
Some of the radios I have are about as old as that manual. N0QFT
Thanks Dave!
I find it incredible that some hams don't have the ability to put connectors on Co-ax cables and prefer to buy them ready made! In the 50 years I have been a radio amateur, I have never bought ready made co-ax cables or wire antennas for that matter.
Seems to me that many hams have lost the interest in doing home construction (and I don't mean building kits either). Having at least a basic skill in soldering, fitting connectors, etc should be something which all amateurs should be able to do.
I agree with you on making everything yourself. Too much "off the shelf" today. Designing your radio, accessories, and antennas used to be the Radio Amateur's enjoyment. I can proudly say "I built that myself" either from a kit or from a schematic for more than 3/4 of my shack. I refurbished a set of Drake Twins I got for $100 with the T4XB/R4B/ MS-4 with all the necessary crystals to cover continuously from 1.7Mhz to 30MHz. Yes, it is a hybrid radio, but very reliable now and enjoyable. The tuner is a Heathkit SA- 2030, and the coax is RG-6 which works well with supplies and I put the PL-259's on myself with the RG-8X rescuers. I have about 4,000 feet of RG-6 as I used to install satellite TV for Dish and Direct and some C band outfits. I have dipoles, loops and a Rhombic on 5 acres, all handbuilt. Not boasting, but saying you can build anything and hang it in the air. I do have commercial made radios I have converted to different bands, and a lone Yaesu FT-625 RD that got me across the pond into Wales from a simple dipole and an 811A linear I built from a 73 magazine article. This goes to show that you can repair, repurpose, and construct anything for Ham Radio. I've been licensed since 1979 (then a novice) and have had a grand time of fun doing everything. Buying off the shelf just wasn't for me. Part of the excitement was building the gear! Can't beat that!
I've never bought aerials or ready made coax cable either. I've dipoles for 20m to 10m, inverted vee for 60m and a 4 element collinear for 2m. Built my 5 Watt ssb/cw tcvr, one valve xtal tx, repaired a Wireless 19 Set, a Pixie admittedly from a kit, all QRP, plus other stuff.
G4GHB
Good job Dave.......Again..
Rather than filling the holes it would be better to get one of the DMARC boxes like CATV and POTS uses and put a larger conduit thru then run the cable in/out the weatherproof box... optionally stick some insulation in the conduit. If you get one intended for CATV they often have foam "seals" big enough to accommodate the fat drops the cable company uses which is similar to the LMR400 I have in diameter. Box keeps pests out and also helps with waterproofing keep rain out without gooping up your coax gluing it in place. Also provides room for more later to pull thru.
I used a CATV box and it works great. I installed a ground bar and surge protectors in the box before they enter the house.
After a 25 year sabbatical from ham radio I am in the process of making two coax runs from the shack to the antennas. This question was timely for me. Thanks for your great videos Dave.
73s de Rob G4ZRS
Dave, really enjoy the videos and look forward to each of them.. While I understand that rolling up excess coax is not an issue, in my case I'm using 1/2" hardline with about 25 feet of excess that I have rolled up and secured it to the tower. Does this impact the SWR?
I saw one "ham" radio You Tube where was trying to do everything right. He cut the cable. Drilled a small hole, ran the wire and tried to splice the two pieces together by twisting the center conductors together and twisting the braid together and using wire nuts. So he didn't have to put on a PL-259
After putting up and tower and beams this was a What NOT to do.
Good info. about coax cable here Dave.
I watched a CB video, they are convinced they need a half wavelength of coax from tx to aerial. Only CB'ers seem to have problems with coax and aerials. He warned to not cross coax or coil it as it affects the SWR and he's seen a coax outer burnt with r.f. from crossed coax cables.
I've never had problems with coax. I suggested he has r.f. on the outer of his coax.
All BNC connectors here and QRP.
I have a couple of radio magazines from 1926/27 which shows state of the art technology of that time.
G4GHB
I have had custom runs done. I tend to order the 259. Male on one end. Female on the other. No issues with barrow connectors. Less points of failure.
Great idea. However, they are BARREL connectors, so called because they are cylindrical and straight through.
When you showed the book from 1959 and mentioned the radios in the old ads that no one uses anymore... I had to laugh because right behind you is a typewriter. Lol.
Good reminder about the mice. I've had them come into my shack following the cables through the windows as well. When I drill an entry hole for a cable now, I drill it high up on the wall and then drop the cable down. Mice don't like to climb that high.
I don't know about short 3-foot patch cords. I just buy them pre-made on eBay. Most are good, but some will not properly tighten against an American-made SO-239 socket. You can guess where those were made.
Mice love to chew on cable - especially wires on your tractor.
