cable adapter setup

[David Lessard]

I am trying to attach the SDR dongle to an outside antenna. It looks like I would need to match a UHF SO239 PL259 female (for outside antenna connection) to a PAL male cable (to cthw dongle) for this model. The problem is I can't find it listed anywhere in the net for sale. I had ordered an UHF SO239 Pl259 to MCX male 6" cable, but the MCX male side did not fit (too small) and after some research I realized this dongle has the PAL connection and not the MCX. Any ideas appreciated or a place to buy this. 

[Siegfried Jackstien]

Build your own

It is not that difficult to build such an adaptor

Dg9bfc

Sigi



> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: ultra-c...@googlegroups.com [mailto:ultra-cheap-
> s...@googlegroups.com] Im Auftrag von David Lessard
> Gesendet: Donnerstag, 16. Juli 2015 00:56
> An: ultra-c...@googlegroups.com
> Betreff: [ultra-cheap-sdr] cable adapter setup

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[David J Taylor]

From: David Lessard

=========================

David,

You could ask ChinaRF. Their e-bay store is here:

http://stores.ebay.com/chinarf

If by "PAL" you mean a "Belling-Lee" TV connector, I agree with Sigi - roll
your own!

http://www.megalithia.com/elect/bellinglee/

Cheers,
David
--
SatSignal Software - Quality software written to your requirements
Web: http://www.satsignal.eu
Email: david-...@blueyonder.co.uk

[jdow]

Search for: PAL to "Type F"
Search for: "Type F" to PL259

Bob's your uncle if you purchase two adapters. You can also use BNC as the
intermediate connector. Or, since you have the PL259-mcx adapter cable look for
"mcx to PAL".

{^_^}

[jdow]

On 2015-07-16 04:07, David J Taylor wrote:
> From: David Lessard
>
> I am trying to attach the SDR dongle to an outside antenna. It looks like I
> would need to match a UHF SO239 PL259 female (for outside antenna connection) to
> a PAL male cable (to cthw dongle) for this model. The problem is I can't find it
> listed anywhere in the net for sale. I had ordered an UHF SO239 Pl259 to MCX
> male 6" cable, but the MCX male side did not fit (too small) and after some
> research I realized this dongle has the PAL connection and not the MCX. Any
> ideas appreciated or a place to buy this.
> =========================
>
> David,
>
> You could ask ChinaRF. Their e-bay store is here:
>
> http://stores.ebay.com/chinarf
>
> If by "PAL" you mean a "Belling-Lee" TV connector, I agree with Sigi - roll your
> own!
>
> http://www.megalithia.com/elect/bellinglee/
>
> Cheers,
> David

Since he's already using two connectors that are really dreadful above about 100
MHz he might as well simply use mending tape and twisted wires to make an
adapter. It'd not be much worse. He has the antenna that came with the dongle
for the correct sex for the PAL connector. And he has the PL259 to mcx adapter.
If he doesn't want to "bank" that adapter pending purchase of another dongle he
can mash the two together without losing too awfully much.

{^_-}

[jdow]

On 2015-07-16 04:07, David J Taylor wrote:

> From: David Lessard
>
> I am trying to attach the SDR dongle to an outside antenna. It looks like I
> would need to match a UHF SO239 PL259 female (for outside antenna connection) to
> a PAL male cable (to cthw dongle) for this model. The problem is I can't find it
> listed anywhere in the net for sale. I had ordered an UHF SO239 Pl259 to MCX
> male 6" cable, but the MCX male side did not fit (too small) and after some
> research I realized this dongle has the PAL connection and not the MCX. Any
> ideas appreciated or a place to buy this.
> =========================
>
> David,
>
> You could ask ChinaRF. Their e-bay store is here:
>
> http://stores.ebay.com/chinarf
>
> If by "PAL" you mean a "Belling-Lee" TV connector, I agree with Sigi - roll your
> own!
>
> http://www.megalithia.com/elect/bellinglee/
>
> Cheers,
> David

[David J Taylor]

From: jdow

Since he's already using two connectors that are really dreadful above about
100
MHz he might as well simply use mending tape and twisted wires to make an
adapter. It'd not be much worse. He has the antenna that came with the
dongle
for the correct sex for the PAL connector. And he has the PL259 to mcx
adapter.
If he doesn't want to "bank" that adapter pending purchase of another dongle
he
can mash the two together without losing too awfully much.

