Re: [TowerTalk] quick waterproofing for PL-259 connectors?

[Jim Lux <jimlux@earthlink.net>]

At 09:13 AM 2/8/2005, Roger K8RI on Tower wrote:
> I use DC-4 compound to flood PL-259s
> Although expensive, the main draw back to DC-4 and any of the greases it 
> their afinity for dirt and ability to keep tape from sticking.  Don't ever 
> drop one while putting it together.

Precisely the reason that grease (and tape) isn't the kind of thing I was 
seeking.  The whole goal here is to make portable operation easy enough 
that it's not an ordeal (FD can be an ordeal.. it's once a year).





> Once you get dirt in the grease it can be a real bear to clean out the 
> connector and then start over.  If you want to tape the connection and get 
> grease on the cable, the tape will not stick. It almost takes a good 
> solvent to clean it off.
>
> The grease may keep the water out of the connector and inner connection, 
> but it does nothing to keep the water out of the braid which is the 
> PL-259's weak spot.  You can wipe the grease around the solder holes to 
> keep water out though. Even then it can at times, wick through between the 
> threads and jacket.

The various rubber tube ideas (inner tubes, glove fingers, condoms) seem 
like a possible winner.  If you had a velcro "rip tie" type fastener, you 
could cinch it down on the other cable to make a reasonable seal. 


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