Why should you regularly clean and tighten all antenna connectors?

Antenna connectors are exposed to environmental factors like moisture, dust, and temperature fluctuations, which can lead to oxidation and mechanical loosening over time. Regularly cleaning and tightening them ensures a solid metal-to-metal electrical connection, keeping contact resistance at an absolute minimum. If contact resistance increases, it can cause signal loss, increased SWR, and even heat generation during transmission, compromising the efficiency of your station. Distractors involving lightning protection or static buildup are incorrect because those rely on proper station grounding rather than the in-line cable connectors. Dielectric losses are inherent to the specific insulation material inside the coaxial cable itself, not the physical contacts of the metal connectors.