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Pro tip: double check the part number on that new batch of coax connectors
I just had to redo a whole antenna install on a Cessna 172 because the new box of connectors we got in looked identical but were actually for a different impedance. The plane failed its radio check and we lost half a day tracing it back. Has anyone else run into this with a specific supplier lately?
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finleym375mo ago
Man, that's the worst. It feels like everything is just a little bit off-spec these days, like quality control is slipping across the board. You buy light bulbs that burn out in a week, or a brand new tool that just feels cheap in your hand. It's not just aviation parts, it's hitting every little thing. Makes you wonder where all the good stuff went and if anyone is actually checking the boxes before they ship them out.
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gray3145mo ago
Tell me about it. We had a whole pallet of RG-58 show up last month with the wrong center conductor spec. Everything looked perfect until we started getting weird VSWR spikes on the test bench. Had to pull and re-crimp about three hundred jumpers. The supplier swore the labels were right but the spools were wrong. Total nightmare.
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max_schmidt773mo ago
And @finleym37, your point about quality control is spot on. What finally worked for us was buying a cheap TDR from an avionics surplus place (maybe $150) and checking every single spool before we even cut into it. Saved us a second batch of rework because we caught the next bad lot before it hit the bench. Test first, swear later, you know?
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