[TowerTalk] Can I bury rotator cable?

[Roger (K8RI) on TT]

It depends, but it sounds as if what you have will work just fine if 
it's buried in a stone free environment.

I would have slipped simple heat shrink tube over each wire splice, but 
it sounds as if you did a good job of waterproofing it. Probably more 
than necessary and will likely last longer than the rest of the cable.  
I'd just forget about it until you need to replace it, if ever.

Some, standard rotator cables stand up to direct burying better than on 
out in the sunlight. Most can be buried.  Good rotator cable can be 
buried even though not meant not for direct burial. I purchased what I 
believe to be good cable. The tan color has bleached where it was 
exposed to sunlight over 10 years and not where it was buried, but it's  
still flexible.  I have also had cable that became brittle with some 
years of exposure and the jacket broke off when flexed. Definitely not 
UV resistant, but it too remained flexible where it was buried. That 
also was purchased as rotator cable with the two larger leads.

Now days I run buried cables in conduit, with only one exception which 
is BuryFlex out to the AV640. Which "might" be temporary. <:-)
If really worried you can run it through garden hose as has been 
suggested, "seal the ends", or use inexpensive PVC conduit. I just use 
silicone grease on thr joints and don't even glue it.

Were it me I'd forget about it unless it proved to be a problem some day.

73

Roger (K8RI)


On 6/25/2016 Saturday 9:55 AM, N1BUG wrote:
> My rotator cable to the southwest tower is buried (250 feet) since 
> 2006. It has some splices, but no problems yet. Each wire at a splice 
> is twisted and soldered, then wrapped with butyl rubber, then Scotch 
> Super 88. (I trimmed the length of each wire differently so no two 
> actual splices overlap) Entire cable in the splice area is wrapped 
> with butyl rubber, then glue lined heat shrink, then Super 88. The 
> splices are "ugly" but underground no one can see them.
>
> Paul N1BUG
>


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