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Re: [TowerTalk] Wanted: pix of water damaged coax connection

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Wanted: pix of water damaged coax connection
From: N1BUG <paul@n1bug.com>
Date: Sun, 22 May 2016 15:01:48 -0400
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
On 05/22/2016 02:33 PM, john@kk9a.com wrote:
The only time I had this happen was when I used Belden's garden hose 9913
coax and a connector downstream got burnt.  I have never seen a water
stained connector.


I'm not sure stained is the right word but I have seen this more than once... and wish I'd had the foresight to save at least one for future reference. They were male/female pairs that when taken apart had white/gray powder on the center pin and socket. My theory is that this was somehow caused by water eroding the solder, but I don't know that for a fact. I do know that exposed solder on antennas is eaten away in just a few years here. I also noted that the coax associated with the aforementioned connectors had blackened copper conductors extending many feet back from the connectors - a sure sign water had been in there. I have seen this "substance" at least once in the threads of a UHF connector pair also.

On at least one occasion I found massive amounts of a similar yet different powdery substance in a connection where I had kludged a PL259 onto aluminum jacket 1/2" CATV cable and then failed to keep water out. There was so much of this crap accumulated in there I could barely get the connector apart without breaking something. My guess here is some sort or electrolysis due to dissimilar metals, aided by water. It was ugly!

73,
Paul N1BUG
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