I want to thank all of those who responded to my questions (N6VR, W5PR,
NT0Z, AA1K, K9YC, W6NL, AA6RE and some that didn't give their callsign)
with very helpful thoughts and suggestions!
Critter bites with tiny needle-like teeth are also a problem,
introducing many tiny holes that go unnoticed, some of which are deep
enough to allow water to intrude into the coax and tarnish the braid. I
usually just tape over them when I find them.
Here is a different question....
In the process of cutting down the thornbushes/saplings of all types (I
have extremely dense multi-year overgrowth 6' - 10' high) I have
"re-discovered" dozens of completely buried coaxial and other cables
when they were damaged by the cutting tools. Many of these cuts are
through PVC coating and into the shield, cutting through up to 1/4 of it
on one side while the CC is still intact. Can I just tape over the cuts
in the shield and call it a day (shiny shield underneath as they were
damaged with the past few days of no rain, so no water ingress) or
should I cut out the minimally damaged section, put a PL259 on each end,
solder and then use a PL258 to connect them and then tape over that?
(One disadvantage of that is to then inadvertently create new potential
sources of water ingress at each connector as the cable
expands/contracts from heat/moisture as well as the occasional but rare
connector failure)
I'm trying to save as much additional work as possible while being
pragmatic about when to replace, when to repair, vs. when to tape over
the coax and live with the imperfections. Life in extremely dense forest
with lots of critter/human traffic in a difficult climate forces one to
deal with many compromises.
Many thanks for your insight and help as I fix my station!
73
Bob, KQ2M
On 2025-09-28 15:19, kq2m@kq2m.com wrote:
For the past 4 months I have been denuding my hilltop from 30 years
growth of Poison Ivy/Sumac/Oak, Thorn Bushes of all types and thousands
of saplings. In the process I have been discovering old coax, some of
it in possibly re-useable and some of it ready for the landfill.
Questions:
1) I have heard people say that it can be taken to the scrapyard. With
Copper ~ $5 / lb, is there any correlation to how much 1000' of old
RG213 might be worth as scrap?
2) Can old coax be recycled as ground radials or elevated radials for
verticals, 4-squares, etc? Does it need to be stripped to the Center
Conductor or can it be connected to the cc or the braid? Does it
matter whether the cc or the braid is connected to ground?
3) For Coax currently in service that has cuts in the PVC cover with
some of the braid showing, does this need to be cut away and replaced
or can it simply be taped over and then continue to be used?
4) I also have old 3 and 5 conductor unshielded cables in use outside
that have had the white outside covering abraded and with some of the
colored wire insulation showing.
Any idea what this might be worth at the scrapyard per 100'?
Can this be used as radial wire?
Tnx & 73
Bob, KQ2M
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