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Re: [TowerTalk] PL-259 Going Open?

To: Richards <jruing@ameritech.net>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] PL-259 Going Open?
From: "Roger (K8RI)" <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 03:21:28 -0500
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>

Richards wrote:
> Oh...shoot ... that sucks.     Guess I am glad I sprung for the
It sure did! <:-))
> legitimate Times Microwave LMR-400 DB for my big vertical
> project. 
Remember too that the CNT series by Andrew, the same people that make 
Heliax is pretty good stuff.  This is the price on real Times Wire 
LMR-400 isn't all that more expensive at roughly 80 cents per foot. 
(Give or take depending on where you get it).
> ( I did not mind the expense until I accidentally severed
> the line midway AFTER I had buried it... and had to dig it up and
> replace it immediately ... ouch... )
That's why I have a 3" PVC conduit underground from the tower to the 
entry of the back of the house and another to the shop.  
http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/cablebox.htm  Right now the snow 
is almost up to the new box on the side of the tower.  I need to get the 
photo up of that box and the snow.  The old installation is at the top 
while the new is farther down.  The second row from the bottom shows a 
photo with "The trench is filled" under it. At the back of the shop you 
can see the end of a tower laying on the crushed rock. That tower is now 
covered with snow.
>
>
> Guess it is just another example of where it pays to use good
> tools and good equipment.   We know that big bag of snakes
> is often disguised as an ever loving blue eyed bargain.  The key
> is knowing when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em,  i.e. when
> to spend the big money vs saving with the economy stuff.
>
> I know you pardon my naiveté and inexperience, but would
> NEVER have anticipated water coming in through my coax!
>
Neither did I until I saw the water running out onto the desk.
Up to that point I was in full agreement with those who said the only 
problem with 9913 was the failure to water proof the connections. I 
found all the tape and compound on the ground looking like a piece of 
expanded metal.  That lighting strike removed all of the plating on 
every connector at the top of the tower, made the top foot or so of the 
repeater antenna look like an exploded cigar, and blew out the 7/8" 
Heliax down about 20' from the antenna.  It didn't hurt any of the other 
antennas or cables. Except for the water running through it the 9913 
wasn't hurt either.

Since I've gone to the elaborate grounding system I've had no more 
damage although the tower has taken an average of 3 verified, direct 
hits a year although there were none the past two summers. However I 
hasten to add that when I took the remote antenna switch down the 
connectors that were exposed looked pretty bad. Whether it was from 
coronal discharge,or the stuff we breathe up here I don't know. I did 
have to replace all of the connectors on the switch though. (Mainly for 
mechanical/plating reasons)

We are now up to 2.8" of fresh snow. However they've changed to an 
advisory that expires at 7:00 AM so we may get lucky and miss what they 
had planned on for tomorrow. It looks like it may be windy but most of 
it may go to the South of us.

73

Roger (K8RI)
> To be forewarned is to be forearmed.
>
> ================== Richards - K8JHR  ===================
>
> Roger (K8RI) wrote:
>>
>> saying the water flowed all the way through the cable .....
>>
>> Yup, between one and two cups worth. 9913 is like a pipe with a 
>> center conductor suspended by a spiral.
>
> =========================================
>
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