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Esta publicación anterior de esta serie brindó algo de historia sobre el conector clásico
"UHF", también conocido como PL-259 y SO-239. A medida que continuamos la
investigación sobre el rendimiento "real" del PL-259 y el SO-239, llegamos a esta
publicación donde se revelan la configuración de prueba y los elementos bajo prueba.
Prueba S11
S11 es análoga a la prueba familiar de SWR, pero con un poco más de información.
Return Loss mide cuánta energía se recupera de la carga para evaluar qué tan bien
absorbe la energía de la fuente: cuanto más número negativo en dB, mejor. En su
mayor parte, SWR y Return Loss se pueden calcular uno a partir del otro. Para
completar, mostraré gráficos de SWR y Return Loss para la prueba S11.
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8/5/23, 10:33 Prueba de atenuación y pérdida de retorno PL-259/SO-239
La Figura 1 muestra las conexiones simples que involucran un cable al VNA y una carga
de terminación de 50 ohmios en el otro lado del dispositivo bajo prueba (DUT).
Prueba S21
S21 es simplemente la cantidad de energía que pasa a través del dispositivo bajo
prueba. Las pérdidas se revelan en incrementos de dB. La Figura 2 muestra el cable
adicional para medir la potencia a través del dispositivo bajo prueba.
El VNA
Un buen Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) calibra los cables de prueba lo más cerca
posible del DUT y el utilizado para esto no es una excepción. Es bueno... confía en mí.
Tenga en cuenta que los cables de prueba del VNA tienen conectores SMA en los
extremos. Cuando sea necesario, se utilizan adaptadores para convertir de SMA a DUT.
A veces, esto significa que se producen múltiples conversiones. Tal es el caso de probar
el PL-259 y SO-239 como se muestra a continuación.
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Conectores comparativos
Al criticar cualquier componente, siempre es una buena idea compararlo con otros
tipos de dispositivos de su clase. Para esta prueba incluyo muestras de SMA, BNC, N,
TNC y, por supuesto, el PL-259.
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Figure 5 shows the adapters for the TNC connector test. It is almost identical to the
BNC configuration.
Figure 6 shows the tortured path to get to the UHF barrel. I had to convert from SMA
to TNC and then use a TNC to PL-259 adapter.
The UHF connector system presents a varying impedance to the signal that is
dependent on frequency; This is the primary problem with this connector. The
disturbance to the signal should be proportional to the length of the impedance
deviation. To confirm this, differing lengths of the SO-239 barrel were used… and here
is one…
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8/5/23, 10:33 Prueba de atenuación y pérdida de retorno PL-259/SO-239
This is the same configuration as before substituting a 2″ barrel for the shorter version.
Intuition suggests the T portion should really mess with the transmissive properties –
perhaps the most. We will see.
In the next post I will show the results starting with tests of the post World War 2
connector designs.
In the last post in this series, I compare the above with the UHF connectors.
References:
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8/5/23, 10:33 Prueba de atenuación y pérdida de retorno PL-259/SO-239
UHF BNC N
Connector Return 'UHF' Connector Test Aluminum RF power
Loss Compared Results splitters under test
great work
Reply Report
Excellent research. Personally, I always been dissatisfied with the *HF connector. The comment from one reader:
"Just chop it off?" Well, actually, yes. On equipment that has an SO-239 panel/bulkhead mounted connector,
replace it with a 2 hole, 4 hole or bulkhead Type-N Female. For crimp-on SO-239, replace it with a crimp-on
Type-N Female. In each case, they are the same size and performance, as clearly documented here, is far
superior.
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I've replaced every one of my *HF garbage with Type-N, except for my last 2 radios, on those, I used crimp-on
SMA Female. And, YES, on NEW equipment. (Also, keep in mind, that the SO-239's used by radio manufacturers
are bulk grade crap, NOT the expensive top-flight Amphenol ones. My Type-N are Amphenol.)
NMO mounts are available with Type-N Male. Larsen has it with dual-shield RG-58, or if you prefer LMR-200,
Larsen offers that with an SMA Male. The insertion loss of an adapter is negligible.
Reply Report
To continue. I replaced my in-line crimp-on So-239's on my most recent units, two Kenwoods, a 2M/440 mobile
and a 220 mobile, with crimp-on SMA females, as I already have Larsen NMO mounts with LMR-200 and male
SMA's (which match the SMA female on my HT). The losses of SMA connectors, as documented by these
articles, are (virtually) non-existent and SMA's can easily handle over 100 watts, more than enough for any
mobile setup.
Even for HF, I don't use *HF connectors because they are not at all weather resistant, for my setup, I've replaced
all of mine with Type-N. It was not a difficult decision, as I wanted one connector type for all of my cables, and
Type-N was designed for service in outdoor spaces. Rather than deal with adapters, I chose to "fix" my
equipment by installing the connectors the manufacturers (Kenwood and Icom) should have used. It has been
well worth it. I never worry about finding adapters or issues concerning using unsuitable connectors outside.
If you are concerned about the manufacturer's warranty, wait the for the warranty to expire, then replace them.
Most of my equipment was purchased on the secondary market, as I'm retired and new equipment is too
expensive for my budget, and the warranty wasn't an issue. On my 2 mobiles, I waited 60 days for break-in
failures and then replaced the So-239's with SMA's.
Since part of Amateur Radio is perfecting our craft and improving our skills and equipment (unlike commercial
equipment, we are allowed to modify our equipment), I don't understand why hams are so wedded to a
connector design that became obsolete almost 60 years ago, even for HF equipment. Type-N connectors were
designed in the '50's to solve the inherent limitations of the *HF connector design. It's past time that we hams
also move past this relic of the past.
Reply Report
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Hazte mecenas
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Construya esta antena HF portátil vertical
Mejorando el Super-J
Comparaciones de antenas HT
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