[TowerTalk] Follow-up: Old Coax and cable questions

[kq2m at kq2m.com]

I want to thank all of those who responded to my questions (N6VR, W5PR, 
NT0Z, AA1K, K9YC, W6NL, AA6RE and some that didn't give their callsign) 
with very helpful thoughts and suggestions!

Critter bites with tiny needle-like teeth are also a problem, 
introducing many tiny holes that go unnoticed, some of which are deep 
enough to allow water to intrude into the coax and tarnish the braid.  I 
usually just tape over them when I find them.

Here is a different question....

In the process of cutting down the thornbushes/saplings of all types (I 
have extremely dense multi-year overgrowth 6' - 10' high) I have 
"re-discovered" dozens of completely buried coaxial and other cables 
when they were damaged by the cutting tools.  Many of these cuts are 
through PVC coating and into the shield, cutting through up to 1/4 of it 
on one side while the CC is still intact.  Can I just tape over the cuts 
in the shield and call it a day (shiny shield underneath as they were 
damaged with the past few days of no rain, so no water ingress) or 
should I cut out the minimally damaged section, put a PL259 on each end, 
solder and then use a PL258 to connect them and then tape over that?  
(One disadvantage of that is to then inadvertently create new potential 
sources of water ingress at each connector as the cable 
expands/contracts from heat/moisture as well as the occasional but rare 
connector failure)

I'm trying to save as much additional work as possible while being 
pragmatic about when to replace, when to repair, vs. when to tape over 
the coax and live with the imperfections. Life in extremely dense forest 
with lots of critter/human traffic in a difficult climate forces one to 
deal with many compromises.

Many thanks for your insight and help as I fix my station!

73

Bob, KQ2M




On 2025-09-28 15:19, kq2m at kq2m.com wrote:
> For the past 4 months I have been denuding my hilltop from 30 years 
> growth of Poison Ivy/Sumac/Oak, Thorn Bushes of all types and thousands 
> of saplings.  In the process I have been discovering old coax, some of 
> it in possibly re-useable and some of it ready for the landfill.
> 
> Questions:
> 
> 1) I have heard people say that it can be taken to the scrapyard.  With 
> Copper ~ $5 / lb, is there any correlation to how much 1000' of old 
> RG213 might be worth as scrap?
> 
> 2) Can old coax be recycled as ground radials or elevated radials for 
> verticals, 4-squares, etc?  Does it need to be stripped to the Center 
> Conductor or can it be connected to the cc or the braid?  Does it 
> matter whether the cc or the braid is connected to ground?
> 
> 3) For Coax currently in service that has cuts in the PVC cover with 
> some of the braid showing, does this need to be cut away and replaced 
> or can it simply be taped over and then continue to be used?
> 
> 4) I also have old 3 and 5 conductor unshielded cables in use outside 
> that have had the white outside covering abraded and with some of the 
> colored wire insulation showing.
> 
> Any idea what this might be worth at the scrapyard per 100'?
> 
> Can this be used as radial wire?
> 
> Tnx & 73
> 
> 
> Bob, KQ2M
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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