A reverse polarity coax connector is a variation of a standard polarized connector in which the gender of the interface has been reversed. The term “reverse polarity” refers not to the signal polarity of the connector itself, but to the gender of the center contact pin.

A reverse polarized connector will have the same external housing (body) as a standard connector (jack or plug threading), but the center pin is altered to be reversed. Thus, a reverse polarized jack has a male pin in place of the standard female type pin/receptacle and a reverse polarized plug will have a center receptacle (female) instead of a male pin.

The chart below outlines reverse polarized connector body and pin options:

Reverse polarity coaxial connectors were developed to separate professional grade and commercially available components and equipment to comply with FCC regulations. The idea was that reverse polarized connectors would not be readily available or accessible to the general consumer audience so they would not try to or be able to connect certain gain components or equipment. (Example: switching a radio to a higher gain antenna) Since then, the rules have changed and today several variations of reverse polarity connectors are readily available, allowing more design options to more people.

The most common reverse polarized connector types are RP-SMA, RP-BNC, RP Type-N and RP-TNC. They are typically used for Wi-Fi, Cellular, RF and GPS antenna and equipment applications.

The connector body is commonly referred to as a “plug” or “jack” (for example reverse polarity TNC plug) instead of “male” or “female”. The terms male and female are used when describing the center pin of a reverse polarized coax connector.

For a complete listing of our reverse polarity products, please use the links below.