BNCconnectors

[Radio Fixer]

Gracias ! seen those sort and ones that just screw onto the cable. Maybe not too good outdoors.

Gary

[Cardigan]

'Only' 3G? There are so-called 12G BNCs now.

http://www.coax-connectors.com/products/...plugs.aspx

[ppppenguin]

Assembling BNC plugs needs care. It can be near impossible if the connectors are for a different size of cable. The stripping lengths are critical, soldering the inner needs a light touch and minimum amount of solder.

[pamphonica]

I have had good success, right up into multiple GHz with crimped BNC connectors. If you get the right ones, both the centre pin and the screen are crimped, and the the tool costs £20 or so. I have put crimp BNCs onto RG58, RG174 and RG316.
This tool should have the relevant set of holes for pins and braids:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RATCHET-F-BNC-...SwHnFVylIl
But check the data sheet for the crimps you want to use to find the exact diameters you need. RS components are a good source.
I do also use pin-soldered BNC plugs but make sure that I use the minimum possible amount of solder so the pin still fits.
Jeremy

[Cardigan]

I used to solder BNCs but that was a long time ago. A retiring friend gave me a Paladin crimp tool with interchangeable heads and it has been very useful when I have needed to make up leads for test equipment.

[Gryphon]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RATCHET-F-BNC-...SwHnFVylIl

Thanks for that link - that looks a very useful tool. I might have a dabble in one of those.

After many years of swearing at soldered BNC inner pins, the method I settled on, quite some time ago now, is to use a small bench vice to hold the pin steady.  One of the pattern which clamps over the edge of the bench is ideal.  This gives you back a hand, which is the secret to taking the pain out of the process.

Nearly the same effect can be achieved, in principle, using a large pair of pliers and a spring clamp, at the risk of the spring clamp flying all over the maintenance room at the least convenient moment.  This can quite spoil one's day.  The bench vice doesn't move about, though.

Get a piece of printer paper and cut out a rectangle about 1" x ¼"  Fold it in half across the short dimension.  Put the pin into the fold and clamp the resulting assembly in the vice.  The paper provides enough thermal insulation to ensure that the vice doesn't heatsink the pin.

The hole in the middle of the pin where the inner goes is very inviting, and it's tempting to fill this up with solder.  However, if you have the right size pin for the cable (and, as others have said, this is essential), if you tin the inner of the coax thoroughly, this ought to provide enough solder for a good joint.  This sounds flaky, but I must have made several thousand BNC ends over the years, and have not yet managed to make a dry joint on a pin.

[Mark Hennessy]

Discussions about transmission lines moved to new thread: http://golbornevintageradio.co.uk/forum/...p?tid=5856