Re: [amsat-bb] LMR-400 vs 9913F?

["John P. Toscano" <tosca005@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Nate Duehr wrote:
>> It is supposed to work with standard RG-8U connectors.

The size is close enough to RG-8U that the connectors can be put on, but 
different enough that you really SHOULD NOT use them.  It is real easy 
to find "9913" connectors that work perfectly with 9913 or LMR-400.

>> I see that sell some moderately pricey "prep tools." 

I've put lots of connectors on LMR-400 and a few on 9913, and never 
needed any special kind of tool.  I greatly prefer the "clamp" style of 
N connector, and after ruining a few of them trying to "make do" with a 
pair of Crescent wrenches (adjustable open-end wrench), I finally got 
smart and began using a pair of fixed-size open-end wrenches to tighten 
up the clamp, and have been perfectly happy ever since.

> They also make LMR-600, and others, made for higher frequencies, etc. 
> And recently I read about them producing a more flexible version of 
> LMR-400 at a higher price, same performance, more flex.  Haven't yet 
> seen it "in the field" yet, though.

I've used LMR-600 and LMR-400UF ("ultra-flex") also.  Be sure you have a 
very good soldering iron to attach the center pin on LMR-600.  I once 
tried to assemble an LMR-600 cable at Field Day with makeshift tools 
under severe time constraints, and it was not pretty.  Took forever to 
heat up the center pin enough to get the solder to flow!  There's a lot 
of metal in there!  The key is simply (a) have the right tool, and (b) 
allow enough time to do it right.

I mostly agree with the rest of the traffic on the question of LMR-400 
and 9913.  The first antenna I ever mounted on my home was cabled with 
9913 semi-air dialectric cable (not the 9913F solid-foam core), and 
because the N connectors were properly waterproofed, it works just as 
well today as it did 10 years ago.  I have also heard the horror stories 
of old-style 9913 filling up with water, but I've been spared the first 
hand experience of that.  Of course, Minnesota is not Washington state, 
but we have our fair share of precipitation around here, as well as 
large temperature swings...

But I really like the Times Microwave product line, and use their stuff 
almost exclusively these days, from LMR-100 (the size of RG-58 but far 
better), LMR-240 (the size of Mini-RG-8), to LMR-400 (my mainstay for 
most things) to LMR-400UF (for rotator loops, etc. where flexibility is 
desired) to LMR-600 (for 902 MHz to 3456 MHz).  Good stuff, highly 
recommended.

73 de W0JT
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