{^_-}

================================

Might work OK for HF work - the DC bands!

Actually, the Belling-Lee TV connector works well enough for TV (analogue
and digital) up to some 800 MHz, as tens of millions of homes in the UK can
testify, and likely that's why the particular device has been fitted with
such a connector.

Larger diameter cables are an issue. For use on 144 MHz and lower the UHF
connector is "not bad", and perhaps less critical in matching connector to
cable size than the N-type.

73,
David GM8ARV

[Siegfried Jackstien]

I would use a short pigtail with a belling lee on one end and an n type on
the other end

With a short run of aircell 7 in between (or aircell5 or to stay cheap and
simple a short run of rg58)

That can be a homebrewed thingy and is easy to build (and has best
performance up to 1 gig or more)

Easy, cheap, and reliable with good performance

For a quick test ALL homebrewed solutions would do the job ... even if you
just wire wrap "something" together

So go to junk box and search an old tv cable

Cut in two

Connect whatever you have to the other end (any antenna connector that you
have ... be it pl or n or bnc) ... and then go from there

Dg9bfc

Sigi


> -----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
> Von: ultra-c...@googlegroups.com [mailto:ultra-cheap-

> s...@googlegroups.com] Im Auftrag von David J Taylor
> Gesendet: Freitag, 17. Juli 2015 07:51
> An: ultra-c...@googlegroups.com
> Betreff: Re: [ultra-cheap-sdr] cable adapter setup

[jdow]

On 2015-07-17 00:51, David J Taylor wrote:
> From: jdow
>
> Since he's already using two connectors that are really dreadful above about 100
> MHz he might as well simply use mending tape and twisted wires to make an
> adapter. It'd not be much worse. He has the antenna that came with the dongle
> for the correct sex for the PAL connector. And he has the PL259 to mcx adapter.
> If he doesn't want to "bank" that adapter pending purchase of another dongle he
> can mash the two together without losing too awfully much.
>
> {^_-}
> ================================
>
> Might work OK for HF work - the DC bands!
>
> Actually, the Belling-Lee TV connector works well enough for TV (analogue and
> digital) up to some 800 MHz, as tens of millions of homes in the UK can testify,
> and likely that's why the particular device has been fitted with such a connector.
>
> Larger diameter cables are an issue. For use on 144 MHz and lower the UHF
> connector is "not bad", and perhaps less critical in matching connector to cable
> size than the N-type.
>
> 73,
> David GM8ARV

Some information I found on the connector suggested it's not as good as the F
series. It's fair at best above about 100 MHz. It's cheap. The same can be said
for the so-called "UHF" connector, PL-259 and SO-259. They are usable but
present high VSWR bumps in the feed line path when you view it with Time Domain
Reflectometry. Again, the F series outperform the connector. From this comes the
shrug, strip and twist 'em together comment. If I was replacing connectors and
wanted to use the dongles say for GPS reception I'd use SMA connectors. Then for
a long run I'd use a short N to SMA pigtail adapter. (And I'd pray the pigtail
was carefully and professionally assembled. But, Pasternak is expensive.)

Come to think on it with typical 1/4" RF cables the connector at the end of a 10
meter run would not make much difference to the already rather high loss at tens
of centimeters wavelengths. Antenna mounted preamps are nice creatures in that
frequency range.

Type N is nice for large cables, which you should use for cables of any length
over 6' or so at near GHz frequencies. Better connectors exist. (For awhile
there were defects in the N connector leading to high VSWR in the GPS band
frequencies. That's been fixed. SMA is a better connector for 1/4" cables. For
Thumb size cables you're in a bind that sticks you with N. The fat cables stop
working at frequencies somewhat above the dongle frequencies as the cable
dimensions become a bit part of the wavelength. You get multiple propagation
modes within the cable leading to losses and other problems. BNC is handy, but
it wobbles making its VSWR performance unreliable.

{^_-}