Tried crimping satellite coax with cheap pliers vs a proper compression tool and man what a difference

I work on a lot of general aviation planes that have satellite receivers and last week I was struggling with a stubborn connection on a Cessna 172. I had my old $15 crimping pliers I got from a hardware store and kept getting loose fits that would fail continuity checks. A buddy who does commercial avionics handed me his compression tool from Ideal and it was night and day. The first crimp came out perfect and I didn't have to redo any of them. Those cheap pliers just don't squeeze evenly no matter how hard you try. I swear I wasted 45 minutes redoing connectors before I switched. Has anyone else noticed a big gap between budget and pro crimpers for avionics work?

2 comments

2 Comments

charles_coleman14d ago

Saw the same thing happen with a buddy's project plane last summer. He used those cheap pliers on a hot afternoon and the connector literally deformed from the uneven pressure. The plastic housing cracked and the pin was bent sideways inside the connector. He spent three hours troubleshooting before he figured out it was just the crimp failing under vibration. After he borrowed my Ideal tool and redid that one connection, the signal was perfect and the problem went away completely. The difference really comes down to the cheap tools applying pressure from just one direction while compression tools squeeze evenly from all sides. Once you see how much time and frustration it saves, you'll never go back to the pliers.

riverhill15d ago

Oh man, have you seen what happens when someone tries to use those cheap pliers on a plane that's been sitting in the sun all day? A buddy of mine, works on helicopters, told me he had a connector literally crack in his hand because the cheap tool squeezed it too hard on one side. He spent like two hours chasing a ghost signal before figuring out it was just a bad crimp. Said he threw those pliers straight in the trash and bought a proper compression tool that same afternoon.