In a message dated 97-03-23 18:25:12 EST, k3ft@erols.com writes:
> Personally, having been at the mercy of the elements in outdoor cable
> installs, I've learned (the hard way) that a weatherproofed connector is
> worth the price of peace of mind and the ease of disconnect/connect while
> maintaining circuit integrity.
>
> The mylar types (and like connectors) are NOT made for outdoor
> applications and will suffer from the effects of sun, wind, rain,
> pollution etc. Plus the resistance of the pins can increase which makes
> life *very* interesting! (Especially at 3am when it's snowing and the
> damn rotator wont run well! HEH)
>
> It's worth spending afew bucks more to not have that AWW )(*&() feeling
> when Murphy visits (And he will! )
>
There is no reason to suffer from weather-induced connector problems.
Of course the primary culprit is water getting in connector joints.
Commercial installations go for years and don't have any problems; with a
little, you can do the same thing.
Regardless of the type of connector joint or termination, you CAN keep
the elements out of your sensitive electrical connection.
The problem most people make is to use cheap electrical tape; don't you
fall into the same trap. Scotch 33+ or Super 88 are the ONLY electrical
tapes you should be using. They adhere like crazy (you can put it on a wet
boom), are good for temperature extremes, have incredible conformity and are
highly water and UV resistant. Put two layers on your joint.
Next, put a real butyl rubber vapor wrap over the joint. And I don't
mean CoaxSeal.
Add two more layers of tape over the vapor wrap and make sure that the
last wrap goes UP. That way the layers will overlap like the shingles on
your house; install the tape going down and the water will run right into the
connector.
Other TowerTalkians will recommend that you put the vapor wrap directly
on the joint saying that will further ensure watertightness. The advantage
of a commercial vapor wrap is that you can get it off in the future. The
disadvantage of CoaxSeal is that you can NEVER get it off; you'll have to
throw the connector away because it'll be a wad of useless goop.
A nice final touch is to coat the outer tape either with some ScotchKote
or spray it with some clear urethane.
This joint will be virtually 100% reliable.
If you haven't already guessed, TOWER TECH has all of these professional
tower products.
73, Steve K7LXC
TOWER TECH -- professional tower supplies for amateurs
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