RFI ingress reduction coaxial cable connector

1. A shielded coaxial connector comprising:

a connector body housing a center conductor;

a switch within the body that is electrically isolated from the body; and,

the switch operable to open a circuit that includes the center conductor; further comprising: a switch stationery assembly including a stationery contact; and, a switch movable assembly including a movable contact; further comprising: a nose of the movable assembly; the nose protruding from a body end; and, the nose configured to operate the switch when a mating connector engages the nose and pushes it toward the body end.

2. The connector of claim 1 further comprising a spring encircling a switch contact.

3. The connector of claim 1 wherein the movable assembly includes a female contact for receiving a center conductor of a coaxial cable.

4. The connector of claim 1 wherein the movable assembly includes a male contact for engaging a mating coaxial connector.

5. The connector of claim 1 wherein the movable assembly includes a male contact and a female contact.

6. The connector of claim 1 wherein the moveable assembly includes two female contacts.

7. The connector of claim 1 wherein the relative position of the contacts changes with an overall length of the connector.

8. A shielded coaxial cable connector comprising:

a connector body housing a center conductor;

a mechanically actuated radio frequency interference shield assembly including a connector nose moveable with respect to the body;

the connector nose coupled to at least a portion of the center conductor such that when the nose moves, the center conductor portion moves; and,

a spring that urges at least a portion of the nose to protrude from a nose end of the body;

wherein a mating connector that engages the body nose end forces at least a portion of the nose into the body.

9. The shielded connector of claim 8 wherein the spring encircles the center conductor.

10. A method of providing a coaxial cable connector with a radio frequency interference ingress reduction shield comprising the steps of:

providing a connector body with a center conductor including a movable center conductor portion;

urging a nose to protrude from a nose end of the connector;

the nose freely protruding from the nose end of the connector when no mating connector engages the nose end of the connector;

a mating connector forcing the nose at least partially into the body when the mating connector engages the nose end of the connector; and,

shielding the center conductor against ingress of radio frequency interference when the nose end of the connector does not engage a mating connector.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein a CATV operator replaces non-shielded connectors with the shielded connectors to reduce the ingress of unwanted radio frequency signals into a CATV distribution system.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein non-shielded bulkhead connectors are replaced with the shielded bulkhead connectors to reduce the ingress of unwanted radio frequency signals into radio frequency equipment.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein a nose biasing spring encircles the center conductor.