W5SWL Premium Series QMA Connectors — When Staying Connected Matters
QMA connectors were developed to provide the electrical performance of an SMA-type RF connection with the convenience of a quick-locking interface. When properly designed and manufactured, the QMA system provides a secure connection that can be installed and removed quickly without threading and unthreading a coupling nut.
There is, however, an important difference between connecting and staying connected.
Over the years, we have encountered some lower-cost imported and off-brand QMA connectors that appear to lock onto the mating connection but do not provide adequate retention. Under movement, vibration, cable loading, or normal handling, a poorly retained QMA connector can release or “pop off” the radio.
In many applications that is an inconvenience. In a public-safety or other mission-critical radio installation, it can be much more serious. If the antenna connection separates from the radio, communications can be lost at exactly the wrong time.
Why W5SWL Premium Series QMA Connectors Are Different
W5SWL Electronics supplies a significant amount of RF interconnect hardware for commercial, government, and public-safety applications. Because of those applications, we consider mechanical retention to be just as important as electrical performance.
Our W5SWL Premium Series QMA connectors and adapters are specifically selected, designed, and tested with positive retention in mind. We require the QMA locking mechanism to properly engage the mating connector and remain attached during the handling and movement expected in actual service.
We do not consider a QMA connector acceptable simply because it snaps onto the radio. It must stay there.
That distinction is particularly important with mobile radio equipment, where cables are moved, equipment is handled, and connectors can be subjected to forces that would rarely occur on a stationary laboratory bench.
A Small Connector Can Be a Critical Part of the System
An RF system is only as dependable as the connections between its components. A high-quality radio, feed line, and antenna cannot perform properly if the connector between them unexpectedly separates.
That is why we take the mechanical performance of our QMA products seriously.
For an ordinary installation, dependable retention prevents frustration and downtime. For commercial and public-safety communications, dependable retention helps ensure that the radio remains connected to the antenna when communications are needed.
W5SWL Premium Series QMA — designed and tested to connect securely and stay connected.
W5SWL Electronics — RF connectors, adapters, and interconnect components for amateur, commercial, government, and public-safety applications.