[TowerTalk] Schedule 40 or 80 PVC Conduit Underground

[Dick Green WC1M]

W2WO wrote:

I did this by terminating the conduit runs in weatherproof metal boxes.
Expensive, but well worth it. The boxes have ground panels for ground rods,
cable shields, lightning suppressors, etc. This is the required single-point
entry for the shack end.

The box at the tower end is completely sealed, as all holes in the box are
blocked by conduit or cables (with silicone caulking around them to seal.)
At the house end, I cut a large hole in the back of the box, then a hole
through the sill into the house. I used some conduit flanges to line the
hole and stuffed fiberglass insulation into the hole and tightly around the
cables. Seems to have kept the mice out.

The conduit should be brought up to each box with a long 90-degree sweep.
I'm not talking about the 4" or 5" adapters you find in the local hardware
store. I'm talking about sweeps that are several feet long. That's a must
for pulling cable. Best to connect the sweep to the box with an expansion
joint. That way, you don't have to be as precise when cutting the connecting
tubing and the joint will keep the conduit from disconnecting from the box
(or wreaking it) when it expands and contracts from weather.

73, Dick WC1M