PL-259 Connectors Male UHF Type Attach Adapter End Connector LMR400/RG8/RG8U/Belden 9913/7D-FB Pack of 2 by XRDS-RF(NOT for TV)

I'm giving these a provisional 5 star review. I've just installed 2 of them on 100' of Belden 8267 (RG-213) and am impressed. However, I have not yet used the cable so they have not seen any RF yet. I also want to acknowledge that these are made in China and are very similar to some well known, more costly Italian connectors from M&P. The concept for this approach to coax connectors was first seen in N type connectors and has now been applied to the PL-259 (aka "UHF") connectors. These make a seemingly solid and reliable connection. They require minimal soldering; only a small amount at the back end of the center pin. I like the way the coax braid is clamped between the washer and the sleeve. This makes a solid connection to the braid. In my opinion, old-school, solder-on PL-259s cannot guarantee a dependable connection to the braid. Many of my friends swear by them but I believe that there is too much uncertainty in what happens inside the connector when trying to solder the braid. You don't know if the solder has flowed onto the braid. Not just contacted it, but did the braid get sufficiently hot for the solder to flow properly? You also don't know if the dielectric has been compromised by the heat (melted). Some will say you need a very hot iron and have to work quickly bu I still say you simply CANNOT see inside the connector. With these connectors, you can see the braid plain as day being clamped tightly and reliably and you know that 100% of the braid is making contact. With the solder-on type, the braid is inevitably twisted as you thread the connector onto the coax so you are never certain that all of the braid is near the solder holes in the first place. The center pin is also quite good on these. While the back of the pin requires soldering to the center conductor with a very minimal amount of solder (which is all that is needed), the forward end of the pin never has solder applied and is therefore never in danger of attracting excess solder and changing in diameter. This leaves the gold plated pin clean and reliable so that it will mate properly with a female connector. BE SURE to put the clamping nut, large I.D. washer. and rubber gland onto the coax before you begin any stripping. I also like to put the piece of included heat shrink tubing on as the very first item. It does fit over the connector if you forget to do this but I think it's easier to do it first. When you are preparing the cable, it's always best to try not to nick or cut any strands at all of the braid. The best way to do this is to almost, but not completely cut through the outer jacket and then make a small cut along the end of the cable so you can split the piece you are stripping off. Then the jacket should separate where you have already cut it. Take care also to try not to nick the center conductor as you strip off the dielectric to expose the center conductor. I suggest carefully tinning the center conductor with a very small amount of solder before placing the pin on it. The clamping nut is 16mm and the flats on the body of the connector are 17mm. If you ony have SAE (fractional inch) size wrenches, 5/8" and 11/16" are suitable substitutes. Try not to use pliers as you'll probably mar your brand new connectors. Be sure to tighten the nut until no more threads are showing. It's important for the face of the tapered sleeve to make solid contact with the connector body so that the body of the connector is electrically connected to the coax braid. I recommend not omitting the heat-shrink tubing. While the rubber gland will go a long way to preventing water and dirt from getting into the body of the connector, the heat shrink improves this even more, especially since it has a temperature sensitive sealant inside it that seals the connector even better. You will still need to use the usual sealing techniques when using them outdoors. The threaded front end of the connector is not 100% water tight. I saw some comments from other that these went on in 10 minutes. I can't imagine how. It took me about 30 minutes to put one on but 10 minutes of that was probably used taking pictures. I'd say with some practice, 20 minutes from start to completion of heat shrink is likely. Don't be in a hurry the first time you do a couple of them. One valid criticism is that they do not come with any instructions or diagrams. There are several YouTube videos showing how to attach these (some of the videos use poor techniques but show the general idea nevertheless). One other minor con is that these are heavy and noticeably more bulky than solder-on and crimp-on connectors. In outdoor applications, that should be of no consequence. Indoors where you might be making jumpers between radios, amps, tuners, filters, switches, meters, etc. the extra heft and size of the connector may put a bigger strain on the gear they are attached to in some cases. I have more or less abandoned soldering PL-259s (though I have a few in my field kit for emergencies). While I will probably continue to use crimp-on connectors for certain uses (I have all the tooling), I liked the two I just did so much that I just ordered a set of 10 more. In quantities of 10, they are about 50% cheaper per connector. If these prove to have flaws when I put them to use, I'll be back to update this review. 73, KE2D

I used the instructions from a few youtune videos and from the italian coax maker ;-) -- the included heath shrink is glue lined and works very well. The only soldering needed is for the center pin, just add some flux on the center conductor, apply your soldering pen/tip on the hole, heat it up, and apply just enough solder to make the connection solid. What is neet about these is that you can easily disassemble them and reuse them if the coax goes bad.

The quality of these connectors is really good. Comparable to brand name counterparts but with a lower price tag. The package contains everything, including the heat shrinking tube (you don't get this from name brand options), and everything has reasonable quality, seems durable (I don't have them in the weather for long, but I have no concerns about durability, and contacts coming loose like some crimped connectors.

I’m very impressed with these connectors. After years of fighting with traditional PL-259 solder types and getting inconsistent results, these went together perfectly on the first try. My installation was on LMR-400 coax, and I made a few refinements to the typical online instructions that made the process smoother. I gently secured the coax in a vise, then carefully flared the braid all the way around from the dielectric using a small precision screwdriver. After that, I tapped the connector body under the braid using a long socket and a light hammer — it was too snug to slide in by hand alone. I also found the small solder hole difficult for wicking, so I pre-tinned the center conductor and then reheated it while sliding the connector’s center pin in place (held with needle-nose pliers). This produced a solid, low-resistance joint. For the heat shrink, I used a 1600-watt hair dryer, which provided enough heat for a tight seal without scorching, although I did end up sealing both ends first, which left a bit of a balloon in the middle. Overall, the mechanical fit and electrical integrity of these connectors are excellent. Highly recommended for LMR-400 or similar cables.

While these did lack instructions, another reviewers pics helped alot. These are quite easy and while my new vhf antenna now uses a much upgraded rg213, these are certainly not hamppering very good transmit and receive distances. Only gripe is it would have been nice if the center wire could go into the pin further than 1/8" which would make a crimp more reasonable at the top of a mast vs having to still solder it.