Coax Connector Sealing Options

[Merovingian]

Yeah, but that's Tessco's "chump" pricing for people that don't have an account. Cheaper if you have one.
But, absolutely, but it somewhere else. Much cheaper.

Heh. I've got an account with them, I logged in and that was the price they gave me. I ordered some from eBay much, much cheaper.

I've got a few sites down along the coast, salt spray, lots of rain, fog, hurricane force winds, etc. That tape hasn't failed (yet) and it's been up there several years.

Industry standard is to do a wrap of electrical tape over the entire connection from above the connector, half overlapping, to a few inches below the connector and then reversing to the top again. Known as "Half lap and back". Follow that up with a layer of the self fusing tape, starting just above where the tape stops below the connector and working towards the top, again, half lapped. Mold it in well around the connector. Follow that up with another "half lapped and back" layer of electrical tape.
It takes time to do right, but it works. Removing it is as easy as cutting it off with a razor blade and peeling it off.

Very important, though. Some antennas have "weep holes" in the bottom to allow condensed moisture to escape. Make sure you do not block those.

You can get wide roles of electrical tape that makes it a bit easier. You can even purchase "kits" that include everything you need in one package.

Waterproofing coaxial connections is often overlooked by hobbyists. There's some assumption that finger tight connectors are magically waterproof. They aren't.

 

[Merovingian]

A lot of info here and there is more than one good way to seal coax connections. I consider myself a two way radio professional and for commercial installations I always use THE industry standard called out by Andrew Corp (now Commscope) for Heliax and similar cables. This type of sealing will last the lifetime of the system and I've removed 30yr+ old connections on sun baked and ice caked mountain tops and they looked brand new under the sealant.

This involves first putting on a layer of Scotch 33+ type tape, then a sheet layer of "monkey snot" then a final layer of a special wide and thick black tape that squishes it all together. There is a complete kit made for this and its known as a Andrew weatherproofing kit. Here is a video about this specific process, which is similar to what has been posted already. When a customer pays upwards of $5k to fly someone to the middle of nowhere to repair some connections, this is the weatherproofing method they are expecting.

For my home amateur station in So Cal and TX I usually only put on several tight layers of Scotch 33+ that extends several inches beyond the connector and this is more than adequate for the mild weather and connectors look brand new when 20yr old tape has been removed and it has never leaked. In my amateur station near Boston I use something similar to the Andrew method due to the extreme weather there.

So there is no one method for every situation. You might have a temporary setup that can get by with just a single layer of tape and I recommend 33+ in all cases, or you might be installing a repeater on a mountain top that gets the full treatment. With all that said, I don't see any need for Plasti-dip, liquid electrical tape or similar. I see them as gimmicks that will be hard to remove, and you know you will have to break into some of your connections for some reason in the future.

Interesting information. The weather here is fairly mild so I shouldn't need extreme measures. I'll have to go to Home Depot to get some Scotch 33+ to use with my Scotch 70 when it arrives next week.

 

[mikewazowski]

We use: Scotch® Linerless Rubber Splicing Tape 130C | 3M United States followed up by electrical tape.

Please do not use monkey snot or bear ****. Most riggers cringe when they see it even with a courtesy wrap.

I noticed in the video that the instructor tore the electrical tape after applying. Please don't do this. Use a knife or scissors. Tearing the end stretches and pulls the tape out of shape. It will be more prone to unravelling and will eventually come undone.

 

[prcguy]

Nearly every commercial tower/antenna installation I've ever seen uses the "Andrew" method with a layer of tape then monkey snot then layers of thicker tape over that. It looks like a footbal when its done. When you need to take it apart it comes off very easy because of the first layer of tape keeping the snot from sticking to the connector or cable. No need to cringe at the monkey snot or bear **** for the Canadian version, eh?

We use: Scotch® Linerless Rubber Splicing Tape 130C | 3M United States followed up by electrical tape.

Please do not use monkey snot or bear ****. Most riggers cringe when they see it even with a courtesy wrap.

I noticed in the video that the instructor tore the electrical tape after applying. Please don't do this. Use a knife or scissors. Tearing the end stretches and pulls the tape out of shape. It will be more prone to unravelling and will eventually come undone.

 

[mikewazowski]

Nearly every commercial tower/antenna installation I've ever seen uses the "Andrew" method with a layer of tape then monkey snot then layers of thicker tape over that. It looks like a footbal when its done. When you need to take it apart it comes off very easy because of the first layer of tape keeping the snot from sticking to the connector or cable. No need to cringe at the monkey snot or bear **** for the Canadian version, eh?

We should meet up sometime. I could supply you with all the monkey snot you could ever want. Our guys won't use it at all. They toss it in a box and eventually dispose of it. I started selling it off for $1/roll at hamfests.

Lately we've been using 4.3-10 DIN which have boots that slide up over the connector to weather proof or JMA connectors which need no weather proofing.

And yes, bear **** is probably a Canadian term.

 

[KevinC]

Nearly every commercial tower/antenna installation I've ever seen uses the "Andrew" method with a layer of tape then monkey snot then layers of thicker tape over that. It looks like a footbal when its done. When you need to take it apart it comes off very easy because of the first layer of tape keeping the snot from sticking to the connector or cable. No need to cringe at the monkey snot or bear **** for the Canadian version, eh?

