{"id":883,"date":"2026-07-30T10:44:03","date_gmt":"2026-07-30T17:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/?p=883"},"modified":"2026-07-30T10:44:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-30T17:44:03","slug":"clamp-style-coax-connectors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/index.php\/2026\/07\/30\/clamp-style-coax-connectors\/","title":{"rendered":"Clamp-style coax connectors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I was asked by several people what sort of connectors he was using while re-terminating his Field Day coax stash-solder or crimp? Well, neither… I used clamp connectors. The center conductor is soldered into the tip like normal. There is a “hat” bushing that is pushed in between the shield and dielectric, then a compression clamp goes over that to ensure connectivity. This connector type fits LMR400, RG8 and RG-213 well, and also fits RG-214 which is often hard to do. I first encountered them on surplus coax that came from Pt. Mugu. If it’s good enough for them… <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only is it a more reliable way to get continuity than a solder connection done by a casual amateur (which are quite often done poorly), it is very strong. it does not rely on a solder joint to prevent pulling out, so the solder joints themselves are less likely to break under strain as well. I have tested this with over 250 pounds of pull-out force on RG-213 and RG-214 with no effects. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is very easy for an amateur to get a perfect installation (I can’t overstate this…I have encountered a vast number of badly soldered connectors, and many failed crimps). No special stripping tool is needed, no soldering, no chance of a wimpy crimp or too much crimping force. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before anyone asks…no, I did not put N connectors on all of this coax. Yes, they are better. Yes, I still went with PL-259. This stuff is for group use on Field Day and other short-term group uses; durability and compatibility are the highest priorities. The downside of using PL-259 connectors is more than offset by not needing a large number of adapters inline. Yes, several people have already explained to me that I am wrong \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have been buying my connectors from the eBay dealer “Walkie-Talkie Accessory” who stocks them in the Los Angeles area. They aren’t cheap, but in bulk they get down to about $3 each, less than half of the best price I could get on Amphenol connectors. Unlike Amphenol, these are not silver plated. (I was installing about 60 of these. Budget.) These do have teflon dialectric, not plastic. No affiliation and no endorsement, but I have made many purchases in the past with good results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are plenty of installation guides on Youtube. I still put shrink wrap on, but with the rubber compression ring it’s not vital for moisture and I don’t think it adds any strength. It looks nice though. YMMV.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I was asked by several people what sort of connectors he was using while re-terminating his Field Day coax stash-solder or crimp? Well, neither… I used clamp connectors. The center conductor is soldered into the tip like normal. There is a “hat” bushing that is pushed in between the shield and dielectric, then a compression […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-883","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=883"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":887,"href":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/883\/revisions\/887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=883"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theborednet.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}