The final robustness experiments examined the RF performance of the various interfaces with both axial and side loads applied. BNC, 1.0/2.3 connectors and HD-BNC™ were all tested and all showed some variation in RF return loss with mechanical stress. Variation is expected as all of these interfaces allow some amount of movement. Movement creates minor variations in the mechanical structure of the transmission line which translates to return loss variation. As seen in the graphs shown on this slide, both the BNC and the 1.0/2.3 connectors showed some degradation in performance under load. Interestingly, in all cases the HD-BNC™ showed improvement in performance instead of degradation. For this reason early adaptors are also seeing this robustness when looking in the digital spectrum and eye diagrams. This is attributed to the unique and optimized interface geometry of the HD-BNC™  including the closed entry contact system. Again, in the real world, connectors are subjected to mechanical stresses in installation. It is important to consider the robustness of the connector joint to provide consistent signal integrity in all cases.