F type connectors for digital TV

[rabbitz]

I know that F type connectors are the industry standard for digital TV cabling in Australia but it seems like a poor connection with a bare copper inner wire making a small contact on the female socket.

I'm more concerned with the F type connection at the antenna which is more exposed to the elements even though it sits inside a junction box plus a cable boot.

To prevent oxidation of the copper is it beneficial to tin this wire or to protect it with some Deoxit ProGold protector?

I only ask as over time the pixelation is getting worse and is pointing to oxidation of the F connector at the antenna. BTW, it's only a 6 month old installation.

[stratus46]

Could be. I use clear heatsink grease (GC 10-8101 or equivalent) on the connectors to keep the air from getting at the metals. I took down an antenna 15 years old in LA 6 blocks from the ocean (some salt air) which I had installed with the grease. The antenna was corroded but the F connector looked new.

Don't be stingy with it - a good 'glob' on the connector is fine. Just wipe off any excess when you're done. Snap n Seal connectors are recommended and make sure the connectors are more than 'finger tight'. You don't need to 'torque' them down - a newton-meter would be sufficient. You WILL get reception problems in digital if the connectors are not secure.

G²

[rabbitz]

Thanks for the reply. Did you install the grease inside the F type connector including the centre core or only over the outside of the body?

To test the problem I installed my old UHF antenna on a new line to the splitter and as of yet no pixelation problems so seems to be pointing to a bad connection at the new antenna. I'll see how it goes over the next few weeks and then replace the hex crimp F type connectors with compression versions.

[Piggy]

Bend the inner wire a little bit.
Wrap the connector with 3M 23 Black Splicing Electric Tape.

[rabbitz]

Thanks for the info Piggy.

[phaselag]

You can buy weatherproof F connectors. They have a waterproof grease in the back side where the cable is inserted, and internally there is an O ring that seals the interface to the male connector. Not much more money than the standard ones.

Watch heatsink grease. Some brands have metallic (often silver) filling in the grease which will cause problems. Likewise with electrical tape. I have found over time the tape will hold more water in than it keeps out.

paul

[stratus46]

Originally Posted by Piggy

Bend the inner wire a little bit.
Wrap the connector with 3M 23 Black Splicing Electric Tape.

Poor advice - though not real bad. The impedance of coax is based on the distributed inductance and capacitance. The dielectric constant of the center insulator is part of it as well. Squeezing, kinking and such is measurable with a Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) and can show up in response variations. The variations are nowhere near how bad you'll get with multipath but why throw in more? Another problem is which direction do you 'bend a little bit'? The receptacle is not circular but 2 flat blades. If you have doubts about F connectors, replace them and the balun or splitter or whatever. The silicone grease will keep your new connectors 'new'.

The silicone grease goes inside the connector as a 'blob' on the center conductor before screwing it on the receptacle.

I don't know about the 3M tape but in general I'm not fond of sticky tape in electronics

G²

[rabbitz]

Cleaned the connectors on the new antenna and tried again. Much better so points to crap connectors and/or lack of cleanliness on the centre pin by the installer.

I'll change them all from hex crimp to PCT-TRS-6L weatherproof compression connectors.

http://www.pctstore.com/F_connectors...p/pcttrs6l.htm

Thanks for everyone's help and advice.

[sofaspud]

re: electrical tape
It has its place for sure, but I've had good results using "stretch-n-wrap" all weather self-fusing tape. It's what I use for outdoor antenna couplers.