Batboard

Hi,

It seems harder and harder to find a supplier for coax and connectors. I don't have any kind of wholesale account anywhere and need to find short (50-100ft) lengths of LMR240 Ultraflex, or RG8x of 213 or similar and LMR400. Also need crimp UHF, BNC and MiniUHF for both. I've check a couple electrical wholesale places and they never even know what I'm talking about. You can't even find crappy old RG58 anymore, as there is no Radio Shack or similar in Canada.

I know I don't need brick and mortar store, but I'm not even sure of a decent Canadian internet store to deal with. Shipping,customs, exchange rate make US suppliers a distant 2nd place option.

Any suggestions??

I don't know whether you've tried Hutton, but they're the Canadian equivalent of Tessco here in the states. You'd have to open an account, but I'm sure they'd let you use a credit card if you want. I'm sure they would have what you want in stock.

Al wrote:I don't know whether you've tried Hutton, but they're the Canadian equivalent of Tessco here in the states. You'd have to open an account, but I'm sure they'd let you use a credit card if you want. I'm sure they would have what you want in stock.

Huh? Hutton's international headquarters are in a suburb of Dallas. They do have some Canadian offices, but they are a US company. Also, thanks to new management a few years back, they totally dicked over all of us "little guys"... if you don't do $5K/year on a monthly rolling average, you essentially get list price. I do all of my business with Tessco as a result, and told Hutton to go pound sand.

Rcit - Tessco is pretty decent to the little guys. Have you tried calling them to see if you can set up an account and order through them?

At one time I did check into Tessco, but they sent me a 10 page form to fill out with a million details. I don't have a registered company, so much of this didn't apply. I never did talk to someone personally, but maybe that would help. I don't need to have a charge account and all that, just pay by card.

Your best option might be to pay a little more, and purchase the cable from a radio shop. I know most suppliers won't sell anything under 500 ft, and most want you to order 1000 ft. But, if a shop keeps spools on-hand, they're usually more than willing to sell smaller lengths. You could do the same for connectors, but you should be able to order through Hutton or Tessco with a credit card...although again, you'll pay more without an account & a sales history with them.

If your in ontario Hamilton/Niagara there is Newtech electronics(wholesale), Barrie area Mapleleaf com. and if you are looking for bulk coax Westbourne sells it by the roll (most stores do not stock coax but all can order it for you) as do most electrical wholesalers. Or you can try your local Two-way radio shop most will sell you coax but it will cost you!

There's also Waverunner in the King City area.

Well, I called Tessco this morning and the guy told me being in Canada means part of the "International" division. This means the first order is a minimum of $1000.00 and must be done by money transfer, etc, etc.

Guess Tessco is out of the question. Thanks for the ideas, I guess I'll resort to the radio shop.

Another option, especially if you're looking for small quantities of parts, is there are several people on the board here with accounts at places like Tessco who may be able to act as a middleman for your order.

See if these folks can help you out...
http://www.ptsupply.ca/