[TowerTalk] weatherproof control voltage connectors

[W0UN -- John Brosnahan]

At 07:38 AM 12/17/2004, you wrote:
>I need to put some relays way out in a field to control some receiving 
>antennas.  I have a pretty nice grey plastic, gasketed junction box that I 
>can use, and will use one-hole chassis-mount coax connectors for the RF 
>lines, but I'm a little stuck on the control lines.  These are 12 volts at 
>very low current.  Ideally I'd like to have some sort of connectors that 
>would mount in the side of the plastic box without compromising the 
>weatherproof character of the box.  I know that I could use a body-mount 
>trailer connector but they are awfully large.  Any better thoughts?

Pete--

This is not an answer to your connector question and I would be interested 
in what
you find as well.

But I have used the gray plastic NEMA boxes myself and have found that they 
tend to
get discolored and even somewhat distorted over the years from UV light.  Which
is pretty bad in CO, but could be an issue anywhere.  When/if I use them 
again I think
I will put a coat of paint on the outside of the box just to provide some 
UV protection
to the plastic. Possibly house paint but not sure how it works on the 
plastic.  But there
is a new Krylon spray paint specifically for plastic.   So I might use that 
only, or
as a primer for some house paint.

Guess I don't have THE answer on the UV protection.  But I wanted to make you
aware that my experience was that the gray plastic deteriorated somewhat over
the years.  On my boxes it discolored but it also warped a bit and the seal no
longer fit right.

BTW  You can NEVER seal anything outside.  You MUST add a drain hole to allow
any condensation to drain out.

Good luck -- and let me know if you learn any secrets.

73--John  W0UN