N connector

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Type N connector (male)

Type N connector (female)

Picture to show the similarity between 50ohm and 75ohm N connectors

The N connector (in full, Type N connector) is a threaded RF connector used to join coaxial cables. It was one of the first connectors capable of carrying microwave-frequency signals, and was invented in the 1940s by Paul Neill of Bell Labs, for whom the connector is named.

Originally, the connector was designed to carry signals of up to 1 GHz in military applications, but the common Type N today handles up to 11 GHz comfortably. More recent precision enhancements to the design by Julius Botka at Hewlett Packard have scaled this to 18 GHz. The male connector is hand-tightened and has an air gap between center and outer conductors.

The N connector follows the MIL-C-39012 standard, defined by the US military, and comes in 50 and 75 ohm versions, the latter of which is used in the cable television industry.