Topband: Why do rodents eat coax?

[Guy Olinger K2AV]

Gotta vote loudly with Frank on this one.

I had to throw away 480 feet of balanced "window" line (Wireman 554) that
ran elevated from my tractor shed to the base of my 3/8 wl 160 inverted L
over FCP.  The spans were supported from trees a few inches away from the
trunks. Very easy access to squirrels as it turned out. They knawed the PE
insulation off the wires enough that water seeped the entire length of the
seven copperweld strand conductors on both sides. Forever ruined for
transmission purposes. Junk.

It slowly robbed me increasing ultimately to 3.8 dB extra loss. No sudden
change in performance to sound the critter alarm.

Dim view from here of reusing that knawed RG6. To put it bluntly if you
can't scan it for loss and impedance anomalies, chuck it and save yourself
a lot of trouble.

73, Guy K2AV

On Wednesday, November 11, 2015, Dave Olean <k1whs at metrocast.net> wrote:

> Thanks to all who responded with all sorts of great hints and ideas for
> combating the rodent problem with beverage feedlines. I ended up going with
> buying 1000 ft of 1/2" PVC conduit and will lay that on the ground through
> the woods. I ordered a new 1000 ft roll of RG-6 flooded cable to use inside
> the PVC.  I also removed my existing 1000 ft run of coax and gave it a good
> inspection looking for chew marks. After laying the coax out in my open
> field, I identified five areas where the critters had chewed it. At least
> three of the spots were severe with chewing marks that went deep down to
> expose the center conductor. I can cut the bad parts out and will only lose
> about 10-12 ft of overall length. I'll put F fittings and splices there and
> will try to reuse the old cable as well. It won't fit inside the PVC along
> with the new cable, but hopefully, I can bury it enough so that it lasts a
> few years. I was hoping to add another beverage at the same spot with a
> second feedline. I can
>   lay out an 800-900 ft wire aimed at Africa and the middle East. That is
> an area that I have had nothing in the past, so maybe I can improve things
> while I repair the rodent damage.  Those darn critters sure caused a lot of
> damage and expense!
>     Anyway, thanks to all who responded. I appreciate all the great
> comments and ideas.
> 73
> Dave K1WHS
> _________________
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