PL-259 connector installation on a RG-213 (or RG-8) coaxial cable

[@angryslug1957]

New to CB radio and had a devil of a time fixing some cable to coax. I followed our instructions and was very successful. Thank you very much

[@michaeloday7306]

I always found soldering the braid to the connector to be the hardest part, never occurred to me to pre-tin the braid! it also looked like it made for a much neater cut. Nicely done. I am definitely going to try this on my next install. ~ N9ODM

[@tonybutler3502]

Excellent, shows how to do this job today. Great idea using the cold air to quickly cool the job. This is in contrast to the traditional method shown in the ARRL handbook which is based upon the old type of RG8 coax where the insulation was much less prone to melting. I used to use 60W or 100W Weller iron to solder through from the holes in PL259 onto the braid of the coax, no problem however, in the last 20 years or so the coax insulation just gets scared of a hot iron and runs away all over the bench HI.

[@CliffFoxKU4GW]

Very well done! I have never in the past tried tinning the top edge of the braid, but will do so from now on since it will make the solder through the connector holes adhere much faster.

[@Inzanezombie]

solder the centre core too so the wire doesnt bend back and helps the capillary action.

[@hansukhatri8778]

.bylvdszZ Ko

[@gordonlovett71]

I've been doing my PL259's this way for years and never had any problems. Alot of radio operators do it differently, they fold back the braid and screw the connector on. I've never had much luck doing it that way as it seems like the coax is loose in the connector. Maybe I did it wrong doing it that way but I know when I solder the braid to the connector its tight and the connection between braid and connector is secure. Cooling the connector down between each hole is also a great idea. I use the Propel stuff for airbrushing to cool my connectors down. I turn the can upside down and blast it with the super cold liquid, works great.

[@vincei4252]

Thank you for this. I went to find the datasheet for these Amphenol connectors on DigiKey and got a 404. I entered "083-1SP" into KZbin and here I am! I was thinking of doing something way more complicated with the braid but your way is so much better. As to the downvotes: There's no pleasing some people! 73, KC1PAN

[@Laboenligne]

Cooling the connector with damp clothes is better then the air compressor. I should redo a video about this. 73.

[@LY-cy3cy]

I'm bound to recieve cable and connectors to set my station up . This tuto falls from heaven! Thanks a lot ;) 73's

[@EarlGray_kd7sjt]

This is a superior tutorial sir. I used this to make my own cables and it worked perfectly. Thank you for taking time to make this. 73, de KD7SJT.

[@stormrider8236]

Great video, good explanation and a simple but effective method of fitting a PL259 to thicker co-ax etc. I'll be showing my students this method from now on - Thank you very much for your efforts. Lin M0TCF.

[@Laboenligne]

Thank you. 73 Pascal VA2PV

[@gfa2793]

Nice job, I think tinning the braid is a great idea

[@mjinabnit4481]

I like how you tin the shield conductor. While watching, I didn't really like the work on the center conductor--I would repeat it. UHF couplers are terrible. I wish we could convince MFG to use ANY OTHER coupler except these things. Tnx for the video, I will use your process OM! 73 j

[@tekdragon]

theres definitely an art to soldering PL259s. no matter how many times I've done, it always takes forever and doesn't come out nearly as good as yours. I just use crimps ons now though I know they arent quite as reliable as soldering. well done!

[@Dickwooten]

I refuse to surrender. I have crimp ons also-but using them makes me feel like I'm cheating. My whole radio life for 50 years, this is a dragon that I have searched for a foolproof way to slay! I put them on better than most. Still, with all the practice I have had, it is maddening to not be able to make them look like some cables from manufacturers I have seen. I'm using LMR400 now and the insulation melting issue doesn't seem to be nearly as bad as old RG8. Following the ARRL instructions never seemed to work out to be something I was happy with. I don't know about using the compressor to cool the connector if you have other holes on the shell to do. You just have to heat them up again. It may indeed be a good idea. Just this morning, I put two Amphenol PL259s on. I'm sure they are perfectly adequate. They still made me feel like a chimpanzee. Why I searched for this video!

[@maxxlulz4122]

After watching other videos, this is the best method without too much fuss. Very good explanation with the final testing. There it is! KM6ARC

[@Laboenligne]

Thanks Maxx. For cooling down the connector tje wet clothes is very good, no need for an air compressor. 73 Pascal VA2PV

[@isaaccool3183]

@@Laboenligne from a Canadian to a Canadian I'll still probably screw this up. VA7VAE

[@richardstaron556]

One thing you NEVER EVER do is to cool the joint with compressed air. This could potentially cause a cold solder joint in the future. Always let the joint cool down naturally WITHOUT forced cooling. 30 years of service at IBM backs up my statement.

