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Re: [CQ-Contest] oxidized inner conductor when coax carries DC power

To: Franki ON5ZO <on5zo@telenet.be>
Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] oxidized inner conductor when coax carries DC power
From: W5PR <w5prchuck@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, 8 Nov 2016 18:56:55 -0400
List-post: <cq-contest@contesting.com">mailto:cq-contest@contesting.com>
I think the 12 V would only be relevant when there is a dissimilar metals 
problem.  In other words copper against aluminum. 

Chuck W5PR 

Sent from my iPad

> On Nov 7, 2016, at 4:16 AM, Franki ON5ZO <on5zo@telenet.be> wrote:
> 
> A lot of useful replies about the black inner conductor and the green mush 
> inside the connector. Many of which sent directly to me.
> 
> Some people think that it water ingress even though I'm pretty sure it isn't. 
> But if you ask advice, you must be open to views that don't match yours. So I 
> looked for evidence.
> 
> I took a one meter stretch that I cut off before soldering a new plug a while 
> ago. It's only the inner conductor that got black. The braid (shield) is 
> pristine: gold-yellow, not a sign of contamination. Even the inside of the 
> braid that touches the dielectric.
> This end of the cable was never exposed to the elements. It sat in an outdoor 
> cabinet. Although the inner conductor turned back, there was no green on the 
> N-plug's pin.
> 
> I only found the green 'powder' (like you sometimes find on battery 
> terminals) on the other side of the cable, where it mated an N-style jumper 
> that goes to the RX loop's feedpoint. I inspected both connectors (male and 
> female). The green was only around both center pins, where they mated. There 
> is no sign of green on the shield side of the plugs. I also can't find any 
> sign of real water sipping through. Moisture can be the case though. With 
> lots of oxygen because there is plenty of air space inside an N-plug, 
> especially the female type.
> 
> I unwrapped the sealing tape one of the jumper's N-plugs. No sign of water in 
> any form. I took apart the plug (nut and grommet type). The plug is only 
> green inside the shell, where it is exposed to air. By this I mean the air in 
> the void between pin and shell inside the N-connectors when M+F get screwed 
> together. The lower part of the pin (part that slides over the coax inner 
> conductor and is soldered), where the white 'dielectric extension' spacer cap 
> slides over the pin, was not green. This part of the pin is covered by this 
> spacer and is not exposed to air.
> 
> The sleeve says 'RG 213 / UBX' made in Germany'. I can't find a manufacturer. 
> I bought this 50m run at a hamfest. I seem to remember it was pretty cheap. I 
> bought it with 'RX only' in mind so I didn't actually think of losses and 
> power handling.
> 
> FWIW a sweep with the dummy from 1.5 MHz to 50 MHz shows a flat SWR graph.
> 
> The main question however, remains unanswered: is there a link with the fact 
> that this coax carried +12V DC, or not?
> 
> 73
> Franki ON5ZO
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