RF connector
Encyclopedia
A coaxial RF connector is an electrical connector
designed to work at radio frequencies in the multi-megahertz range.
RF connectors are typically used with coaxial cable
s and are designed to maintain the shielding that the coaxial design offers. Better models also minimize the change in transmission line impedance
at the connection. Mechanically they provide a fastening mechanism (thread
, bayonet
, braces, push pull) and springs
for a low ohmic electric contact while sparing the gold surface thus allowing above 1000 reconnects and reducing the insertion force. Research activity in the area of radio-frequency (RF) circuit design has surged in the last decade in direct response to the enormous market demand for inexpensive, high data rate wireless transceivers.
The following audio and video connector
s are sometimes used for RF, but are not generally considered to be RF connectors:
List of coaxial connectors
Electrical connector
An electrical connector is an electro-mechanical device for joining electrical circuits as an interface using a mechanical assembly. The connection may be temporary, as for portable equipment, require a tool for assembly and removal, or serve as a permanent electrical joint between two wires or...
designed to work at radio frequencies in the multi-megahertz range.
RF connectors are typically used with coaxial cable
Coaxial cable
Coaxial cable, or coax, has an inner conductor surrounded by a flexible, tubular insulating layer, surrounded by a tubular conducting shield. The term coaxial comes from the inner conductor and the outer shield sharing the same geometric axis...
s and are designed to maintain the shielding that the coaxial design offers. Better models also minimize the change in transmission line impedance
Characteristic impedance
The characteristic impedance or surge impedance of a uniform transmission line, usually written Z_0, is the ratio of the amplitudes of a single pair of voltage and current waves propagating along the line in the absence of reflections. The SI unit of characteristic impedance is the ohm...
at the connection. Mechanically they provide a fastening mechanism (thread
Screw thread
A screw thread, often shortened to thread, is a helical structure used to convert between rotational and linear movement or force. A screw thread is a ridge wrapped around a cylinder or cone in the form of a helix, with the former being called a straight thread and the latter called a tapered thread...
, bayonet
Bayonet mount
A bayonet mount or bayonet connector is a fastening mechanism consisting of a male side with one or more pins, and a female receptor with matching L slots and spring to keep the two parts locked together....
, braces, push pull) and springs
Spring (device)
A spring is an elastic object used to store mechanical energy. Springs are usually made out of spring steel. Small springs can be wound from pre-hardened stock, while larger ones are made from annealed steel and hardened after fabrication...
for a low ohmic electric contact while sparing the gold surface thus allowing above 1000 reconnects and reducing the insertion force. Research activity in the area of radio-frequency (RF) circuit design has surged in the last decade in direct response to the enormous market demand for inexpensive, high data rate wireless transceivers.
Types
Standard types
- 7/16 DIN connector, a high power 50 Ω connector originally developed by Spinner
- BNC connectorBNC connectorThe BNC connector ' is a common type of RF connector used for coaxial cable. It is used with radio, television, and other radio-frequency electronic equipment, test instruments, video signals, and was once a popular computer network connector. BNC connectors are made to match the characteristic...
(Bayonet NeillPaul NeillPaul Neill was an electrical engineer at Bell Labs in the 1940s and 1950s. He is credited with helping to invent the BNC, TNC and Type N connectors used for microwave and RF communications....
-ConcelmanCarl ConcelmanCarl Concelman was the electrical engineer who, while working for Amphenol, invented the C connector and teamed up with Paul Neill of Bell Labs to invent the BNC connector....
) - C connectorC connectorThe C connector is a type of RF connector used for terminating coaxial cable. Coupling uses two-stud bayonet-type locks. The C connector was invented by Amphenol engineer Carl Concelman. It is weatherproof without being overly bulky....
(Concelman) - Dezifix connector, hermaphrodite connector used mainly by Rohde & SchwarzRohde & SchwarzRohde & Schwarz is an independent group of companies specializing in electronics. Well known as a manufacturer of electronic test equipment, they also manufacture equipment used for broadcasting, radiolocation, and radio communications...
