I recently purchased some BNC connectors for PL-174 coax from eBay seller connekt.  It took me a little while to figure out how to use them, so here's my notes.

  • Cut cable to desired length.
  • Put tape backstop on cable.  (This is to keep the parts you slide onto the cable from sliding far down the cable.)
  • Slide the screw connector onto the cable. (Item 1 in the image above -- The part of the connector through which the cable exits.)
  • Slide on the big-hole metal washer.  (Look closely.  One has a little bigger hole. Item 3 in the above picture.)
  • Slide on the rubber ring. (Item 4 in the picture.)
  • Slide on the little-hole washer. (Item 5 in the picture.)
  • THEN strip the end of the cable.
    • strip 3/4" of jacket
    • push back the braid
    • Slide on the braid-spreading washer - tube-end first, washer last.  (Item 2 in the picture.)
    • shove it on snug
    • splay the braid
    • trim excess braid
    • strip dielectric, leaving 1/16" (a little less than thickness of the braid spreading washer)
    • tin and trim center conductor of the cable. Leave the conductor about 1/16" too long for the pin.
  • screw it all together and test.

This uses only contact/pressure to make contact between the center wire of the cable and the inside of the pin.  I did one this way and I did one soldering the wire inside the pin.  It is really tough to solder the wire inside the pin!  We'll see if one lasts longer than the other.  If the contact-only pins last, these are nice, easy-to-use connectors.  If they don't, I'll stick with crimp connectors.