[@Tommy_Boy.]

Great video!! Thank you for sharing your information and technique. 👍 Very helpful and nicely done.

[@stevenknight993]

I thought you were VERY detail orientated and that assisted my understanding in the overall procedure. My hat is off to you; as many who actually "can't do it (make a decent video)" will be negative. That darn negative human nature goes along with envy.

[@Laboenligne]

Hi Steven, thanks for your good comments. My video and my procedure is not perfect, I just try to demonstrate the technic and provide basic advice base on experience. If someone takes the time to comment with relevant information it’s always appreciated, I always focus on the positive side anyway, hihi. If you refer to a previous comment below, it is good complementary information. My solder iron is at 480C max and I used my largest tips to do my PL, maybe not strong enough, the higher the temperature the better. In my video, some part where block by my hand and I showed you the best that I could, but I use the air compressor to cold it down, and I did it too quick. I will definatly try in the future the dampened sponge as suggested for cooling the connector. In the past, I had an engineer telling that to be certain that the PL is OK it needs to be checked with a spectrum analyzer, well most of us don't have those type of equipment. So, we must use what we have. On the other hand, there are other extreme practices and I can tell you for sure, without giving you any calls signs, that some of the stronger signal on HF are hams that don't even solder their PL! So, at the end of the day, it’s the results that count but I don’t recommend to not solder your PL as they probably have other types of problems. All my antennas, except my new Cobweb, are installed since 2012 without any maintenance and I always get a return in pileups at the first called. For me this is good enough ;-) 73 Pascal VA2PV

[@sponduli]

You could wrap the dialectric in kapton tape although i havent tried this the key is to buy pl259's with teflon insulator ring, if not you can pop out the conductor pin and the insulator ring so it wont heat up when youre soldering the barrel.

[@steveinkentucky]

Good video. Thanks! I especially like tinning the braid.

[@Laboenligne]

Thank you. 73 Pascal VA2PV

[@Sky1]

thanks for the air tip, I will use a compressed air can

[@pbeaudin]

Excellente présentation!

[@koala_1197]

Haven't you heard that welds have to let cool alone? It doesn't take a blowout with an air compressor since the welding is weakened.

[@Laboenligne]

Your right, you gotta be certain that the welding is not weakened. The damp clothes work best, as suggested by some hams in the comments below. Thanks for watching, 73 Pascal VA2PV

[@vgrof2315]

Thank you.

[@ericgeater]

Thank you so much! I have to create a feed line with RG8, and this will get me where I need to be! 73 de N4EAG

[@Laboenligne]

Hi Eric, I'm glad I could help. 73 Pascal VA2PV

[@herrwabbaloo937]

I used this today, great tutorial! Thanks and 73 de Jeff, KF5KWO

[@bennockley]

😀😀, Well Done Mate, My thoughts were the same as Yours, when I watched Your Video, I immediately mounted it, thank You for Your Confirmation, VK2EAC, 73s😊😊😊

[@katsebua]

I've used this method on my coax and those of others with zero failure rate. First , use Amphenol connectors ... no cheap nickle-plated junk. Quality coax ... don`t go cheap here either. I like to chamfer the braid holes with a drill, so I see brass: gives more soldering area on the connector. After tinning the braid, I use a small tubing cutter, such as one used for automotive brake lines. Make sure the cut dialectric is clean. Preheat with hair dryer, then soldering goes quicker. de NS2N Heating the assembly after the coax

[@DannerPlace]

Great video, thanks!

[@perrseb5772]

Merci beaucoup!

[@2WR464]

Great schooling. Thanks

[@rallypoint1]

Nice!! How many watts are you using on the soldering iron?

[@Laboenligne]

480 W.

[@rallypoint1]

@@Laboenligne 480 watts or degrees? 480 watt soldering iron sounds wild!

[@teddean7763]

Nicely done...

[@K3RRR]

Nicely done, as always, Pascal! 73 de Robert K3RRR

[@Sky1]

They want $36 for a patch cord now. I like to make up several at a time. I end up using them sooner or later.

[@Seeker43]

Good job, it never occured to me to solder the braid first...something i will do from now on. I do like to use my weller soldering gun that produces more heat and eliminates heating the coax too much. Vy 73. N5EQY

[@JeffN4POD]

That's exactly what I thought. Soldering the braid first before putting the connector on is a great idea to prevent shorts or movement of the braid when screwing on. I have tried sliding the braid over the jacket, and cutting the braid shorter and soldering afterwords... never was happy with either way. I'm going to try this method now. I also cut "by feel" with a sturdy boxcutter for nearly every type of cable I'm working with (CAT-5/6, coax, etc.) The tools for it are okay, but they always seem to wind up cutting more of the braid than desired, or nicking conductors in the case of network cable, than if I do it by feel.