Why in the world wouldn't you make your own cables. I'd never considered this, but in retrospect a crimping tool and a soldering gun was money well spent. Especially since I've not burried my cable yet, and have run it over with a lawn mower more times than I care to admit.
About those jumper cables "Every time I think I have enough of those I need another one" The more things change the more they're the same.
I manage the computer network in our house (mostly because my parents let me, and because I learned how to terminate Ethernet cable).
And just like your coax jumper cables, every time I think I have enough ethernet patch cords, I end up needing one more than I have.
Grommet, or, MFJ-4602 wall-through panel.
Dave what crimper tool do you recommend? The letter writer mentioned there is a model you recommend. Thanks
I'd like that answer also.
Dave, mice hate steel wool. Pack the holes with steel wool, then shoot some expanding foam or glue to hold it in place.
Bronze wool is better it does not rust. I have my cables coming into the radio room via a 1 1/2" PVC pipe and this is what I use to fill the void. I have use the bronze wool to plug up any holes I have found in my home and so far we have managed to keep Mickey and Minnie mouse out of the house.
Bulkhead connectors are the way to go in my opinion. I made a wood frame and used 1/2" plywood to put my Bulkhead connectors I hav e 6 coax connectors and bussbar ground connecion. You can build this with scrap lumber and about $60.00 in the connectors. have fun ki0ad
If you're not going to be increasing antenna height or moving hamshack, keep coax relatively as short as possible. VHF/UHF can be very lossy within coax runs. There are calculators and charts for losses in given coax types/lengths. Just run some 1-5/8 Heliax (hardline) with N connectors and call it a day ;)
Of course you are joking.
I have a 40 foot antenna tower, can I run a single with from the end of the tower, or do I need a second wire. At my current home, I have about 100 feet from house to the back of the property. I would like to run 15, 40, 80, and, if possible 160M. I have a diagram to make 6M antenna, and I have a 10 Watt 6M rig that some one spilled coffee into. I got it free. I am going to find out if it is economical to repair Am I having a flight of fantasy here? I am thinking about QRP, as well as QRO when needed K0XHF here.73
Now I better understand the reason behind the various connectors and cables. Especially valuable was what was not worth worrying about in practice.
How do I find info on your giveaway rules ?
You can make a coax balun.
For shorter runs, I's suggest doubling the length before adding a feet. Especially if it has connectors. That way, I can cut the cable in half, re-terminate ONE end at a bulkhead plate, and have a spare cable.
Is there anywhere in particular you get pre-made cables?
I have bought pre-made cables from ABR Industries and Cable Xperts, and all have been reliable good quality cables. Ham Radio Outlet, DX Engineering and probably every other ham radio store sells pre-made cables, although theirs are specific lengths. With ABR and Cable Xperts you can specify whatever length you like.
Thanks, Dave. This is great information for a new guy like me! 73 KF0GPX
Cable length is only important if you want 1/4 wave cable to repeat the impedance of the antenna in the shack, otherwise a short bit of excess is of little importance.
That be a half wave length that does that
If you have an antenna tower and you put the feed line through a pipe to the top of the tower to the antenna what will that do to the RF when transmitting?
Nothing.
Dave, have you ever taken a close look at the center of the BNC, TNC, and N-connector? They are the same, such that in a pinch one can push an N male over a BNC female. It is not the best and not something I would recommend for more than a few seconds. Also, while researching my comment, I was surprised to find some charts show N and TNC as having higher frequency and power ratings. I can only conclude that is due to the greater strength of the larger and threaded outer connection. But, it is not due to the center pin in that they are virtually identical.
Dave I have a question for you, on your prizes will you sent them to Canada? ........ Mike VA3MD
The N connector has lower loss. Especially at UHF.
The N connector is slightly superior, but here in the US it will make your gear incompatible with 99% of what's out there. No borrowing or swapping. And using adapters is worse than using PL259s alone.
There is no such thing as excess cable. Only cable that hadn't met its destiny yet.
Blackboard? Is it not a whiteboard.
A whiteboard is a blackboard when the lights go out.
I have a wife that leaks gas from 2am and 2pm daily…it’s peeling our wallpaper. Should I worry about fixing her leak or fixing the wallpaper first?
Come on we are Hams learn how to solder connectors on your coax. Gee Wiz
Not everyone is physically able to solder connectors on coax. Remember, many hams are advanced in age and many of those of advanced age are unable to hold their hands steady enough to solder.
@@WH6FQE I am 80 still do it. But I love all Hams. Bless us
@@timbacchus Well, Im only in my 50's, but because of side effects of medication I have to take, I no longer can without burning myself or ruining the project.
@@WH6FQE I know you do a good job. I am referring to new Hams as being appliance operators and not repairers or makers of their own receivers and transmitters like we did. A wonderful thing to learn for work.
The best solution is not have excess coax.