Male F Connector
The F connector is a type of RF connector commonly used for "over the air" terrestrial television, cable television and universally for satellite television and cable modems, usually with RG-6/U cable or (in older installations) with RG-59/U cable. It was invented by Eric E. Winston in the early 1950’s while working for Jerrold Electronics on their development of cable television. The F connector is inexpensive, yet has good 75-ohm impedance match up to 1 GHz. One reason for its low cost is that it uses the solid conductor (center wire) of the specified types of coaxial cable as the pin of the male connector. While lowering cost, this design drastically reduces the long-term reliability compared to other connectors, the copper wire being extremely prone to corrosion and damage on insertion. The male connector body is typically crimped, or sometimes screwed, onto the exposed outer braid, however crimping creates signal loss and a poor connection, and now the cable industry standard is to use pressurized fittings. Female connectors have a 3/8-32 thread. Most male connectors have a matching threaded connecting ring, though push-on versions are also available. Push-on F connector ends provide poor shielding against airborne signals (for example, a nearby TV transmitter will interfere with a CATV station).
References
- “F” Port (Female Indoor) Physical Dimensions, ANSI/SCTE 02 1997 (see www.scte.org).
- International standard IEC 60169-24: Radio-frequency coaxial connectors with screw coupling, typically for use in 75 ohm cable distribution systems (Type F).
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