[TowerTalk] Old coax questions.... OK? or NOT OK?

[kq2m at kq2m.com]

Hi,

I used Davis Buryflex (RG213) on my 15 M yagis (they were put up in 
1999) and I was replacing some connectors today when I noticed something 
disturbing.  On the PL259's on 3 of my 4 yagis;, there was a greenish 
hue.  I cut off the connector of one of them, looked inside, stripped 
off the dlelectric   and saw that the Center Conductor (CC) was blackish 
and that there was a whitish/greenish powder on top of the dielectric. 
The braid also had little flecks of black on it.  (I have not 
experienced any change in performance of the 15 yagi that had the 
discolored center connector.)

Using a utility knife, I scraped off some of the black on the braid and 
it was shiny underneath..

Then I cut off ~ 10' of the coax and again stripped it.

The CC had less black on it and again scraping with the utility knife 
showed shiny copper underneath. The dielectric was white/green but not 
powdery - it was more like a thin paper covering.  What was very 
different was that the BRAID was completely clean and shiny.

I soldered a new connector on and the yagi worked fine, the same as 
before.

Questions:
How problematic is the blackened CC?
What is that whitish/green powdery stuff inside?
How problematic are the flecks of black on the braid?

The coax has been on the antennas for 23 years so I am probably at or 
near the expected life span of the coax.  Is the the coax breaking down 
and that is what I am seeing?
Has there likely been any deterioration of performance?  If so is it 
substantial?
Even if it is, replacing the coax is not an option right now.

I would appreciate any thoughts/suggestions that you might have.
Tnx & 73


Bob, KQ2M