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Solder?
- Thread starter Eastside
- Start date
A chisel tip for soldering on large metal objects with just 40w is not going to work out well for a PL connector. Just not enough heat being distributed across too much metal - IMO. I use a very fine conical tip on a Weller TC202 and works outstanding for working on circuit boards and it is ~45 watts. So, that iron you bought using a fine tip (they are removable/replaceable) will do what you need for circuit boards and mic wiring.
The guy wanted $25 for it or best...I offered $10....I did not think he would accept my lowball offer....had no choice...had to buy it.....made the bid before Beetle posted about the Weller SP-80 watt.
Can you give me the part # for the weller fine tip
You have to know the model # of the iron, the just look it up on Google. Not all solder tips attach the same to the iron, as the irons have a different mating flange. They are model-specific.
installing a PL-259 correctly is an artform, and just like any art, your first attempt probably wont be a masterpiece.
i would suggest buying a few sets of connectors and trying to make up some short jumper cables before moving on to the main coax.
these will either end up being junked, or you might make some usable cables.
either way, you will have made your initial mistakes and will be much better off.
the first thing is to prep that braid correctly.
any nicks in the end can cause you problems.
i have been doing them for quite a while, and my technique may not work for everyone, but this is basically how i do it:
first! slide a piece of heat shrink tubing over the end of the cable and push it a few feet down the cable.
then, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP!!!
you put the threaded ring on the cable BEFORE you solder the connector on.
(take it from someone who's done it, you'll never feel so stupid!)
using a matte knife/ box cutter/ drywall knife (im sure you know the tool i mean) i measure back the proper distance, and cut off the insulation, making sure not to nick the braid.
then i use a pair of fingernail scissors to cut the braid back to where it needs to be. (some may not like this, but my scissors cut the braid very easily and cleanly)
then i cut through the dielectric, about a sixteenth of an inch ahead of where the braid ended.
now we are ready to slide the connector body on, but first, i like to use a small amount of rubbing alcohol to clean the copper braid and center conductor of all the finger grease, and whatever other gunk may be on them.
(i really believe this helps!)
then do the same for the inside of the connector body, and allow the alcohol to dry.
now you can very carefully thread the connector body on to the cable.
you will have to twist it on to get it to thread on to the jacket of the coax.
(this is where your neatness with the braid comes in. if the braid has ANY strands sticking out, they will probably catch on the connector body and begin to ruin your braid as you screw it on.
once the connector is on, you will want to use a clamp of some sort to hold it securely so that your hands are free.
i like to use a bench vise with pieces of wood covering the jaws.
(this way, when the vise is tightened over the "cable end" of the connector, you will not be trying to heat up the whole vise with your soldering iron)
so, clamp down on the part of the connector body that threaded over the jacket of the coax, but be careful not to "egg it out" by over tightening.
ideally, the cable should be sitting horizontally, with the cable extended out at least a few feet horizontally so as not to put any stress on the connector body.
now you are ready to solder.
you really need to use a high wattage pencil or a soldering gun.
(i have done it with my hako 936, but it takes a long time, and its hard to heat it up enough)
now i use a 100 watt weller gun, and its much quicker.
make sure you are using a solder with a ROSIN CORE. some solders have an acid core (used for copper pipe soldering) and some has no core at all.
place the soldering guns tip at an angle so that it touches the edge of the hole in the connector body and just barely touches the copper braid underneath.
(this is where the "art" comes in. too much heat in any one place for too long can melt the dielectric, or the jacket, and can ruin the end of the coax.)
hold the gun there for a few seconds, and touch the solder to the braid itself.
not the gun.
a quick touch to the gun and the braid at the same time is ok to get the solder flowing, but the rule is, when the piece is hot enough, the solder will flow.
once you get the solder flowing to the braid, push enough in to fill the hole and then pull the heat away.
now you need to let that side cool for a bit before moving on to the other holes.
i like to use a barely damp rag to aid in cooling.
now, just turn the connector body and cable 90* and do another hole.
repeat for the remaining two holes.
let the connector completely cool now.
once the connector is cooled, you can solder the center conductor.
this is pretty straightforward, but make sure to get some solder flowing down the hole a bit by placing the connector body at a 45* angle in the vise.
(not too much though! you dont want any solder pooling up at the base of the center conductor where it meets the dielectric!)
snip off the end, and file it round if needed.
screw on the threaded ring, then slide the heat shrink tubing up the cable to where it covers about half or a little more of the part of the connector body end that is threaded over the jacket of the coax.
heat the shrink tubing until done, and voila!
you have a good coax connection that is sealed for RF as well as moisture.
i still recommend using coax seal or some other product to waterproof the entire connection after its attached to the antenna.
good luck,
LC
i would suggest buying a few sets of connectors and trying to make up some short jumper cables before moving on to the main coax.
these will either end up being junked, or you might make some usable cables.
either way, you will have made your initial mistakes and will be much better off.
the first thing is to prep that braid correctly.
any nicks in the end can cause you problems.
i have been doing them for quite a while, and my technique may not work for everyone, but this is basically how i do it:
first! slide a piece of heat shrink tubing over the end of the cable and push it a few feet down the cable.
then, THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP!!!
you put the threaded ring on the cable BEFORE you solder the connector on.
