On 6th February, Mike wrote:
"...in one of my beverages i probably have five coax splices and just found
two of them bad. i am thinking - how about covering them in plastic roofing
mastic? or bathroom calk?"
************************************
Hi Mike,
What I am about to describe is surely nothing new, or earth-shattering, but
here's what I do to steer ol' man winter (and ma nature) clear of my coax
connections outdoors:
-First, I apply a light coating of petroleum jelly ("Vaseline") onto the
prongs of my PL-259 plugs, AND onto the threads of their matching
connectors. This guards against moisture intrusion / tarnishing of the
connections themselves.
-Then --- after the connections have been made --- I smear a liberal coating
of silicone sealant all over the exposed metal of both connectors. This
seals against rain / snow / moisture intrusion.
The beauty of this "system" (if you can call it that) is that whenever you
might wish to dis-connect your RF plugs (as I do here in the springtime,
when I roll-up my inverted "L" feeders for grass-cutting season), it is a
VERY simple matter to slit the now-cured silicone lengthwise along the
PL-259 body, & then to peel it all off, cleanly & easily, with little effort
& no residue left behind...
Experience here has shown that this method beats the old
"...wrap-it-all-up-with-electrical-tape-and-keep-your-fingers-crossed"
system by country miles...
I can see no reason why this wouldn't work with connectors other than the
PL-259, either.
~73~ Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ
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