One thing I’ve found with both of my pepwaves is that sometimes when attaching an LMR-400 antenna cable which can be quite stiff, or even a paddle antenna, the antenna port nut sometimes becomes loose and I have to tighten it. I worry that I don’t want the antenna port to rotate for fear that it could cause damage with the internal connection if it rotates – not sure if this is a real concern, but it always makes me a little nervous when I notice any looseness and have to tighten it with a little wrench or needle nose pliers.
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Having taken a few of these apart I’d have to say I think Peplink has done a really good job of mechanical construction. I don’t know how it could have been done better. Having said that …
- LMR400 cables come in two general types (actually, there are more, but …): “regular” and “flexible.” You want the latter if possible. You’ve figured out that LMR is very stiff and difficult to deal with. It’s popular but it’s not our favorite.
- An option is to place a short jumper between the transmission line and coaxial connector. If you do be certain to use high quality cables and connectors – not unknown ChiCom stuff from Amazon et al. There are losses associated with this scheme that you may or may not be able to tolerate.
- Secure the transmission line and the router so neither moves – ever. Screws, cable mounts and tie wraps are your friend. If you can keep them from moving that’ll help more than anything else.
- When you tighten the nuts use a 5/16" wrench or nut driver, not pliers. Don’t tighten too much. Occasionally we have had to put a small amount of liquid thread locker e.g., “Loc-Tite” on the threads. If you do, make it your last resort and use a tiny amount. And, never use the “red” product.
I’d start with suggestions 1 and 3.
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@Rick-DC provided sound information. I would agree however that the antenna SMA nut does loosen a bit and has been noticed specifically with the paddle antennas. I would love to see a snap on plastic bracket that could hold all the antennas from moving which I believe could help with the fatigue on the SMA connector causing the nut to loosen.
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