[@karlnoraas7842]

Hi, what size soldering iron do you use or how many watts? I have a small one but maybe I should get something larger. Thank you. Karl

[@africantwin173]

I use for all bands only N connectors, even for HF a N connector with some ecoflex 15. I hate it when i see new 2017 icom or kenwood rigs with SO239 chassis.

[@yannickguinamant4621]

Excellent !

[@rasta593]

Great video, thanks

[@rtrjmk5]

Very nice video

[@Knapweed]

Good job!

[@jennifer86010]

So what's with the air hose? Are you a dentist? The rest of us just blow on our soldering work until we get dizzy. It's much more fun !

[@Laboenligne]

Funny, I also have a Dremal tool to polish the job! Seriously, now I use a damp clothe, less noisy ;-) Since I made this video I received a lots of tricks from other hams, I should do another one... 73

[@JeffN4POD]

Please, do!

[@mikebohemia1947]

Thanks. 73.

[@DJBoysToys]

Very nice thank you

[@whitetiger8652]

What kind of solder do you use? Nice job

[@Laboenligne]

Thank you. For the soldering station see one of my first video, here’s the link. 73 kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4WXhpiZqN2abaM

[@roberthayes6329]

I like the DX Engineering crimp on conector's. WAY better, WAY faster, WAY easier!

[@jasonpalmer5437]

Yes, if you're doing enough connectors. It appears their connectors have to be crimped with their crimping tool....

[@THELATINKINGS]

THANK YOU!!!

[@HogRebel]

Good video, but moving a little too fast. Taking slower steps makes it easier to understand what to do & how to do it. 😉👍 73 de KG5JAW

[@19134ANDY]

What type and size of soldering wire you are using?

[@Laboenligne]

Standard, not silver, .75mm or .030". 73

[@funnyfarmdad9997]

The video title says RG-8 but the coax in the video sure looks like LMR400.

[@Laboenligne]

It's not printed on the cable, my friend gave it to me saying it was RG-213. 73 Pascal VA2PV

[@onemorething100]

Do you use flux?

[@rossjordan2248]

That was a great video thank! Kn4gvn

[@bigg6070]

no volume

[@truckerdaddy-akajohninqueb4793]

Salut de Sherbrooke

[@miguelsalami]

My only complaint is he doesn't use the high quality amphenol PL239 connector. He is using the cheap white plastic PL259 instead. Spend the extra $dollar$ on the good ones guys your equipment cost a lot of money why skimp on cheap connectors.❗

[@Laboenligne]

Hi Miguel, there is no good option in my region, when I go to Dayton I try to stock a good connector. I personally prefer the Amphenol brand. Now I used a damp clothes instead of an air compressor to cool down the connector. 73 Pascal VA2PV

[@bryanwa7prc647]

This is yet another incorrect "this is how to do it" video clip, about installing a soldered UHF male connector (Amphenol 83-1SP, et al). Several mistakes were made, with steps left out or not well explained. The biggest error involves incorrect use of the incorrect soldering iron. AT LEAST 100W is required. I prefer my Weller 8200N 140W/100W gun but others like a 100W iron. Use of less than that is almost guaranteed to result in a cold solder joint (as was shown). Then, technique matters, and poor technique was shown here. The last step is to cool the plug using a dampened cloth/rag/sponge (not shown). Since mastering the technique ca 1970, I've had nearly ZERO failed connectors. I installed the last dozen on the ends of cables that had the ends dangling in mid-air. This was cable w/ foamed polyethylene dielectric, not solid PE dielectric that was used in this video. Bryan WA7PRC

[@Laboenligne]

Before I used this method some of my PL were ok on HF but not on UHF where I got SWR, but using this method it never happens again. It may not be perfect but this technic never failed on me. It also depends of the type of dielectric. Your right, the fastest you can do it the better, so the temperature should be high. If you cooled it to quickly with the air compressor it may do a cold solder and you may need to redo it. 73 Pascal VA2PV.

[@tonybutler3502]

Your comments are true for the traditional method, this was best before coax available to hams became much much too sensitive to a large and hot soldering iron. Todays RG213 is nothing like as rugged as the "legacy" coax I used at sea as a radio officer and at home in my shack in the 1970s, 80s. Congratulations, Pascal 73 Tony G3ZRJ

[@domagojkosanovic7778]

What is this crap 😅