[TowerTalk] N - clamp style connector

[Roger (K8RI)]

TexasRF at aol.com wrote:
> Hi Ron, the heat shrink alone is not water tight.
I slide a piece of MMM flooded (lined with hot melt glue) heat shrink 
over the entire connection.   That has been the best and easiest water 
proof connection I've found.  It'll fill threads, voids, and makes one 
whale of a connection.  Using the crimp type connectors and the MMM heat 
shrink I've never had one fail mechanically or with moisture sealing and 
I use it in feed lines to the sloping, center fed, half wave dipoles 
which really gets whipped around in the winds.  I much prefer it to the 
fusing tape which I still use at times, up on top of the tower where a 
heat gun is not the handiest tool.

73

Roger (K8RI)
>  Your plan to use the  
> fusing tape is the very best way to seal the connectors. The fusing tape of  
> coarse needs uv protection and even cheap vinyl tape will work fine for  that.
>  
> 73,
> Gerald K5GW
>  
>  
>  
> In a message dated 3/10/2010 4:39:12 P.M. Central Standard Time,  
> w4lde at numail.org writes:
>
> Thanks  to all that replied, I remember that I never had soldered the 
> shield and  thought that was the correct method.
>
> I will also as many have suggested  use some heat shrink for stability as 
> well as helping with water  intrusion.  Was planning on #33 or #88 tape 
> plus some fusion style  tape to help with the final connections.
>
> Again thanks to everyone for  your comments.
>
> 73 de
> Ron W4LDE
>
>
> On 3/10/2010 3:18 PM,  TexasRF at aol.com wrote:
>   
>> Ron, the clamping ring for N connectors is  nickel plated. You will turn 
>>     
> the
>   
>>   coax to charcoal before  successfully soldering the shield to it.
>>
>> One of the major  failure modes with N connectors is having the shield 
>>     
> work
>   
>> loose due to  pulling and twisting the cable. A short piece of heat shrink
>>  tubing  over the clamping end of the connector and a couple inches of  
>>     
> the
>   
>> coax will  provide excellent reinforcement and improved  reliability.
>>
>> The recommended connector installation procedure  has worked very well 
>>     
> for a
>   
>>   lot of years.
>>
>>  73,
>> Gerald K5GW
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> In a message  dated 3/10/2010 12:00:01 P.M. Central Standard Time,
>> w4lde at numail.org  writes:
>>
>> Just  getting ready to install some a new beam  and  coax plus N style
>> male  connectors on a new  tower.  It's been awhile since I last used one
>> (N  style)  and have reviewed via the WEB and the ARRL handbook
>> recommended   installation methods and find two different methods with
>> respect to  the  barrel and shield connection.
>>
>> The barrel I am  referring to is the small  piece were the shield is
>> folded back  over and then compressed and held in  place by a O-ring,
>> washer  and screw in clamp.
>>
>> The ARRL handbook  does not call for  any solder of the shield to the
>> barrel peace but on one  ham web  sites recommends that the shield be
>> soldered to the barrel  insert  piece and then assembled the same way as
>> the non  soldered.  If I  remember and it has been some time since I  used
>> N type but I believe I did  not solder the shield but relied  on the
>> compression and clamp fittings to  make good contact from  the shield to
>> the N fitting.
>>
>> Would  appreciate  your opinion, to SOLDER or NOT to SOLDER.
>>
>> 73 de
>>  Ron  W4LDE
>>  _______________________________________________
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>>
>>
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