Switched from compression to gel connectors on a 150-foot drop and saw my return loss jump from -25 to -18 dB

I used to swear by compression fittings for everything (you know, the old school way) but after a buddy in Portland convinced me to try gel-filled connectors on a nasty aerial run last month, the signal improvement was so obvious it made me wonder if I've been doing it wrong for years - has anyone else seen a similar before-and-after or am I just late to the party?

2 comments

2 Comments

taraw1629d ago

Stellawood that crawlspace story hits close to home. I swapped out a compression connector on a 130 foot drop last year and my return loss went from -23 to -16, I actually thought my meter was broken at first and checked it three times. Now I’m sitting here wondering if my whole career has been a joke with me fighting compression fittings like some kind of stubborn mule.

stellawood29d ago

Yeah that "jump from -25 to -18" part really got me. I was doing a run through a crawlspace last summer, nasty damp concrete, and kept fighting with compression fittings that'd just fail after a month. Swapped to gel and it's been solid ever since. Sometimes you just gotta try the new stuff even if it feels weird at first.