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I was crimping coax connectors wrong for years and didn't know it
I was on a job in Tempe last month, helping a new guy finish up. He was watching me put on an F-connector and just said, 'Hey, why are you crimping it before you trim the braid?' I froze. I've been doing it that way for like eight years, ever since my trainer showed me. I'd always crimp the connector on, then use my knife to cut off the extra shielding sticking out. The new guy showed me the spec sheet from the connector box, which clearly says to trim the braid flush with the cable jacket first, then crimp. I tried it his way on the next run and the signal test was way more stable. I must have been causing micro-shorts or something all this time. How many service calls for 'intermittent signal' were my own fault? Has anyone else had a basic step they were taught wrong that stuck with them?
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joseph_lewis924mo ago
@lucas159 I think you're kinda off base here. Those bare strands touching the connector body before crimping can definitely cause issues, it's a known thing in the field.
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lucas1596mo ago
Honestly, I'm with your trainer on this one. Crimping first gives you a solid hold on the braid so your trim cut is clean and even. If you trim first, it's easy for those little strands to get pushed back or fray before you get the connector on. A stable signal after the fact could just mean you were finally paying close attention to your technique. Sometimes the spec sheet doesn't know everything about working in a real crawl space.
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felix_martin566mo ago
My old boss taught me to strip coax with my teeth, which is definitely not in the spec sheet.
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