Hi, (name/call?)! > My two cents worth- using an SMA to BNC adaptor does not address the > mechanical problem of an antenna or a coax flexing the SMA chassis connector- > especially the plastic HTs- I had to do a number on my VX5 which is a metal > case HT.
The original two-part SMA-to-BNC adapters had no plastic/rubber cushions to help lessen the stress on the SMA connector. There has been an adapter made by KC2BHO for some time, and now the Diamond adapter I referenced earlier, that have something to help with that. Putting the large AL-800 telescoping whip on these HTs, even with the better SMA-to-BNC adapters, is probably not wise. For the typical duckie antennas, smaller telescoping whips, or coax - these newer adapters are adequate for most hams. It is still possible to put too much stress on the SMA connector with this adapter and whatever is connected to the adapter. > I'd suggest a pigtail SMA to BNC for connecting to a coax for mobile > use (even then I tie the pigtail to the HT case with a rubber band or ??) In the past, I'd use this suggestion whenever I wanted to use an AL-800 (or similar large) telescoping whip with an HT that had an SMA connector. Now I use a short coax jumper with BNCs onto the adapters on my HTs. Once I put those Diamond adapters on my TH-D72A and TH-F6A, I don't remove them. > As for the HT antenna all you can do is be careful or brace the antenna a > bit. My 74 year old hands and eyes had quite a time repairing the broken > center conductor to circuit board, not to mention just getting to the > location. The SMA is a great RF connector for fixed-in-place applications. Agreed. I don't think anyone is questioning whether the SMA is a good RF connector. Its use on our ham HTs has been questioned for a long time. I see other connectors used on non-ham HTs. I have a few commercial Icom VHF and UHF HTs that are in this non-SMA group. Why not consider those for our HTs? SMA connectors are smaller, which is probably the big point for their use with our HTs, but certainly not rugged. 73! Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/ _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
