Pl-259 crimp on vs solder
- Thread starter MikePA
- Start date
Kildonan
Well-Known Member
Soldering is better but crimped works too. Crimped will be more likely to corrode in the salty environment at the point of contact where you crimp to the coax. If I were to go with crimped, I would inspect the connection a few times a year.
Soldering is the better choice for the long run. IMO
Coyote Spooner
Well-Known Member
They sell marine grade crimp connectors with built in heat shrink.
Soldering and adhesive lined heat shrink is best.
Fritz
Active Member
Soldering is never a good idea! As a matter of fact soldering is not even a recommended electrical repair especially in a marine environment!
If your wiring is still in an acceptable state they make really good splices with heat shrink on the outside but I recommend using a secondary heat shrink sleeve longer than the splice. A proper Raychem splice with a proper crimp will hold 100% strength of the wire. There are several free online resources on how to correctly repair wire.
Solder pfffft
gungadin
Well-Known Member
Crimping is better then soldering imo. You need the right tools and materials to do so to prevent any moisture intrusion. Get yourself a good pair of ratcheting wire crimpers such as.
Do not use a flame to shrink the connectors. use a heat gun.
Some use a dielectric grease on the copper wire, but i feel it is not necessary if you use proper marine grade tinned wire.
My mistake, You are doing coaxial
KLEIN TOOLS Ratcheting Crimper, 10-22 AWG - Insulated Terminals
Use only quality connecters such asAncor Adhesive Lined Heat Shrink Connectors
Do not use a flame to shrink the connectors. use a heat gun.
Some use a dielectric grease on the copper wire, but i feel it is not necessary if you use proper marine grade tinned wire.
My mistake, You are doing coaxial
bryce
Crew Member
I’ve never heard soldering isn’t better before do you have a link or anything
Fritz
Active Member
No,
Crimped connectors are still better in my opinion from having done hundreds of aircraft vhf antenna installs for several reasons:
-You’re less likely to short the antenna out
-Modern solder is crap
-And corrosion is less of a problem
Seriously the best thing to do is buy a new coax the right length with preinstalled ends if you don’t have the right tools
Attachments
MikePA
Well-Known Member
Can you attach a new coax to the antenna?
Fritz
Active Member
In some applications,
Hey, I don’t mean to try and sound high and mighty about this, it’s just that I have seen some horrendous things done with solder. Including watching a VHF radio blow up because of a soldering job. Soldering is a skill. Modern solder is horrid to work with (the stuff the average joe has access to anyways.
I have nothing against repairing things but VHF is important.
Soldering is how it was originally done but the crimping methods now exceed them in my opinion.
I just about threw up spending $360 on a Morad AIS antenna, so I get the motivation lol.
Best of luck with your projects out there soldering repairs are a subject that unfortunately gets my blood pressure up but that’s not your fault.
MikePA
Well-Known Member
Your right about it being a skill. I had a friend come over and try to solder it and ended up melting the cable together and shorting it so that's what prompted me to inquire about the crimping method. I don't have access to a crimping tool though and likely wouldn't ever use it again.
Fritz
Active Member
The other option would be to maybe call marine electrical outfit and see if they can install an end for you.
If they charge you $25 to install a connector and you don’t have to but $200+ in tooling it might be worth a shot. If a marine electrician solders it, I’m sure it will be fine. One of the drawbacks of modern solder is the excessive heat you need to do a connection which is fine……until you melt things around it unfortunately
MikePA
Well-Known Member
Ok I'll call around. What changed in modern solder to make it more difficult to work with?
Fritz
Active Member
The amount of Lead
daddystoy
Well-Known Member
Gold plated brass. For connecting to RG-8X and RG-58/AU coax cable. Solderless PL-259 connector that goes on without a hitch, without heat and without soldering skills
Gold plated brass. For connecting to RG-8X and RG-58/AU coax cable. Solderless PL-259 connector that goes on without a hitch, without heat and without soldering skills. Shakespeare's Centerpin® PL-259 connector means no measuring and no critical stripping of coax insulation, no fussing with the coax's shield, no soldering or tinning. Only requires wire cutters and pliers. Therefore: no making a mess of it.
