P70 Identifying Coaxial Connectors

P70

Identifying Coaxial Connectors

Common Connector Types

Coaxial cables require specific types of connectors. You must use the correct connectors and the choice will depend on your application. Typically, most HF (and some VHF) radios use BNC or PL-259 type connectors. At VHF, UHF and above N-Type is the preferred standard.

The video clip below highlights the most common coaxial connector types.

Coax Adapters

For every connector type there are adapters that can connect one standard to another. Most of these are matched to 50 Ohm impedance, making them suitable for transmitters

Testing Coax Connectors

Coax patch cables get handled frequently and it is not unusual for a cable to develop a break or intermittent fault that can create havoc for the stability of an Amateur station. Where there is doubt about the integrity of a coax cable, it is wise to check continuity with a multimeter.

The clip below shows how to do this:

The Foundation Level Study Guide

All Blue Tiles form part of the syllabus for the Foundation Level Recognition Certificate (operator licence). A primary source of information for many of the blue tile topics can be found within the Foundation Level Study Guide. This is a free download available at:

https://vkradioamateurs.org/flsg/ This is a digital book and contains many links to other resources and explanatory videos.

Information on Connector Types can be found from Page 41 in this book

ACMA Syllabus Extract

According to the ACMA Foundation Syllabus, the required knowledge on this topic is:

5.2 Coaxial Connectors

Identify, from a supplied diagram, photograph or physical examples, co-axial connectors commonly used in radiocommunications.