Weather protection for uhf connector
Displaying 1-3 of 3
| Nov 26th 2013, 20:39 | |
NT2FTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
Have coax coming into house thru bulkhead. When away or lightening threatens I disconnect outside coax at bulkhead. Use a screw on cap on the bulkhead female connector to keep it clean/dry. Have been putting the loose end of the coax in a plastic soda pop bottle and then taping the opening to protect the UHF connector from weather. Surely there's a more simple or clever way to protect the loose UHF connector from weather. Any suggestions? 73 - Jim/NT2F |
| Nov 27th 2013, 03:09 | |
aa6eTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
Jim - It's a good idea to ground your coax (inner conductor and shield) when you're disconnected -- giving surges some place to go. So you might consider connecting to an SO-259 socket, which is connected to a good ground. That helps with weatherproofing, at least a little. Weatherproofing a PL-259 connection generally means applying tape or sealant, and that makes it troublesome to disconnect. It's going to be a compromise. Maybe you could set up a waterproof enclosure to surround the bulkhead and the ground connection. 73 Martin AA6E |
| Nov 29th 2013, 02:18 | |
WA0CBWTotal Topics: 0 Total Posts: 0 |
It is a good idea (and required by the National Electrical Code) to keep the coax shield connected to ground at all times. You should also have an antenna surge suppressor on the coax as well. If you have your station grounded correctly and use antenna surge suppressors it is not necessary to disconnect your antennas. In fact you loose some protection from lightning if you disconnect your antenna. A common method is to mount the surge suppressor in a weatherproof box just outside the entrance to your house. Connect a ground rod to the surge suppressor (which also grounds the coax). Don't forget that all external grounds need to be connected to your house electrical ground. Bill |
Displaying 1-3 of 3
