The day I stopped using a hammer on coax connectors

Three years ago I was working a big install job out in Arlington and I kept smashing RG6 connectors with my hammer because that's how the old guys taught me. Turns out I was causing micro-cracks in the dielectric that showed up as intermittent signal drops weeks later. I finally switched to a compression tool and haven't had a callback since. Any of you guys still seeing guys hammering connectors on in the field?

3 comments

3 Comments

wesley_fox927d ago

Nah man I gotta push back a little here. I've been doing this for 15 years and I still see old timers smacking connectors on without issues. You gotta use the right technique though, not just wailing on it like a caveman. A little tap to seat the center conductor is fine if you're using a proper crimp tool after. Compression tools are great and all but sometimes you're up a ladder in the rain and a hammer is what you got. I think people overblame the hammer and underblame bad cable prep or cheap connectors.

riley_coleman87d ago

Guilty as charged, I've definitely been that guy with a hammer and wet socks.

the_kevin7d ago

Wait is this really that big of a deal though? I've seen guys hammer connectors on for years and most of those jobs were fine with no callbacks. @riley_coleman8 I'm with you on the wet socks thing, that's just the job sometimes. I think people get too wrapped up in blaming the hammer when the real problem is usually bad prep or a crappy connector from the start. A buddy of mine still uses a hammer on purpose and he's been doing installs since the '90s with zero issues. Like Wesley said, it's all about how you do it not just what you use.