[TowerTalk] Other wet stuff

[Ward Silver]

> Radio Works and a few other places sell a product called "Stuff" that's a
> dielectric compound about the consistency of toothpaste.  You squeeze it
> into the connector to fill the voids and keep water out -- in addition to
> the normal external weatherproofing measures.  You apply it, tighten
> everything, and wipe off the excess before you apply Coax-Seal, Scotch 88,
> etc.  Seems to work well.
> 
> 73 - Paul N3GPU

Just a note to the reflector - in disassembling a KT34XA yesterday, we
took a coax pigtail off the balun's SO-239 that had been "sealed" with
Coax-Seal.  Ick!  Obviously there had been plenty of moisture in the
connection as there was yellow-green crust a-plenty.  A few minutes of
work with a fine wire brush and file tang cleaned it up, but...

I have never unwrapped a properly taped (using real tape...Scotch 33+ for
me) PL259-SO239 junction to find water that got in around the tape.
They're still shiny and bright after years of exposure.  Think about it -
if putty worked like it's supposed to, why don't professionals make better
use of it?  Because it doesn't work like it's supposed to...that's why!

There may be appropriate uses of putty-like materials.  Perhaps, if
applied within their limits they work great.  But those limits do not
appear to include exposed PL259-SO239 connections where there may be
flexing of the cable or significant thermal cycling.

73, Ward N0AX


--
FAQ on WWW:               http://www.contesting.com/towertalkfaq.html
Submissions:              towertalk@contesting.com
Administrative requests:  towertalk-REQUEST@contesting.com
Problems:                 owner-towertalk@contesting.com
Search:                   http://www.contesting.com/km9p/search