[TowerTalk] Belden 9913 concerns

[W0MU Mike Fatchett]

Use conduit that has drainage holes and install it in a bed of gravel, you
can wrap the conduit in landscape material to keep dirt out if you need to.
I am fairly sure the stuff I bought had holes on one side.  The black
drainage tubing has tiny slits all around as it is designed to collect water
in that area and move it away.  

You did not mention the length of runs or what bands you were running so it
is pretty tough to suggest an alternative coax.

I assume the ends of the 9913 were sealed.  I can't imagine that too much
moisture could have entered into the coax.  I am fairly sure that they no
longer use the air dielectric with the small wrap of plastic around the
center conductor.  I believe the new stuff has a more solid dielectric which
was much better.  The horror stories I recall were on the old stuff.  I
can't say I recall hearing any lately.

If you are concerned, I would sell it and look for a direct burial grade
cable.  LMR600 or similar or go to a hardline or heliax cable if you need
very low loss coax. They will be much more expensive.

Good luck with your project. 


"A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may
never get over." Ben Franklin
-----Original Message-----
From: towertalk-bounces at contesting.com
[mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Brad Anbro
Sent: Saturday, February 07, 2009 4:58 AM
To: TOWERTALK
Subject: [TowerTalk] Belden 9913 concerns

Hello all,

I'm back on Towertalk after an extended absence. A year or so ago, I bought
a 500' spool of Belden 9913 (not the flexible type) and it has been sitting
in my basement, with the plastic shrink-wrap still on it.

I originally bought this coax to install in an underground PVC conduit that
runs from the house to a tower in the "side yard" but have heard some
"horror stories" in regards to the use of this coax.

I have heard that this coax will pick up moisture just by sitting around (as
in my case), which renders the coax useless. I did run a dehumidifier in the
summer in my basement but I'm sure the humidity level was not all that low.

Also, now that I think about it, I'm having second thoughts about installing
it in my underground PVC conduit, as there will be moisture (standing water)
in parts of the con- duit, as there always is in conduits that run
underground.

I have provided some PVC boxes for water drainage in the conduit system and
all of the conduit fittings are also PVC.
I'm quite confident that I can install the coax in the con- duit without
nicking the jacket but I'm still concerned about this proposed installation.

Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated.

73 de Brad, N9EN
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