(take it from someone who's done it, you'll never feel so stupid!)
using a matte knife/ box cutter/ drywall knife (im sure you know the tool i mean) i measure back the proper distance, and cut off the insulation, making sure not to nick the braid.
then i use a pair of fingernail scissors to cut the braid back to where it needs to be. (some may not like this, but my scissors cut the braid very easily and cleanly)
then i cut through the dielectric, about a sixteenth of an inch ahead of where the braid ended.
now we are ready to slide the connector body on, but first, i like to use a small amount of rubbing alcohol to clean the copper braid and center conductor of all the finger grease, and whatever other gunk may be on them.
(i really believe this helps!)
then do the same for the inside of the connector body, and allow the alcohol to dry.
now you can very carefully thread the connector body on to the cable.
you will have to twist it on to get it to thread on to the jacket of the coax.
(this is where your neatness with the braid comes in. if the braid has ANY strands sticking out, they will probably catch on the connector body and begin to ruin your braid as you screw it on.
once the connector is on, you will want to use a clamp of some sort to hold it securely so that your hands are free.
i like to use a bench vise with pieces of wood covering the jaws.
(this way, when the vise is tightened over the "cable end" of the connector, you will not be trying to heat up the whole vise with your soldering iron)
so, clamp down on the part of the connector body that threaded over the jacket of the coax, but be careful not to "egg it out" by over tightening.
ideally, the cable should be sitting horizontally, with the cable extended out at least a few feet horizontally so as not to put any stress on the connector body.
now you are ready to solder.
you really need to use a high wattage pencil or a soldering gun.
(i have done it with my hako 936, but it takes a long time, and its hard to heat it up enough)
now i use a 100 watt weller gun, and its much quicker.
make sure you are using a solder with a ROSIN CORE. some solders have an acid core (used for copper pipe soldering) and some has no core at all.
place the soldering guns tip at an angle so that it touches the edge of the hole in the connector body and just barely touches the copper braid underneath.
(this is where the "art" comes in. too much heat in any one place for too long can melt the dielectric, or the jacket, and can ruin the end of the coax.)
hold the gun there for a few seconds, and touch the solder to the braid itself.
not the gun.
a quick touch to the gun and the braid at the same time is ok to get the solder flowing, but the rule is, when the piece is hot enough, the solder will flow.
once you get the solder flowing to the braid, push enough in to fill the hole and then pull the heat away.
now you need to let that side cool for a bit before moving on to the other holes.
i like to use a barely damp rag to aid in cooling.
now, just turn the connector body and cable 90* and do another hole.
repeat for the remaining two holes.
let the connector completely cool now.
once the connector is cooled, you can solder the center conductor.
this is pretty straightforward, but make sure to get some solder flowing down the hole a bit by placing the connector body at a 45* angle in the vise.
(not too much though! you dont want any solder pooling up at the base of the center conductor where it meets the dielectric!)
snip off the end, and file it round if needed.
screw on the threaded ring, then slide the heat shrink tubing up the cable to where it covers about half or a little more of the part of the connector body end that is threaded over the jacket of the coax.
heat the shrink tubing until done, and voila!
you have a good coax connection that is sealed for RF as well as moisture.
i still recommend using coax seal or some other product to waterproof the entire connection after its attached to the antenna.
good luck,
LC
Find some. Maybe at the flea market, local hamfest, of even some surplus electronic stores. I get mine at hamfests. That lead-free stuff is like NutraSweet in your coffee; it takes time to get used to the taste and in the long and short run, you know you hate it.
Removing that lead-free stuff off of a board is even worse. It cools too quickly and makes it very difficult to get it all the first, second, or even the third try. That is where lead solder can also be used. Just add a little real lead solder on a lead-free joint and the whole lot comes off the first time around.
Get a decent solder sucker too. Some guys stand by their solder wick to pull solder up off of a joint. Using the solder sucker makes it a piece of cake.
You will find out.
Update
The "Weller Marksman SP 40" worked great putting on the pl-259s on my new coax......snake dr put them on my new mil c-17 rg-213 coax......he was putting up a tower and a laser 400 beam at a friends house and my solder iron worked so well he used it on putting the coax on the laser 400.
I brought my coax home and the guy who snake dr put up his tower and laser 400s called the guy with the bucket truck and he came to my house and put the new coax on my moonraker....and he taped it all up with scotch 33 and I am all 10-8......new coax sure make a big difference...very happy that everything is straight now.
The "Weller Marksman SP 40" worked great putting on the pl-259s on my new coax......snake dr put them on my new mil c-17 rg-213 coax......he was putting up a tower and a laser 400 beam at a friends house and my solder iron worked so well he used it on putting the coax on the laser 400.
I brought my coax home and the guy who snake dr put up his tower and laser 400s called the guy with the bucket truck and he came to my house and put the new coax on my moonraker....and he taped it all up with scotch 33 and I am all 10-8......new coax sure make a big difference...very happy that everything is straight now.
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