Things got better, but because F connectors are installed by people the craft-sensitivity part can never be completely eliminated. Various cable operators and even SCTE introduced installer training and certification courses, and installation quality control programs were rolled out in many systems. Tool manufacturers gave us cable preparation tools to do away with the inconsistency of pocket knife-prepped interfaces, as well as 7/16-inch F connector torque wrenches factory set to a value somewhere in the 20 to 30 inch-pounds range. Years ago comprehensive tests clearly showed that improperly installed F connectors can cause all sorts of technical issues, so an effort was made to educate our workforce about installing the things correctly the first time.Ĭonnector manufacturers responded with new designs that reduced the craft-sensitivity side of the equation. "What happens when a connector is tightened another eighth of a turn beyond finger tight?" It’s no surprise that the lowly F connector contributes to a significant percentage of service calls, and most of those connector-related calls have some sort of craftsmanship problem written all over them. Toss in a likely impedance mismatch, and micro-reflections might come into play, too. A loose connector creates a potential source of signal leakage and ingress. We know that loose connectors have been with us for as long as connectors have existed. I went on to say that I’ve not personally seen a problem tightening to as much as 20 to 30 inch-pounds on cable modems and set-tops.īoy, was I wrong. I replied that a general tightening torque guideline has long been 20 to 30 inch-pounds for mating connectors on taps, ground blocks, drop splitters, and so forth, and finger tight plus one-eighth-of-a-turn on connectors mounted in plastic (VCRs, cable-ready TVs). In early December 2009 there was a post on cabletv-list, an industry e-mail reflector, asking about F connector tightness on set-tops and cable modems.
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