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Re: [TowerTalk] STUF Weather Proofing compound...

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] STUF Weather Proofing compound...
From: Ian White GM3SEK <gm3sek@ifwtech.co.uk>
Reply-to: Ian White GM3SEK <gm3sek@ifwtech.co.uk>
Date: Tue, 4 Oct 2011 08:40:45 +0100
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Gary "Joe" Mayfield wrote:
>I kind of like the cold shrink tape.......  I have avoided the gooey 
>putty stuff.

Sometimes you need a little of both. For example, a bulkhead SO239-PL259 
connection will always leave a small gap between the flange and the end 
of the ring. There's no way to stretch tape tightly into that gap, so 
water *will* creep in.

I never use Coax-Seal to cover the entire connector because of the mess 
it makes... but there is another way:

Take a *small* amount of Coax-Seal and mold it into an O-ring where the 
round barrel of the SO239 joins onto the flange. Then screw the PL259 
down onto that O-ring to make a tight seal, and run your finger around 
to smooth it down. Now continue as before and wrap the whole thing with 
tape. You'll find that the tape bonds with the Coax-Seal to make a 
completely waterproof connection.

However, the best answer is never to use bulkhead connectors outdoors! 
This is the big advantage of homebrewing things like remote coax 
switches - you can make your own choices about waterproofing. Whenever 
possible, I bring 'tails' of coax out of the enclosure through proper 
waterproof cable glands, and then use inline jack connectors which are a 
much better shape to wrap with tape. This method of waterproofing is 
completely reliable and has never once let me down.



>To be honest has anyone really had connector weatherproofing issues?

Good grief, yes!!!


-- 

73 from Europe's Wet Coast
Ian GM3SEK
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek
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