[time-nuts] GPS Antenna Cable Splicing
Morris Odell
vilgotch at bigpond.net.au
Sat Mar 1 22:51:57 UTC 2008
> Date: Sat, 01 Mar 2008 19:52:03 +1030
> From: Matthew Smith <matt at smiffytech.com>
> Subject: [time-nuts] GPS Antenna Cable Splicing
> To: Time Nuts List <time-nuts at febo.com>
> Message-ID: <47C9203B.1030109 at smiffytech.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> 1) Can I actually extend the cables, or is 5m as far as I can go - all
> these are active antennae.
>
> 2) My normal way of extending a bit of coax would be to splice in an
> appropriate length of similar cable. To do this, I would strip the
> outer insulation for a couple of inches on both pieces, pulling back the
> braid. I would then strip enough of the central insulation so that I
> can solder the two cores together. I insulate this with tape or
> heatshrink, then solder the two braids together, wrap the whole thing
> with aluminium foil and use a glued heatshrink to case the whole lot.
Although the discussion here often revolves around the "edge of the
envelope", there are some things that might not need that level of detail. I
have a similar problem, with a workshop in the basement and a GPS antenna on
a balcony 3 stories up. I had a 15 metre length of RG213 running between
those two places for a HF antenna which is no longer used. It already had
UHF (PL-259) connectors on the end. I just made up a little adaptor for the
GPS antenna lead using a cheap plastic box, a SO-239 socket and plenty of
silicone sealant.
It works perfectly although I know a TDR would have apoplexy looking into
it. I use it for non-critical stuff and testing, my Z3815A had a dedicated
antenna with a proper lead.
Morris
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