Sorry about the lousy cut and paste! I'm somewhat computer illiterate.
Anyways.. not sure if this will work for you or not. I've used this connection for the coax cable end and they work very well and are very easy to use.
Gold plated brass. For connecting to RG-8X and RG-58/AU coax cable. Solderless PL-259 connector that goes on without a hitch, without heat and without soldering skills. Shakespeare's Centerpin® PL-259 connector means no measuring and no critical stripping of coax insulation, no fussing with the coax's shield, no soldering or tinning. Only requires wire cutters and pliers. Therefore: no making a mess of it.
Sorry about the lousy cut and paste! I'm somewhat computer illiterate.
Anyways.. not sure if this will work for you or not. I've used this connection for the coax cable end and they work very well and are very easy to use.
CIVANO
Well-Known Member
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In evaluating the effectiveness of solder vs crimp connections, please think about the basis for your claim. By far, the most adverse environment for electronics is a ballistic missile. Second to that is the everyday car (though on a much smaller scale). Look in your car. Do you see any solder connections anywhere (other than inside protected electronics chassis and modules)? Everything in the automotive industry for wire harness is crimp all the way, 100%. There must be a reason for that unless the automotive engineers are a bunch of dopes and dummys. When things go bad it costs their companies big bucks under warranties.
Let's consider some possible reasons why crimp might be a better choice. The CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) for Brass is 20e-6m/m.oC and for 50/50 Sn solder 25e-6m/m.oC. That tells you right there that with ambient temperature changes the two will expand at different rates. But there is still Young's modulus of elasticity to save the day (maybe). I won't get into the numbers but both can expand to a degree without a problem. Just make sure your boat doesn't experience extremes of temperature changes when you winterize it and leave it sit for months.
A solder connection has no room for slop while a crimp connection can accommodate vast dimensional changes owing to CTE.
Let's consider some possible reasons why crimp might be a better choice. The CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) for Brass is 20e-6m/m.oC and for 50/50 Sn solder 25e-6m/m.oC. That tells you right there that with ambient temperature changes the two will expand at different rates. But there is still Young's modulus of elasticity to save the day (maybe). I won't get into the numbers but both can expand to a degree without a problem. Just make sure your boat doesn't experience extremes of temperature changes when you winterize it and leave it sit for months.
A solder connection has no room for slop while a crimp connection can accommodate vast dimensional changes owing to CTE.
MikePA
Well-Known Member
Went with a crimp connection, worked great!
Foxsea
Well-Known Member
What has seen changes in solder composition is plumbing. *Do not use that solder!*
Good crimp connections are great! The are even better with a bit of solder at the outboard end of the connector. All solder connections, apart from circuit boards, require a mechanical connection, too. The alloy for electronic soldering is much the same as it ever was: thin wire with a non-corrosive, resin flux core. The melting point is significantly lower than for plumbing solder. The soldering skill is not difficult to aquire. Practice on wire scraps. If you use a soldering iron designed for electronics work you will have the correct temperature and a finer tip. Everything you solder must be clean and free of contaminants and corrosion. Clean the tip with fine sandpaper and then tin (coat with solder ) the tip. Soldering is accomplished by heating a good, mechanical connection, then applying solder to the connection, *NOT* to the tip of the iron. Let a small amount of solder flow into the connection, then remove the heat quickly. Electronics and electrical components are sensitive to overheating. A cold joint is not okay. *The solder must flow*. Practice until you get consistent results. Do not allow the connection to move at all until the solder cools. A good soldered connection looks shiny, not dull, mottled gray.
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tinboatrobb
Well-Known Member
Learn how to properly solder, it is very easy. Solder and shrink tube is much better that crimping.
