[TowerTalk] Sealing Coax Connections

Tue Apr 22 16:17:43 EDT 2025

That stuff is really cheap chinese crap.

Next time, buy Scotch brand colored tape. It lasts much longer. Menards 
has one of the best prices on Scotch 88 and 33... If  your in the 
midwest and have one nearby.

Jim W7RY

On 4/22/2025 7:43 AM, john simmons wrote:
> I bought a kit of color coding tapes from the big-box store. The color fades after a few years outdoors.
>
> 73
> -de "Curly" John NI0K
> QRZ.com<https://www.qrz.com/db/ni0k>
> Hamshack Hotline<https://hamshackhotline.com/> call me: 6100271
>
> On 4/21/2025 11:56 AM, W7TMT - Patrick wrote:
>
> The Scotch branded colored tapes I buy and use for color coding electrical wires/cables for marine use is type 35. Its about the same thickness as 33 but has a slightly less aggressive adhesive and has less stretch as well. Still a high-quality tape but it doesn't seem to be the same as 33 from my experience. Just my observation of course.
>
> 73
> Patrick, W7TMT
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com><mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of John Webster NN1SS
> Sent: Monday, April 21, 2025 09:40
> To: Chuck Dietz <w5prchuck at gmail.com><mailto:w5prchuck at gmail.com>; towertalk at contesting.com<mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Sealing Coax Connections
>
> Yes. Scotch 33. I typically find it at hardware stores or the big box home improvement stores in the same place where they keep the Scotch 88.
>
> The point is to reduce the heat that could transfer to underlying connectors in the summer (I live in NH) and preserve the integrity of the weather seal. YMMV but it works for me.
>
> John
> NN1SS
>
> On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 12:13 PM Chuck Dietz <w5prchuck at gmail.com><mailto:w5prchuck at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> White Scotch 33?
>
> Chuck W5PR
>
> On Mon, Apr 21, 2025 at 10:46 AM n4zkf n4zkf.com <n4zkf at n4zkf.com><mailto:n4zkf at n4zkf.com> wrote:
>
>
>
> You got that right! If you ever want to get it off again when using
>
>
> Butyl.
>
>
>
>
> David Calder
> n4zkf at n4zkf.com<mailto:n4zkf at n4zkf.com>
> www.n4zkf.com<http://www.n4zkf.com><http://www.n4zkf.com><http://www.n4zkf.com>
> Dxc.n4zkf.com port:7373<dxc.n4zkf.com:7373> n4zkf/r 147.375 MHz Tone
> 103.5
>
>
> From: TowerTalk <towertalk-bounces at contesting.com><mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> on behalf of
> Steve Maki <lists at oakcom.org><mailto:lists at oakcom.org>
> Date: Saturday, April 19, 2025 at 11:44 PM
> To: towertalk <towertalk at contesting.com><mailto:towertalk at contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Sealing Coax Connections In any case, one
> must use a "courtesy" wrap under the nuclear stuff to avoid loud
> swearing in the future.
>
> Scotch 33 or 88 works OK for that, but the best courtesy wrap is a
> layer of silicone tape.
>
> -Steve K8LX
>
> On 04/19/25 4:29 PM, Steve Jones wrote:
>
>
> Interesting...I use the exact opposite procedure.  I first wrap
> the connector with Scotch 88, with a little fold at the end for
> easy
>
>
> unwrapping.
>
>
> Then cover everything with the self-fusing Coax Seal.  If I need
> to get
>
>
> to
>
>
> the connector,  I scrape the sticky stuff away from the little
> fold,
>
>
> then
>
>
> unwrap everything off to reveal a shiny clean connector.
> 73,
> Steve
> N6SJ
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: TowerTalk<towertalk-bounces at contesting.com><mailto:towertalk-bounces at contesting.com> On Behalf Of Jim
>
>
> Brown
>
>
> Sent: Friday, April 18, 2025 10:56 PM To:towertalk at contesting.com<mailto:To:towertalk at contesting.com>
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Sealing Coax Connections
>
> On 4/18/2025 3:12 PM, Brian Beezley wrote:
>
>
> Has anyone tried this method?:
>
> https://tinyurl.com/mr3n2htx
>
>
> Neighbor W6GJB and I, who have worked together on antennas for
> 10-15
>
>
> years,
>
>
> have tried a lot of methods. I've used heat shrink selectively to
> solve specific problems, but not to cover connections completely.
>
> One of the issues with any connection is that we often need to
> open
>
>
> them
>
>
> up
>
>
> to change something, or to troubleshoot an issue. The method we
> settled
>
>
> on
>
>
> some years ago is to first wrap the connection with a self-fusing
>
>
> silicone
>
>
> product like Rescue Tape, then cover it with an overlapped wrap of
>
>
> Scotch 88
>
>
> to protect it both physically and from UV.
> If we need to open up the connection, we can simply unwrap the 88,
> then slice the silicone with a knife or razor blade.
>
> This method has worked quite well for us. We do a lot of portable
>
>
> operation
>
>
> in Glen's contesting trailer
>
> k9yc.com/7QP.pdf
>
> and both of us live in the Santa Cruz Mountains, with a lot of
> antennas rigged high in redwoods that experience storm damage,
> every winter. And
>
>
> also
>
>
> receiving antennas -- I have two 550 ft long reversible Beverages
> and a
>
>
> pair
>
>
> of phased VE3DO loops. We've figured out rigging pretty well
> -- after losing a couple of 120 ft high dipoles in 2006-7, the
> only
>
>
> ones
>
>
> I've lost since were three that were supported on one end by a 200
> ft Douglas Fir whose root ball was pulled out of the ground! The
> other end
>
>
> of
>
>
> all three dipoles were intact. We rig with weights on pulleys, and
>
>
> rigging
>
>
> is pretty robust.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
>
>
>
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