A New Philosophy of Performance Specification Applied to Coaxial Connectors

Basic problems with design specifications for RF connectors are discussed. The work of the ASA Committee C83.2 and the Armed Services in introducing performance specifications is presented. These specifications leave the construction details to the ingenuity of the designer but denote the critical interface dimensions to assure nondestructive mating. It defines two classes of connectors in terms of their performance characteristics. The results of the committee's efforts are presented in terms of definitions and measurement techniques for those parameters that define the RF performance of coaxial connectors. Examples of data obtained by these methods on present UG connectors are included.