[TowerTalk] Wxproofing Connectors

[Steve Maki]

>> approach. BTW, you'll never see a commercial joint that ISN'T totally
>> weatherproofed.
K7LXC

>I beg to differ.  Andrew, the maker of heliax, used to say their N 
>connectors didn't need any additional WXproofing.  I think we all knew 
>better, and it was interesting to see them recently come out with a 
>WXproofing device that looks like a BY-finger toy.  But I have seen many 
>a commercial installation without tape, etc., and they DO work.
>
>In fact on the roof of my office building, there are some bare N male 
>connectors that have been in place for close to 10 years, and you can 
>unscrew them and see they are still shiny and dry inside.  I would never 
>install a connector without some form of WXproofing, but the gaskets do 
>work wonders!
N6IG

Current standards in the cellular, PCS, and paging industries do
call for total, many layer weatherproofing no matter what kind of
connector is used (7/16 DIN seems to be replacing N).  It seems
like overkill to me but probably results from a history of poorly
installed connectors compounded in some cases by sloppy tape jobs
that only make matters worse.

It appears the industry as a whole has decided that overkill at
the time of install is easier and cheaper than troubleshooting 
and replacing bad feedlines later.
--
Steve Maki K8LX
steve@oakcom.com


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