Old timer told me to always strip 3 inches instead of 2, now I see why

Been running cable for my company for 8 years now. Always did the standard 2 inch strip like everyone taught me. Then this 60 year old retired installer stopped by a job in Akron last Tuesday and told me to strip 3 inches on every coax termination. Said it prevents the dielectric from cracking near the compression point. Tried it on a 50 unit apartment complex this week. Zero fails on the signal meter after terminating all 120 ends. That extra inch really does let the connector seat better without stress. Anyone else heard this trick or got other old school tips that actually work?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_emma10d ago

Hang on, I gotta push back on this a little. That extra inch of exposed center conductor sounds like a recipe for signal bleed and interference, especially in a crowded apartment complex with all those lines running close together. Most manufacturers spec the 2 inch strip for a reason, and deviating from that could mess with the impedance math inside the connector. Plus, if the dielectric is cracking from a standard 2 inch strip, that sounds more like a bad batch of cable or a cheap connector problem, not a universal fix. I'd rather stick with what the engineers designed and check my crimp technique than add extra length that might just cause issues down the road.

the_elliot9d ago

Three inches is the move. Old guys know what works, specs be damned half the time.

king.aaron9d ago

Hold on, wouldn't a three inch strip actually cause more issues with water getting into the connector over time? I've seen it happen with older installs where the weatherproofing doesn't reach the jacket because of that extra inch, and then you're dealing with corrosion on the center conductor. @the_elliot might have decades of field experience, but in my experience the dielectric is more likely to trap moisture than crack from the strip length. We had a whole block of drop amps fail six months after an install because the crew was doing this, and it was all water damage. Just something to think about before you go off the factory spec.