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Re: [TowerTalk] Can I bury rotator cable?

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Can I bury rotator cable?
From: "Roger (K8RI) on TT" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2016 15:06:00 -0400
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
It depends, but it sounds as if what you have will work just fine if it's buried in a stone free environment.

I would have slipped simple heat shrink tube over each wire splice, but it sounds as if you did a good job of waterproofing it. Probably more than necessary and will likely last longer than the rest of the cable. I'd just forget about it until you need to replace it, if ever.

Some, standard rotator cables stand up to direct burying better than on out in the sunlight. Most can be buried. Good rotator cable can be buried even though not meant not for direct burial. I purchased what I believe to be good cable. The tan color has bleached where it was exposed to sunlight over 10 years and not where it was buried, but it's still flexible. I have also had cable that became brittle with some years of exposure and the jacket broke off when flexed. Definitely not UV resistant, but it too remained flexible where it was buried. That also was purchased as rotator cable with the two larger leads.

Now days I run buried cables in conduit, with only one exception which is BuryFlex out to the AV640. Which "might" be temporary. <:-) If really worried you can run it through garden hose as has been suggested, "seal the ends", or use inexpensive PVC conduit. I just use silicone grease on thr joints and don't even glue it.

Were it me I'd forget about it unless it proved to be a problem some day.

73

Roger (K8RI)


On 6/25/2016 Saturday 9:55 AM, N1BUG wrote:
My rotator cable to the southwest tower is buried (250 feet) since 2006. It has some splices, but no problems yet. Each wire at a splice is twisted and soldered, then wrapped with butyl rubber, then Scotch Super 88. (I trimmed the length of each wire differently so no two actual splices overlap) Entire cable in the splice area is wrapped with butyl rubber, then glue lined heat shrink, then Super 88. The splices are "ugly" but underground no one can see them.

Paul N1BUG



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