Problem with SealSmart compression BNC connectors

September 20, 2006 6:58 PM

Does anyone have experience with SealSmart BNC cable connectors?

I'm trying to put together some BNC-terminated coax cables, so I got this SealSmart compression crimping system for attaching my connectors. I can't for the life of me get a good crimp, though. I'm following the instructions as best as I can tell, and I'm using the right size connectors for my cable (RG6U quad shield), but after squeezing down the crimp tool, the connector just isn't attached. Is there a trick I'm missing? These connectors cost like $2 a piece, and once they're crimped, they're wasted, so I'd really like to figure this out.

posted by mr_roboto to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (2 answers total)

Don't know about that one in particular, but are you really squeezing it all the way down? With all the single-action crimping tools like that I've used, getting the last little bit of the crimp is an absolute bastard. You need to squeeze until the body of the jaws meet or almost meet - and by almost, I mean "might get a sheet of paper in there", not "1/16th of an inch gap".

Double action and ratchet crimp tools are much easier on the hands...
posted by Pinback at 9:48 PM on September 20, 2006

You're probably using the wrong kind of cable (e.g. RG-6 vs RG-58 vs RG-59). The connectors you bought were for one cable, and the cable you've got has a smaller diameter.

Figure out what cable is correct for your application, then get the connectors to match.
posted by intermod at 5:39 AM on September 21, 2006