TT:
While shopping at the electrical supplier for hardware to mount the
Hoffman enclosure to my tower base, I found the above material that I'm
considering using on my coax shield ground connections at the tower. The
material is sticky pads of black insulating material with a vinyl backing,
and they measure 3.25 X 4.5 X 0.125 inches. The box of ten cost me $18.70
(which I didn't realize until I looked it up for this post. Sheesh!)
What I'm thinking is cutting away about an inch and a half of jacket
from the coax where I want to apply the ground connection. I'll fold a
piece of copper flashing around the coax braid so a flag of copper about an
inch wide is left on one side of the coax. I'll fix the flashing in place
by bolting a two-hole brass terminal through two pairs of aligned,
pre-drilled holes in the flashing flag. The terminal will keep the
flashing in place and enable me to connect a #6 ground wire to it (and the
shield) and to the tower.
I'll next fold a mastic pad over the connection, molding it to the
contours of the terminal and bolts. Then I'll apply tape and Liquid Tape as
instructed elsewhere and elsewhen in the TT archives. The advantage of the
pads over tape is it might be easier to cover the irregularly-shaped
connection with the pads than with tape.
I'll have to experiment with the flashing size, and probably pre-bend
the pieces around a dowel before I take them up the Tower with me. Might
use alcohol wipes on the flashing's interior surface before I attach it to
the braid. Might also need only half a pad per connection. I think I'll
also build up a test piece of coax with the ground connection in place and
hang it somewhere on the tower for a year, just to see how clean it is after
I open it up. I'll seal the ends of the test piece, of course.
Certainly is cheaper than commercial ground connectors. Flame shields
in place - fire away.
73 de
Gene Smar AD3F
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