Termination is the process of joining conductors to contacts and board mount components to PCBs. Performance will depend on proper termination. The clamp method is often used in cases where weather exposure is a factor or when crimp tools are unavailable. With this technique, the cable shield is clamped between the coaxial connector body and back nut. Crimping requires crimp tooling to mechanically compress contacts and ferrules onto coaxial cable. It is important to use proper crimp tools and die sets. This is a popular, easy and inexpensive method. The center contact carries the RF signal, and a flawed coaxial connection can severely reduce performance. The center contact pin must terminate to the inner conductor in the coaxial cable, which is typically done by soldering on the SMA product line. Direct solder terminations use metallic alloy to join surfaces. This is a more labor intense method than crimping and is reliable when done properly. Solder connections are typically stronger than crimp connections and offer better performance. Soldering requires a solder iron and solder.