[Towertalk] [OT] weatherproof tape for antennas?

[tongaloa]

I used to work in marine oil exploration.
We had to keep the salt water out of submerged cables/instruments.

Here is the trick we used, requires the following 3M products

1) ScotchKote
http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?DID=7&Product_ID=9954

2) '33' electrical tape
http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&DID=7&WebPage_ID=3&manufacturer=1&s
m=2&so=1

1) Scotchkote to about 6" either side of joint.
2) '33' tape to about 2" either side of joint
3) more 'kote'
4) tape to about 4" either side of joint
5) more kote
6) tape to about 5" either side of joint

Should be plenty for outdoor.
For the cables that were submerged and under strain and flexing
we did another layer kote another layer tape and a final layer of kote.
This stuff was not bothered by the oil we used to fill the cables either
and would 'paint' right through any film that remained after wiping with a
rag.

Let the 'kote' become just a little tacky by waiting a half a minute or so,
between tape layers.

I've not ordered from parts express but heard good things about them.

I put this on coax connections to the navigation antennas when I first
signed
on as navigator. A year later, the seal was still good and looked like it
would
be for many more years. This after daily salt spray and equatorial sun.

-bob
wb4mnf

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ken Hopper" <khopper@uchicago.edu>
To: "QRP-L" <qrp-l@Lehigh.EDU>; "steppir" <steppir@yahoogroups.com>;
"towertalk" <towertalk@contesting.com>
Sent: Monday, June 17, 2002 2:44 PM
Subject: [Towertalk] [OT] weatherproof tape for antennas?


> Hi, this is a little off topic. I am trying to find weatherproof tape for
> outdoor antennas. Anyone have a recommendation?
>
> I used common duct tape and over a very short time it fell apart leaving
ugly
> tails on my masts and wires. There must be something stronger and more
> waterproof.
>
> Someone suggested type "88" but I was unable to find it at the local ACE
> Hardware store. Where hould I look? in a speciality catalog? i
>
> Is there such a thing called "silicon tape" that matures into a single
bond
> over time?
>
> Thanks,
> de ken n9vv
> http://www.n9vv.com
>
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