[TowerTalk] PL259 Cobbectors Part 2 - Murray W9EHQ

[Kevin Stover]

I'm trying to understand why a soldered connector, assuming both types 
are weatherproofed properly, is superior for corrosion protection. Seems 
to me Sn/Pb solder will corrode just as fast or faster than anything 
else in salt air.

I'd say 90% of hams have no clue how to properly weatherproof a 
connector. All you have to do is watch which end of the cable they start 
wrapping stuff from to tell the connector is going to leak. Such as 
starting the tape wrap at the connector and working down. You've just 
created 6-8 seams for water to ingress. Start wrapping the tape, 3M 33 
or 88, not some cheap crap from Home Depot, down on the coax and work 
up. Layers of tape laid like shingles.

I weather "proof" my crimp connectors with glue impregnated heat shrink, 
followed by 33/88, followed by coax seal followed by rubber tape and a 
final layer of 33/88. All layers rolled half tape width per course and 
bottom to top. It ain't pretty but I've never seen a connector I did 
have a water problem, even 259's.

On 5/13/2016 2:46 PM, Don W7WLL wrote:
> I live on the coast, just a few hundred feet from the Pacific. Most 
> wind is from the ocean onshore. The cable and sat installers here use 
> crimped connectors, fast which counts for the installers. HOWEVER, 
> later, they also spend a lot of time repairing lines and replacing 
> connectors which corrode via the salt spray and air, specifically the 
> work that is outdoors for periods of time. Varies of course depending 
> upon the protection provided. Like Paul, every connector used outdoors 
> at this house is 4 hole soldered for just the latter reason. And the 
> coax cover is properly screwed into the connector. Where I use barrels 
> to interconnect two cables they are covered with flooded heatshrink 
> and the heatshink ends double sealed with an application of 3M liquid 
> tape. I learned when I first moved here that while tape was great for 
> keeping water out most of the time, when I did find dry connectors, 
> they still were coated almost pure white with salt. So FAR DIFFERENT 
> from when I lived inland in Portland. There what corrodes and rusts 
> here in a couple of weeks would not reach that condx for years and years.
>
> Crimping is great but one has to consider the environment when 
> choosing, at least that is the case here.
>
> Don W7WLL
>
>
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Paul Christensen
> Sent: Friday, May 13, 2016 11:21 AM
> To: towertalk at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] PL259 Cobbectors Part 2 - Murray W9EHQ
>
>> 'I'm perplexed, but not really surprised, that hams still insist on 
>> using
> this kind of backwoods engineering when a better way has been 
> available for
> decades. I guess old habits die hard."
>
> If you mean crimped connectors as a "better way," I agree when they're 
> used
> either indoors or when they're adequately weather shielded. Mechanically,
> I've had more crimped connectors break and fail than soldered type when
> high, accidental lateral force is exerted.  For indoor use, I exclusively
> use crimped type.  For outdoors, almost exclusively soldered type.
>
> Paul, W9AC
>
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-- 
R. Kevin Stover
AC0H
ARRL
FISTS #11993
SKCC #215
NAQCC #3441


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