- IEC 169-2 connector, also called Belling Lee connector or PAL, used throughout Europe and some other countries for domestic television installations and as FM connector for radio. It is standardised in EN 60169-2.
- F connectorF connectorThe F connector is a type of coaxial RF connector commonly used for "over the air" terrestrial television, cable television and universally for satellite television and cable modems, usually with RG-6/U cable or, in older installations, with RG-59/U cable. It was invented by Eric E...
, used for domestic television installations and domestic satellite LNBs (75 Ω) world wide. - GR connectorGR connectorThe GR connector, officially the General Radio Type 874, was a type of RF connector used for terminating coaxial cable. Designed by the General Radio Corporation, it was widely used on their electronic test equipment throughout the 60s and 70s....
(General RadioGeneral RadioGeneral Radio Company was a broad-line manufacturer of electronic test equipment. Started in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1915, the company moved to West Concord in the 1950s. There, it became a major player in the automatic test equipment business, manufacturing a line of testers for assembled...
) - HN connector, a high voltageHigh voltageThe term high voltage characterizes electrical circuits in which the voltage used is the cause of particular safety concerns and insulation requirements...
version of the N connector - MiniQuick
- Motorola connectorMotorola connectorA Motorola connector also known as a motorola antenna plug is a common coaxial cable RF connector used primarily in the automotive industry for connecting the coaxial feedline from the antenna to the radio receiver. It is also sometimes used for connecting scanner antennas to scanners...
, standard AM/FM antenna connector used for automotive radios - Musa connectorMusa connectorThe Musa connector is a type of coaxial connector, originally developed for the manual switching of radar signals. It had a characteristic impedance of 50 Ω, and was adopted for use in the emerging broadcast industry...
, a 50 Ω connector used in telecommunicationTelecommunicationTelecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s and broadcast videoVideoVideo is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :... - N connectorN connectorThe N connector is a threaded RF connector used to join coaxial cables. It was one of the first connectors capable of carrying microwave-frequency signals, and was invented in the 1940s by Paul Neill of Bell Labs, after whom the connector is named.-Design:Originally, the connector was designed to...
(Neill) - NMO mount (new Motorola mount), for removable mobile antennas. Large threaded base for durability in wind.
- SC connector, screw version of C connectorC connectorThe C connector is a type of RF connector used for terminating coaxial cable. Coupling uses two-stud bayonet-type locks. The C connector was invented by Amphenol engineer Carl Concelman. It is weatherproof without being overly bulky....
- SMA connectorSMA connectorSMA connectors are coaxial RF connectors developed in the 1960s as a minimal connector interface for coaxial cable with a screw type coupling mechanism. The connector has a 50 Ω impedance. It offers excellent electrical performance from DC to 18 GHz.-Connector design:The SMA connector consists of...
, SubMiniature version A - also listed below in SubMiniature - Is a very popular lab equipment standard connector. - TNC connector (threaded Neill-Concelman)
- Twin lead
- UHF connectorUHF connectorThe UHF connector, also called the Amphenol coaxial connector,is a World War II threaded RF connector design, from an era whenUHF referred to frequencies over 30 MHz.Originally intended for use as a video connector in RADAR applications,...
(e.g., PL-259/SO-239). Also referred to as an M-type connector by Japanese manufacturers such as Kenwood
- Blind mate BMA, also known as OSP (Omni Spectrum Push-On) is used in a wide variety of RF and microwave interconnect applications to provide excellent electrical performance to 22GHz. The patented OSP interface has set the standard for blind mate RF/microwave connectors for over two decades.
Miniature types
- Miniature BNC connectors
- Miniature UHF connectorMiniature UHF connectorMini-UHF connectors are miniaturized versions of UHF connectors, designed primarily for use in mobile phones and similar applications where size is an important consideration. Introduced in the 1970s, Mini-UHF has a 3/8-24 thread size and operates up to 2.5 GHz.-External links:*...
s - DIN 47223 connectors
- IPX connector
- SMZ connector - System 43 (BT43 and High Density HD43) for use in DDF
Micro-miniature types
- IMP connector
- MMT connector
- MMS connector
- U.FL connector
- UMP connector
Sub-miniature types
- MMCX connectorMMCX connectorMMCX connectors are coaxial RF connectors similar to MCX but smaller. They conform to the European CECC 22 000 specification....
