USING PL-259’S THE EASY WAY
BY THOMAS BROOKS, KG5ZSU

	A good friend of mine once told me about a method to install PL-259’s without soldering the braid. I was a little skeptical at first, but once I tried it, I like it better in most applications then the solder-only method. Here is a video that shows how to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7NUsuh7ZUI and the PDF version of the original article, which has since been taken down: https://qsl.net/kg5zsu/resources/PL-259%20to%20Coax%20Done%20Right.pdf

	In summary, strip the outer jacket back about one length of the PL-259. (The video says about 1.5”) Fold the braid back, and strip all but 1/8” of the center dielectric away from the center conductor. Guide the center conductor through the tip on the PL-259, and screw the body over the braid which is folded over the outer jacket. The PL-259 body crimps the shield the entire way around the outer jacket making a very good connection. I have soldered a point or two on the end of the braid, but you don’t have to. 

	This method makes a very secure mechanical connection, and I think it works well for attachment to beams or the like which often leave the coax hanging at on odd angle, or situation where the coax is likely to have some flex to it caused by wind or other movement. 

	Just make sure you waterproof it like you would any other PL-259 connector. (Ignore that if using indoors…) Coax-Seal putty works good, but that’s another article.

	I do not like the mechanical stability of this method on any cable with a reducer. Although, initial tests show good electrical connections on the connectors I have installed on RG-8X cable. I just recently had connectors on LMR-400 cable fail, and they were soldered normally. Now the bodies rotate many degrees about the center axis, and I plan on redoing them with the screw-on method. I have no doubt they will last for a much longer duration than the solder method.