>
> In a message dated 10/2/2007 9:02:43 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
> towertalk-request@contesting.com writes:
>
>> I went through a phase some years ago where I would fill UHF
> connectors with Dow Corning #4. I never had a problem with one and
> it did keep water out. Some were up for as much as 5 years before
> being replaced due to upgrades. However, YMMV! I think it is not a
> recommended practice. I stopped doing it mostly because it has a
It is and is what DC 4 was originally designed for.
> tendency to be messy (and unnecessary, given proper waterproofing of
> the connection).
It certainly is messy and I used to believe in "proper waterproofing" of
connectors until mother nature proved to me there is no such thing or at
least none that is permanent or guranteed.
>
> Excellent point! I hate the stuff myself. Why would you put a
> dielectric
But wrong. I happed to dislike the stuff myself due to the mess.
> material in an application where you're trying to encourage a conductive
> connection?!? I've never understood that.
Becasue that is what it's designed for. It does not hinder the metal to
metal contact, but it does serve as an insulator and water stop where it's
supposed to do so.
>
> And then there's the mess. Using it up on a tower creates a potential
Messy it is and you might as well pitch any connector that gets dropped.
I quit using the stuff due to the mess, but it was designed to make the
government happy doing what it does best.
> safety hazard since the stuff is greasy and getting it on your gloves
> makes
You don't wear gloves when working with that stuff.. That's like trying to
doing PC board work while wearing gloves.
> them nice and slippery.
>
> OTOH YMMV. Nothing replaces good weatherproofing.
>
I used to believe that to until nature used a stroke of lightning to remove
every bit of water proofing off every connector at the top of the tower.
(Removed the silver plating too) A bit later (few minutes) I had water
running out of one of the rigs onto the desk which is what I get for using
9913. I gave away close to 800 feet of the stuff and hauled over 200 feet
out to the road (all still in good shape). I gave away the last couple
hundred feet Saturday. I went to LMR-400 and am now upgrading to LMR-600 for
everything including runs over a 100 feet on HF.
Roger (K8RI)
> Cheers,
> Steve K7LXC
> TOWER TECH
>
>
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