Replacing BNC connector

[Mike]

Hello,

We have a number of people, at our club, who like to carry the unit or pull the connector loose by the headset cord itself, resulting in damage.

Can you tell me which BNC connector is used (e.g. Amp, ICOM, etc.) and whether that manufacturers crimp tool must be used. We'll most likely use 3M heat shrink to provide an additional strain relief.

Thanks for your help.

Sincerely,

Mike K.

[BenNK]

Hi Mike,

We respectfully request that any repairs that need to be made to the CoxBox in the USA be done here at Nielsen-Kellerman. It is in this way that we can ensure the quality of the product is maintained as much as possible. I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any further questions, thanks!

[RowRepairs]

All

The BNC connector used by NK is an Amphenol 36775 however any BNC connector designed for RG58 cable can be used, as can a crimp tool designed for RG58 connectors. Fitting them isn't overly difficult for someone who is practically minded

In any case the BNC is far from the most appropriate connector for the application in which NK are/were using it. BNC's are not designed for the marine environment and generally only have a lifetime for around 50 matings, it is for these reasons that people have so many issues with 'static' on the older cox box the reason it occurs is because the spring inside the BNC corrodes causing the connector not to mate tightly.
Unfortunately on the older cox boxes we are stuck with these connectors but it is a bit rich for NK not to provide the information above on how the end user can repair them and instead charge to repair a problem which is a result of their bad design choice and will always re-occur even after a new connector has been fitted.

It is good to see that NK have chosen a much more appropriate connector for their new cox boxes however I was disappointed to discover that they are still using coaxial cable for the headset, another bad design choice. Coaxial cable doesn't like repeated flexing (exactly what happens to it when the headset is being worn by a cox). This repeated flexing causes the cable to break internally again producing the 'static' from the cox box. I already have had to repair 2 of the new headsets because this has occurred near where the cable enters the headset. I wonder what NK's solution would be... probably to replace the headset at extortionate cost. Why they don't use a high quality flexible microphone cable I just don't know, especially at the price they charge for a cox box system.

Bottom line with a little effort you can replace the BNC connector yourself and in turn save both you and your club a large amount of expense and effort not to mention the reduced downtime without the cox box in the boat.

Thanks

[timtheltwt]

I've had this problem as well and on the headset I checked the male BNC connector was marked as an Amphenol 36775. From what I can tell it is a 50 ohm, crimp style connector for RG58 cable. I'm not sure what NK charges for this repair but BNC crimpers are pretty expensive so it may be best to leave it to the experts anyway.