Stopped using the old crimp-and-pray method after a call back last Tuesday

I used to just twist and tape coax connections by hand, figured it was fine. Switched to a $40 compression tool and now my signal readings actually hold steady - anyone else waste years on bad ends?

3 comments

3 Comments

caleb_bell513d ago

Yeah, the crimp and pray thing got me too until I actually saw a bad end on a meter.

anthony_jackson3112d ago

Man I've definitely crimped and prayed more times than I'd like to admit.

rose_clark8112d ago

The part about "bad end on a meter" is actually a good way to put it though, @caleb_bell5. Most people don't realize that a crimp that looks fine can fail under load if it wasn't seated right or if the tool wasn't fully closed. A meter will show you that false contact where it passes a continuity test but drops out when you wiggle it. I had a buddy who swore his crimps were perfect until he got a fluke meter and started checking every joint he made, found about one in twenty had issues.