[TowerTalk] quick waterproofing for PL-259 connectors?

[Roger K8RI on Tower]

You will probably be able to find elastic strips in various widths that have 
Velcro ends at the local fabric shops.

As far as it goes you could create a loop at each connection, put it inside 
one of the "Freezer size" baggies, or zip loc bags and put a large rubber 
band or ty-wrap to hold it in place.  I used them for years on the feed 
horns of large satellite dishes.

Roger Halstead (K8RI and ARRL Life Member)
N833R - World's oldest Debonair CD-2
www.rogerhalstead.com


> 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).
>
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>>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.
>
>