------Question for PE91349 Please Put your question below------
Does this product utilize a PTFE dielectric substrate?
Standard consumer grade F81 couplers (used for RG6 cable TV) use cheaper thermoplastics like polypropylene or polyethylene. Therefore, they can warp or melt over time.
I have no reason to believe the RG6 coax cable inside the wall plate is improperly terminated, and therefore arcing. Other than the fact that I have gone through 5 to 6 consumer grade F81 couplers in the past 2-3 months. The original problem was that the stinger was not cut to the proper specification for RG6 (about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch of center conductor exposed beyond the connector). It was in fact almost twice the recommended length. So, that acounts for the destruction of about 3-4 couplers within the first several weeks of troubleshooting (not taking into account the very first coupler originally installed in the wall plate, which was DOA). Although, I have the capability and means to cut the cable again and properly terminate (i.e. crimp) it; however, I want to avoid that as there is barely any cable protruding from the wall plate in the first place (and no slack to pull it out any further). So, I’m saving that headache as a last resort.
I suspect possible arcing at this point, because the last coupler that died on me I do not think was damaged during the initial troubleshooting phase when I was swapping out couplers like crazy trying to find one that worked (of course, as I mentioned the real issue was that the stinger was twice as long as it should have been!). The last coupler worked perfect for a solid month, then completely died on me. (I received my full bandwidth with no intermittent outages.) Did I mention I am using PPC (Belden) solid brass F81 couplers? The cheap zinc alloy couplers that Spectrum provides only lasted about a week. And the idiot technician that removed one of my couplers had the gall to claim the problem was that I was using cheap couplers I must have purchased from “Radio Shack,” aside from the fact that there hasn’t been a Radio Shack around here in over a decade. Neither did the technician notice the stinger was twice as long as it should have been even after examining the cable ends. I discovered the problem shortly after he left as I was still having intermittent outages after the technician claimed he had “fixed” the problem.
Long story short, I have no way of knowing whether all six of the PPC couplers I originally had were damaged by trying them on a cable end with a stinger sticking out much farther than it should have been. As I understand it, the delicate copper pins or connectors inside the coupler can become bent or warped (and increasingly so over time) if the stinger is longer than the specification for RG6 cabling. Of course, arcing can also lead to loose coupler connections over time as the plastic substrate inside the coupler warps or melts. Thus, why I need an F81 coupler with a PTFE dielectric substrate that can withstand temperatures of a cable that is possibly arcing.
Like I said, I would much rather just cut the cable and crimp it again to make sure it was properly terminated as that would be the easiest solution, but as I also mentioned the cable just barely reaches the wall plate as it is (and there is no slack to pull it out any further and if I yank it any harder I risk damaging the cable itself!). Did I mention I live in an old apartment building, which I’m sure does not make these cabling matters any easier.
So, I’m looking for a badass coupler for my initial fix. If the Pasternack F81 couplers are made with a PTFE substrate that can stand up to arc temperatures, please let me know (as it is not listed on the data sheet). The last PPC coupler I used lasted me a little over a month (although it could have potentially been damaged during prior weeks of troubleshooting), and I believe I’m on my sixth and last good Belden coupler (assuming that it too is undamaged).