- MCX connectorMCX connectorMCX connectors are coaxial RF connectors developed in the 1980s. They have the same inner contact and insulator dimensions as the SMB connector but are 30% smaller. MCX is standardized in European CECC 22220....
- FME connectorFME connectorFME is a miniature 50Ω RF connector series offering excellent performance from DC to 2.0 GHz used with primarily with RG-58 or equivalent coaxial cables employed in mobile applications and installations...
- SMA connectorSMA connectorSMA connectors are coaxial RF connectors developed in the 1960s as a minimal connector interface for coaxial cable with a screw type coupling mechanism. The connector has a 50 Ω impedance. It offers excellent electrical performance from DC to 18 GHz.-Connector design:The SMA connector consists of...
, including variants:- 3.5 and 2.92 mm connectors, which cross-mate with SMA, and
- 2.4, 1.85 and 1.0 mm connectors, which do not cross-mate with SMA
- SMB connectorSMB connectorSMB connectors are coaxial RF connectors developed in the 1960s. SMB connectors are smaller than SMA connectors.They feature a snap-on coupling and are available in either 50 Ω or 75 Ω impedance...
- SMC connectorSMC connectorSMC connectors are coaxial RF connectors developed in the 1960s. They use a #10-32 UNF threaded interface and are available in 50 Ω or 75 Ω impedances...
- SMP connector
Quick-lock connectors
- QMA and QN connectorQMA and QN connectorQMA and QN connectors are quick-connect RF connectors that were designed to replace the widely used SMA connector and Type N connectors. The connectors have been available since 2003...
- QLS connectorQLS connectorThe QLS is a quick locking replacement for the threaded interface of the popular SMA connector. Designed and manufactured jointly by German-based RF and Microwave component suppliers Telegartner and IMS, this new connector emerged in 2006 as an answer to some of the shortcomings of the original...
- SnapN connector
- Mini-QMA connector
- WQMA (Waterproof QMA)
- HPQN connector
See also
- Antenna socket
- MHV connectorMHV connectorThe MHV connector is a type of RF connector used for terminating coaxial cable.The connector looks almost identical to a typical BNC connector, but is not designed to mate with BNC jacks. MHV connectors can be recognized by the slightly protruding insulation on the male plug and the slightly...
, a coaxial connector designed for high voltages - SHV connectorSHV connectorThe SHV connector is a type of RF connector used for terminating a coaxial cable.The connector uses a bayonet mount similar to those of the BNC and MHV connectors, but is easily distinguished due to its very thick and protruding insulator...
, a safer coaxial connector designed for high voltages
The following audio and video connector
Audio and video connector
Audio connectors and video connectors are electrical connectors for carrying audio signal and video signal, of either analog or digital format. Analog A/V connectors often use Shielded cable to inhibit radio frequency interference and noise.- Audio only :Audio connectors are electrical...
s are sometimes used for RF, but are not generally considered to be RF connectors:
- DIN connectorDIN connectorA DIN connector is a connector that was originally standardized by the , the German national standards organization. There are DIN standards for a large number of different connectors, therefore the term "DIN connector" alone does not unambiguously identify any particular type of connector unless...
(not to be confused with the "7/16 DIN" connector) - RCA connectorRCA connectorAn RCA connector, sometimes called a phono connector or cinch connector, is a type of electrical connector commonly used to carry audio and video signals...
(Radio Corporation of America) originally introduced for audio, but now widely used for videoVideoVideo is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...
as well - SCARTSCARTSCART is a French-originated standard and associated 21-pin connector for connecting audio-visual equipment together...
List of coaxial connectors
- Concentric twinax connectorConcentric twinax connectorA concentric twinax connector has a center pin and a cylindrical intermediate contact as compared to a dual polarized pin type.-MIL-STD-1553:...