So I got a new truck and now need to get some connectors for antenna(s).  I am going to be running a FT-7900R in the new truck.  What kind of PL-259 connectors do you all run?  I was thinking the crimp style over the solder since I borrowed my soldering iron out and it never made it home to me again good thing it was a cheap one.  Also where do you all source your connectors from normally I pick my stuff up at HRO when I go but wondering if there is any place with better prices.  Thanks all.

Picture for attention much improvement over my Jeep Patriot

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Congrats on the new truck. Looks awesome!
As far as connectors - just be careful you are getting legit stuff.  Some of the stuff on ebay are knockoff connectors.  
Crimp or Solder?  umm 9m or 45?  I think there will others who can answer that better than me.

Nice truck. Good luck.

Dang it opened a beans no beans thread didn't I? HAHA   Ebay is probably last place I am going to look for the connectors I just can't think of some of the places the Hams on here buy their stuff from.

Make sure the connectors have teflon insulator and are silver coated. Get them from DX Engineering or HRO. They sell the good stuff. Don't get cheap crap.  I have seen radios blowing finals due to poor coax connection.

I never use crimped connectors, especially if it goes outdoors. I've seen multiple failures on both home made and professionally made connectors. A person who helped me install my tower and antenna does this for a living. He (K4ZA) is well known and even has published a book about with ARRL about towers and antennas. He confirmed what I already knew about crimped connectors. Actually he does not allow anyone to use them if he does the project. Everything must be soldered, no exceptions.
You need a soldering iron with a large heat mass to quickly heat the area where the shield braid is soldered. This will ensure good penetration and won't overheat the whole connector too much. Put some silicon or lithium grease on the outer shell of the coax before you screw it in.

Downside to crimp is that you need the tool, or the dies if you have a crimping tool.  A cheap soldering gun from China/Harbor Freight will set you back all of $7.  And to muddy matters, some connectors are both a crimp (outside shield) and solder (center conductor).

My understanding is that military specs crimped connectors for aircraft.  Something to do with vibration handing and whatnot.  Soldered might do better if you are pulling on it like a monkey.

Six of one, half dozen of the other.  I wouldn't hesitate to use either.

If you have a Radio Shack in your area, you might give them a look. They have had pretty good, teflon-insulated PL-259s for a buck or two. My local one also had a scad of crimp-on BNC connectors, if that might fit your needs.

Nice truck! Cheers...   Jim

Never seen a soldered PL259 in 25 years around professional communications, other than when some CBer in a public safety department tried to DIY.

Don't know what failures you are seeing. If you want a really good connector use a clamp style. The only way I would even contemplate using a solder PL259 anymore is if I happened to have an induction heater/solderer.

I would go for crimp style for automotive use. Lot less of a chance of the electrical connection breaking due to vibrations.

I prefer soldered connectors, but I've been making them for over a half century. The only failures I've ever had were because of lightning or high SWR.

Well, there was that squirrel incident...

Tell us about the squirrel incident, Please.

Ditto. All my aviation stuff is crimped and mission critical.

Amphenol or DX Engineering.  Silver plated.  I am not convinced having a gold plated center pin is necessary or
any better than silver plated.  Silver conducts well even when tarnished black.  And silver solders easily.

There are some good crimp-on PL-259's, but  you still need to solder the center pin.

I've recently switched to crimp/crimp (one crimp for the center pin, one for the shield) PL-259s.  Found them at the RF Connection (http://www.therfc.com/uhf.htm)

You gotta have the right dies, but I don't see the need to solder any coax connection.  Working in the commercial world reinforces this for me.  We don't solder anything at work: from SMA to DIN, RG-174 to 1 5/8" Heliax, all crimped (or clamped).

I stayed away from crimp on connectors because of my experience with Radio Shack crimp on PL-259s.

However years ago when I discovered crimp on PL-259s with a crimp on center conductor, I never went back to soldered connectors.  I use crimp on connectors exclusively.

On vehicles I use NMO for antenna connection.  A BNC crimp on for the coax run inside the fender and around the dash.  At the back of the radio I use a BNC-259 adapter.
In the Excursion I also keep a bnc extension cable and adapter to work from the back of truck when parked.  Or to hook a HT to the SBB-5.  Why?  Flexibility.  Like when I run a winlink setup from the back.  BTW: low voltage landscape lighting cord with power-poles make a suitable extension cord from the front to the back.

RS connectors are, well were, horrible, and are not indicative of what a real crimp type connector is.

Thanks all for the input on the connectors just need to make a run down to HRO and pick some up along with the NMO mount and cable.

Drilling holes in a newly obtained vehicle.  Love it. 

Yea, DXE or HRO are good choices for connectors. Though, I usually just pick mine up at local hamfests or Dayton.  I have a small ECG butane soldering iron that works GREAT!  This damn thing puts out tons of heat, and is pretty well designed not to melt too much around it while it's on.  Has a built in kickstand.  I just soldered on a new pl259 in my WJ last week.  Set it on the arm rest a couple times, no issues melting the vinyl. 

Not drilling holes on this one....Trying a lease for the first(pretty sure last) time so vehicle specific fender mount from Comet it is.

Absolutely agree with you.  Unfortunately, for many years, it was either Radio Shack or the local electronics store that never had what I wanted in stock.

Now, both are gone!