[TowerTalk] How close to salt water is close enough?

[K8RI]

On 5/18/2013 9:37 PM, Steve Maki wrote:
> On 5/18/2013 11:51 AM, K7LXC at aol.com wrote:
>
>>>     Products like coax seal are worth using liberally  wherever it
>>> can be
>> applied if needed.
>
>>      Just make sure you never have to take it off. It's  the WORST
>> stuff in
>> the world to get off of anything. You put in on a connector -  you
>> have to
>> throw the connector away.
>>
>>      Much better butyl rubber for this is just about  anything else;
>> e.g. db
>> Products vapor wrap, the plumbing stuff you buy at the  hardware store.
>> etc.
>>
>>      If you put a layer of electrical tape down first  and then put
>> the Coax
>> Seal over it, you can actually get the CS off. Otherwise  use it at your
>> own risk. Your mileage won't vary.
>
> OK, here's my secret, which I swore (to myself) to never reveal but it's
> now become necessary for unknown (to me) reasons:
>
> This is the critical step: for the "courtesy wrap", use silicone tape.

Years ago I had rolls of the stuff. I do not know if it was the same 
stuff you are talking about. It was rolled with what appeared to be 
cellophane between layers.  A roll was maybe up to 8 or 10 inches in 
diameter.  I don't know how long that would have been  It was reddish 
orange with a white line down the middle and an inch to an inch and a 
half wide.  It had maybe a half inch wide section in the middle/center 
that was the thickest. Then it tapered down to a rather thin edge on 
both sides.  This allowed you to make an extended wrap all the same 
thickness. It was also "stretchy" and wouldn't stick to anything except 
itself and that wasn't just stick, it would vulcanize into one 
inseparable piece!  Once it touched itself it became one piece that 
never let go.  We used it at "the plant" to wrap high voltage 
connections, both DC and RF.  They bought new stuff unlike the rest of us.

Thing is, I've not seen any in over 20 years.  I think what i had were 
research samples, but i don't remember that it needed any protective 
layer.   It wasn't sticky and you could just brush it off.  OTOH you 
could ruin a piece with dust, dirt, or lint if the surface was 
contaminated before use.

I'm pretty sure it was made by Dow Corning and we could get stuff from 
the company store.  But "years ago" is probably 20 or 30...maybe?

Now that stuff was the ideal cover for connectors. It'd form a barrier 
around an SO239  that was like a gasket formed in place.  The only 
problem was if you let a wrinkle form at the surface that left a void.
Your only alternative was to cut it all off and start over.

73

Roger (K8RI)


>
> Add on top any damn thing you wish - vinyl tape, butyl rubber and then
> vinyl, just about anything that will keep the UV off the silicone for
> the amount of time that you want the weatherproofing to last.
>
> It's just plain magic. Slit the weatherproofing with a razor knife 15
> years later, it just pops off revealing a shiny connector.
>
> -Steve K8LX
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