Tee Adapter

A Tee Adapter is an interesting RF 3-port interconnect device, which can provide a convenient mechanical and electrical “sharing” of an RF signal under test. In such a case, the RF signal goes into the center connector and comes out both the left and right side connectors. It can also be used, in some cases, in the reverse direction to mechanically “combine” two test signals together; especially if the two signals are at different frequencies. In a Tee Adapter, the same connector series (e.g., SMA, BNC) is normally used at each location (e.g., center, left, and right). Rarely, different series connectors are used at either two or all three of the locations. Tee Adapters are used primarily for RF Test & Measurement applications, either in the factory or in the laboratory. Tee Adapters are also called “Three-Way Adapters” or sometimes “Coax-Coax-Coax Adapters.” A specialized subset of Tee Adapters is known as Bias Tees. These adapters are used specifically to allow for DC-Bias levels to be added to RF signals. Richardson RFPD carries a wide assortment of Tee Adapters. Body materials for these adapters are typically stainless steel or brass. These products cover a complete frequency range from 0MHz (DC) to 26.5GHz. Performance grades range from low-cost commercial to rugged military. Bias Tees are included in this category. Specific attributes which are important in selecting the right Tee Adapter for your application include the three-way Gender Combination (Male-Male-Male, Female-Female-Female, Female-Male-Female, Male-Female-Female, etc.) and Series/Connector Type (SMA, BNC, etc.)–again, this is usually (but not always) the same at all three ends of the Tee Adapter.