Are we talking Scotchkote? If so I haven't used that in 20 years.

I don't know if it's the heat or the humidity, but in SE Texas it turns hard and starts to flake off after about 3 years.

 

[MrColad]

A lot of info here and there is more than one good way to seal coax connections. I consider myself a two way radio professional and for commercial installations I always use THE industry standard called out by Andrew Corp (now Commscope) for Heliax and similar cables. This type of sealing will last the lifetime of the system and I've removed 30yr+ old connections on sun baked and ice caked mountain tops and they looked brand new under the sealant.

This involves first putting on a layer of Scotch 33+ type tape, then a sheet layer of "monkey snot" then a final layer of a special wide and thick black tape that squishes it all together. There is a complete kit made for this and its known as a Andrew weatherproofing kit. Here is a video about this specific process, which is similar to what has been posted already. When a customer pays upwards of $5k to fly someone to the middle of nowhere to repair some connections, this is the weatherproofing method they are expecting.

For my home amateur station in So Cal and TX I usually only put on several tight layers of Scotch 33+ that extends several inches beyond the connector and this is more than adequate for the mild weather and connectors look brand new when 20yr old tape has been removed and it has never leaked. In my amateur station near Boston I use something similar to the Andrew method due to the extreme weather there.

So there is no one method for every situation. You might have a temporary setup that can get by with just a single layer of tape and I recommend 33+ in all cases, or you might be installing a repeater on a mountain top that gets the full treatment. With all that said, I don't see any need for Plasti-dip, liquid electrical tape or similar. I see them as gimmicks that will be hard to remove, and you know you will have to break into some of your connections for some reason in the future.

You sir are right on the money. You know your stuff. Certainly dispelled some weatherproofing myths I believed. I discussed this thread with some serious salty tower dogs and they all agreed with you 150%.

 

[prcguy]

I don't know the trade name but it comes in sheets maybe 6" X 6" or a roll roll about 4"wide. I think its a Butyl Mystic compound. The sheets will have a peel off wax like paper on both sides and the roll will have a peel off layer. Since its an undercoating I've never seen it harden and flake off. The roll version is shown in the video I linked earlier.

Are we talking Scotchkote? If so I haven't used that in 20 years.

I don't know if it's the heat or the humidity, but in SE Texas it turns hard and starts to flake off after about 3 years.

 

[prcguy]

Thanks. I've been doing this since the 70s and even though I'm retired people still fly me all over the world to work on stuff. OSHA would cringe at this but here is a very old pic of me working on a small tower. No hard hat and this was before the full body harness and vertical safety cable attachment was required.

You sir are right on the money. You know your stuff. Certainly dispelled some weatherproofing myths I believed. I discussed this thread with some serious salty tower dogs and they all agreed with you 150%.

 

[cmdrwill]

prcguy IS correct. He probably did some antenna work on sites that I also worked at.

 

[KevinC]

I don't know the trade name but it comes in sheets maybe 6" X 6" or a roll roll about 4"wide. I think its a Butyl Mystic compound. The sheets will have a peel off wax like paper on both sides and the roll will have a peel off layer. Since its an undercoating I've never seen it harden and flake off. The roll version is shown in the video I linked earlier.

I was referring to the "monkey snot' people were talking about.

 

[TailGator911]

When using a "coax seal" type of product do a courtesy wrap of electrical tape first.

Exactly how I have done it for years, after having to go in to a connector a year later and pick and peel that black goo off of a PL-259 fitting. The 'courtesy wrap' i is a must-do when working with Coax-Seal. Great stuff.

 

[MrColad]

Lolol. That hat. Lolol.

 

[prcguy]

The monkey stuff I'm referring to is the thin sheet of sticky tar like stuff with the peel off backing.

I was referring to the "monkey snot' people were talking about.

 

[KevinC]

The monkey stuff I'm referring to is the thin sheet of sticky tar like stuff with the peel off backing.

10-4. I think others were referring to Scotchkote, which is nasty.

 

[prcguy]

Gotta get me a clown mask and some big clown shoes for the next tower job.

Lolol. That hat. Lolol.

 

[JerryX]

CoaxSeal is evil stuff!

I use 3M Temflex 2155 ($2.68 a roll at Home Depot) followed by an over wrap of 3M Super 33+ or Super 88. I've been using this combination for 25 years and have had no moisture intrusion in any coax connector exposed to the weather.

 

[cmdrwill]

Gotta get me a clown mask and some big clown shoes for the next tower job.

I would like to see that. Where is the "next job" ?

And I agree with JerryX's method.

 

[prcguy]

I'm told my next job is in Bogota, Colombia and probably in January. Not sure if I should fire up a clown suit there.

I would like to see that. Where is the "next job" ?

And I agree with JerryX's method.

 

[KK2DOG]

I just re-roofed this past summer and had to remove all of my antennas then re-mount them. About 18 years ago I wrapped the connections in Scotch Super 33 and I had a heck of a time getting it off the connectors but that's a GOOD thing. After numerous sub-zero temperature winters here in northern New York, the PL-259's were still shiny. Zero connector-related issues in 18 years. The guys around here use it too on repeaters that they can't even get to in the winter due to snow.