Towertalk
[Top] [All Lists]

[TowerTalk] insulating properties of cured and uncured silicone caulking

To: "TowerTalk@contesting.com" <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] insulating properties of cured and uncured silicone caulking
From: Haring family <dcharing@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 24 May 2023 21:10:04 -0400
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
I've covered the back of a SO-239 at an antenna feedpoint with silicone
caulking. It wasn't electronic grade... it was probably from Lowe's or HD.
GE "SIL2KB CLR", Mod. GE284. It's Silicone 2 (without acetic acid).

I started checking my antenna impedance immediately, and all my readings
were lower than expected. Then I started wondering if uncured product was
more conductive than cured.

Then I found that silicone caulking can be anywhere from "high dielectric
properties" to pretty conductive, depending on what the mfgr stuffs in with
it.

In hindsight, I should have checked the antenna before gooping it. And I
should have sprung for some electronic grade, maybe.

Ok, here are the questions - but feel free to to add more if I've missed
the basic issues
:
1. Does anyone have experience with GE284 for electrical insulating
properties, specifically RF, and what was it?

2. Would you expect properties to differ between cured and uncured GE284?
If so, would you expect uncured to be more or less conductive?

thanks in advance,

Dave Haring N3AC
Forest, Virginia
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>