[TowerTalk] quick waterproofing for PL-259 connectors?

[Jim Lux]

At 09:13 AM 2/8/2005, Roger K8RI on Tower wrote:
>I use DC-4 compound to flood PL-259s
>Although expensive, the main draw back to DC-4 and any of the greases it 
>their afinity for dirt and ability to keep tape from sticking.  Don't ever 
>drop one while putting it together.

Precisely the reason that grease (and tape) isn't the kind of thing I was 
seeking.  The whole goal here is to make portable operation easy enough 
that it's not an ordeal (FD can be an ordeal.. it's once a year).





>Once you get dirt in the grease it can be a real bear to clean out the 
>connector and then start over.  If you want to tape the connection and get 
>grease on the cable, the tape will not stick. It almost takes a good 
>solvent to clean it off.
>
>The grease may keep the water out of the connector and inner connection, 
>but it does nothing to keep the water out of the braid which is the 
>PL-259's weak spot.  You can wipe the grease around the solder holes to 
>keep water out though. Even then it can at times, wick through between the 
>threads and jacket.

The various rubber tube ideas (inner tubes, glove fingers, condoms) seem 
like a possible winner.  If you had a velcro "rip tie" type fastener, you 
could cinch it down on the other cable to make a reasonable seal.