‰ NOW 35 WPM ‰ TEXT IS FROM JANAURY 2017 QST PAGE 67‰ INSTALL THAN A PL 259. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE IN CABLE PREP IS THAT YOU NEED TO SHORTEN THE CENTER CONDUCTOR AND USE THE INCLUDED DXE UT 80N CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY TOOL TO THREAD THE CONNECTOR BODY ONTO THE CABLE. ALL OF THE TOOLS WORKED WELL. THE ONE ISSUE I HAD WAS THAT SOMETIMES THE DXE UT 8213 FIRST CUT DID NOT REMOVE ALL OF THE DIELECTRIC FROM THE CENTER CONDUCTOR. SOMETIMES, IT LEFT A VERY THIN LAYER THAT I HAD TO REMOVE BEFORE PROCEEDING. THAT WAS EASY ENOUGH TO DO BECAUSE THE TOOL HAD ALREADY REMOVED THE BULK OF THE MATERIAL. I THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS THE CUTTING BLADE WAS DULL AND REPLACED IT TWO SPARES AND AN ALLEN WRENCH ARE INCLUDED IN THE KIT, BUT THAT MADE NO DIFFERENCE. I CONTACTED DX ENGINEERING AND QUICKLY RECEIVED SOME HINTS FROM TOM PARKINSON, KB8UUZ. HE EXPLAINED THAT THE TOOL DEPENDS ON TIGHT DIMENSIONAL TOLERANCES TO CUT CORRECTLY, AND THAT THERE CAN BE SMALL VARIATIONS IN THE CABLE ITSELF. ALSO, SOMETIMES THE DIELECTRIC MATERIAL WORKS ITS WAY INTO THE CENTER CONDUCTOR STRANDS, MAKING IT HARDER TO REMOVE. TOM ALSO EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF MAKING SURE THE CABLE IS STRAIGHT, THE END IS ROUND, AND THE CABLE IS INSERTED STRAIGHT INTO THE STRIPPING TOOL. FINALLY, TOM SUGGESTED MORE PRACTICE. PREPARING RG 8X THE KIT ALSO INCLUDES A DXE UT 808X STRIPPING TOOL AND DXE CG 8X CABLE GRIPPER FOR RG 8X. THE INSTRUCTIONS SAY THAT THE STRIPPING TOOL HAS ‰ END OF 35 WPM TEXT ‰ QST DE W1AW ƒ