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Thread: LMR-400 Question

  1. #1
    Master Navigator KU0DM's Avatar
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    LMR-400 Question

    Any tricks for cutting through the plastic between the braid and center conductor? It always feels like pulling teeth even with the sharpest of knives.

  2. #2
    Pope Carlo l NQ6U's Avatar
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    I just use a utility knife with a brand new blade. Take care not to nick the center conductor.
    All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.

  3. #3
    Whacker Knot WØTKX's Avatar
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    Or a coax stripper made for it. I use LMR-400 at work, and the RF Industries stripper is excellent. Really fast, and clean.

    DX Engineering has one too, a little different design. Yea, they are about $40 to $50, which kind of sucks.

    RFA-4400-01.jpg

    If you do it with a really sharp blade, and not a stripper, bend the coax a bit after cutting into the outer jacket. This will avoid nicking the braid. Same for the center insulator. Bend it so the cut is on the outside of the bend, and it will split. Work your way around the wire, about a third at a time.

    Take care not to cut all the way thru to the wires underneath. This works for any insulated wire.
    Last edited by WØTKX; 07-18-2013 at 09:27 PM.
    "Where would we be without the agitators of the world to attach the electrodes
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  4. #4
    La Rata Del Desierto K7SGJ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WØTKX View Post
    Or a coax stripper made for it. I use LMR-400 at work, and the RF Industries stripper is excellent. Really fast, and clean.

    DX Engineering has one too, a little different design. Yea, they are about $40 to $50, which kind of sucks.

    RFA-4400-01.jpg
    I use cutters pretty much like that as well. I have 2 and 3 stage units for just about every size of coax. They do make life easy.
    A clear conscience is usually a sign of a bad memory

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  5. #5
    Whacker Knot WØTKX's Avatar
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    There are cheaper ones, but after a point, I'll use a knife instead of a cheapie.
    Last edited by WØTKX; 07-19-2013 at 08:31 PM.
    "Where would we be without the agitators of the world to attach the electrodes
    of knowledge to the nipples of ignorance?" ~ Professor "Dick" Soloman



  6. #6
    La Rata Del Desierto K7SGJ's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by WØTKX View Post
    Three are cheaper ones, but after a point, I'll use a knife instead of a cheapie.
    + 76 Maxwells.

    With the cheaper ones, I can almost guarantee that at least 100% of the time, there will be a few strands of the shield microscopically wrapped around the center conductor.
    A clear conscience is usually a sign of a bad memory

    RIP ALBI-W3MIV RIP RUSS-W5RB RIP BOB-VK3ZL





  7. #7
    Master Navigator
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    I use a sharp pipe cutter - it works very well on LMR400. I start by removing outer jacket, braid and inner dielectric far enough to fit the center pin of the connector, then I strip off the outer jacket far enough that it will still screw part way onto the threads in the connector. As someone pointed out, a large pipe cutter doesn't work that well on smaller coax, but there are smaller pipe cutters out there, too.

  8. #8
    Whacker Knot WØTKX's Avatar
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    I have used a pipe cutter as well. It works!
    "Where would we be without the agitators of the world to attach the electrodes
    of knowledge to the nipples of ignorance?" ~ Professor "Dick" Soloman



  9. #9
    Conch Master W2NAP's Avatar
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    blah LMR-400 junk IMO get yourself some 1/2 heliax.
    I AM THE VOICE OF THE VOICELESS!

  10. #10
    Whacker Knot WØTKX's Avatar
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    Elitist VHF Ham Pig!
    "Where would we be without the agitators of the world to attach the electrodes
    of knowledge to the nipples of ignorance?" ~ Professor "Dick" Soloman



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