Do you know your cables? I don't know mine...

[ThatUsernameIsTaken]

Does anyone know what this cable is called?

[Marvingj]

Looks like a BNC...

[e404pnf]

Or could it be a coaxial? (these could actually be the same thing)

what does it plug into?

[Richard_G]

It's a Belling-Lee female. It's a free socket that your normal TV aerial plug fits into. Referred to as Coaxial in the US.

[guns1inger]

Bog standard coax head from a composite video cable or aerial (RF) cable on a VCR. About as common as muck.

[ThatUsernameIsTaken]

So there's more than one type of Coax cable out there? Because it looks different from the one I know. Any chance you know if there are cables out there that can convert the one above to other Coax cables?

[smearbrick1]

Looks like one of those old Token Ring network plugs.

[tnamrog]

Its called triax

[guns1inger]

That looks more like a BNC connector. You can get convertors that change the head from BNC to RF (got one a while back to hook up an aunts very old TV to a DVD player)

[INFRATOM]

when TV cable started getting popular not all TV's had screw type arial in some still had 300 Ohm wire in those years they were using these female cable plugs also lots of camcorders had these for easy connection. FYI BNC connector has a twist locking mechanism and it is mostly male on cables with a sharp pin.

[solarfox]

guns1inger, Marvingj: That is definitely not a BNC connector. A BNC would have a bayonet-type locking ring, and this one doesn't have that.

ThatUsernameIsTaken: Yes, there are many types of coaxial connectors out there. "Coax" actually refers to the type of cable used; the cable can be terminated with any of several kinds of connectors, including the venerable BNC mentioned by the other posters.

The type of connector you pictured in your second post -- the more familiar (to those of us in the U.S., at least) type of "coax" connector -- is called an "type F" connector.

(Note that the "F" does not stand for "female"; it got its name basically in the same way that batteries did -- i.e. "type A" through "type E" connectors had already been invented and named, and the letter "F" was the next unused letter on the list. )

It might be a tri-ax connector, I suppose, although most tri-axes I've seen have had bayonet-style locking rings like the BNC connectors...

Personally, I'm inclined to agree with Richard_G -- it's a Belling-Lee connector. Belling-Lees are very common on European TV equipment, as ubiquitous as the type-F is over here.

[oldfart13]

First picture is cable TV type cable connector for UK, second is cable TV connector for USA/Canada. I have multi-standard equipment and have used both...

Yes, there are adapters. I have seen them in shops in places like Chicago that sell multi-system equipment.

Nice to see that there are actual names for them...

[ThatUsernameIsTaken]

Guys, just wanted to say thanks for all the information you've provided.

[Dr. DOS]

Looks like one of those old Token Ring network plugs.

Bingo... I agree

[Tidy]

It is just a no screw coax tv cable. they made these so you can slip them on instead of having to spend half you rlife screwing on a coaxial cable. It is NOT a BNC connector although it does look similar.

[lordsmurf]

PAL coax (Europe)

[Tidy]

PAL coax? I would think it would not matter which cable you use for which format. Now if there are shielding differences and resistance differences i can understand that. I have a cable that looks identical to the one pictured and I use it on a NTSC U.S. video setup.

[INFRATOM]

just for interest searched in http://www.mouser.com/index.cfm?handler=home seems to be N type RF connector. Early VCR 's specially from euorope had diff IN and OUT for video line looks like one of those.
Search their cataloge they have every kind there is!!

[garrisonkw]

If you live in the states, go to Radioshack. Catalog number 278-265 is an adapter between US coax cables and UK coax cables. Try that.

[Richard_G]

just for interest searched in http://www.mouser.com/index.cfm?handler=home seems to be N type RF connector. Early VCR 's specially from euorope had diff IN and OUT for video line looks like one of those.
Search their cataloge they have every kind there is!!

My God, I've held back from posting further on this thread but the ignorance is so astounding I can't any further.....

If you think that is an N type connector, you have obviously never seen an N type connector.

But you are then right in saying it looks like something you would find on a VCR, because it is! What is used in the US I have no idea, but in Europe a male version of the first plug shown (a Belling Lee) is used on a TV aerial (that is, Radio Frequency picked up off air in the range of 470 to 860 MHz) and fits into the RF input of a VCR (which uses a female chassis mounted socket that looks absolutely identical to the free socket original asked about). A chassis mounted plug is used for the RF output to the aerial input on the TV. Consequently, the cable between the VCR and TV needs to have a Belling-Lee socket on the VCR end and a Belling-Lee plug on the TV end.

It's to stop stupid people connecting them the wrong way round......

[garrisonkw]

In the US we use what is called an F connector. All cables have males on both sides and all devices have females. Most Americans have probably never seen a Belling-Lee type plug/socket, so forgive the rampant ignorance. We just don't use them here. The only reason I'm aware of the plug is because I worked at Radioshack (a national electronics/parts chain with over 7500 locations) for 10 years. Living in a college town, we'd get the occasional foreign exchange student complaining that he couldn't get his vcr/tv/whatever hooked up. Of course, that launched into a whole conversation on PAL/NTSC/etc...

[Richard_G]

Most Americans have probably never seen a Belling-Lee type plug/socket, so forgive the rampant ignorance.

So why are they having wild (wrong) guesses when they don't actually know, surely it's better to say nothing than make out you know and subsequently make yourself look stupid?

In Europe, F type connectors are used on satellite, cable and OTA Digital installations but TVs and VCRs will always have Belling-Lees on the analogue aerial inputs (and outputs if there are any).

[jdizzy40]

Radio Shack, "You Got Questions" "We have the Answers"

[TooLFooL]

hey here's an idea...
cut that bastard off and put the freakin' plug you WANT it to be on there!

[ipdave]

I got a bunch of 'em with my multi-system VCR's and TV's. Live in USA, but lived 9 years in Europe also.

Why screw a connector with a wire for a pin in the middle when you can just shove one of those on for your cable or antenna connections?