How it connects
The bare center conductor slides into the female's center socket, and the swivel nut threads onto the female's 3/8-32 UNEF outer thread to clamp the outer conductor. The plug attaches to RG-6/RG-59 cable by compression, crimp or twist-on.
Male and female halves
Male (plug): it has the internally threaded nut and the protruding center pin, which is the cable conductor. The female (jack/port) has the external thread and the center contact socket. This connection is the male.
Usually connects to
- F female jack/bulkhead with 3/8-32 UNEF external thread, on TVs, receivers, set-top boxes, modems, splitters, wall plates and satellite LNBs
- F-81 female-female barrel coupler
Common sizes
- One 3/8-32 UNEF coupling size, about 9.5 mm major diameter, commonly with a 7/16 in hex nut.
- Cable entries vary for RG-59, RG-6, RG-6 Quad Shield and RG-11.
Where it is used
Cable TVSatellite TVTerrestrial/over-the-air TV antennasCable internet/modems and DOCSISCCTV
Variations
- twist-on/screw-on
- male-male adapter
- right-angle
- push-on (quick F, no thread)
- RG-59/RG-6/RG-11 sizes
- compression F plug
- crimp (hex) F plug
How to recognise it
A small hex swivel nut (about 11 mm across the flats) with a fine internal thread. The single bare copper wire of the cable sticks out through the center as the pin, with a white dielectric around it. The body behind the nut is ribbed or sleeved and the coax cable goes into it.
Often confused with
| Confused with | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Belling-Lee TV connector | That connector is push-on with no thread and has a hollow pin on the male. The F plug has a threaded hex nut and uses the bare cable wire as its pin. Belling-Lee is push-on with a separate pin, no thread. |
| SMA / RP-SMA | SMA is much smaller (1/4-36 thread), 50-ohm, and has a machined center pin. SMA is 1/4-36 thread, much smaller, with a fitted pin. |
| BNC | BNC has a bayonet lock with two lugs, not a thread. |
| Pipe compression fitting | Unrelated; F nut is small 7/16 hex with bare wire pin in the centre. |
Also called
F-59 / F-6 connectorcoax F maleRG6 compression F connectorRG6/RG59/RG11 F connectorType F coaxial male
Good to know
The male designation follows the center pin, which is the cable conductor, even though the coupling nut has an internal thread. It mates with an F female port.
Related connections
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