COAX SWITCHES

[N9LCD]

I've had a Baker & Williams CS-30 manual coax switch for over 10 years. I've never transmitted through it. I used it to route three 21.4 MHz IF outputs into one signal display unit. Even then the CS-30 received very light use.

I recently noticed that the 21.4 MHz IF output was LEAKING through the CS-30, into the IF output jack of another receiver, and through that receiver's IF chain to the audio output.

Luckily, the 21.4 MHz IF outputs are on the order of microvolts, not volts or watts! Could you imagine the consequences if somebody was using a CS-30 to switch transmitters or antennas and the coax switch started leaking?

It might be a good idea to test coax switches for isolation several times a year if you're running any more than a couple of watts through them.

JERRY

N9LCD

[KB1NXE]

This is one of the reasons I'm doing away with switches in the new shack I'm building. I'll bring everything into a patch panel made from 19" rack segments. With quality connectors and cable, loss will be less than any switch.