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I am looking for recommendations on an outdoor junction box to take LMR-400 from the base antenna then LMR-195 into the house to a Stridsberg MCA204M then to the scanners.
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Outdoor Junction Box
- Thread starter TexScan780D
- Start date
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Carlon 6 in. x 6 in. x 4 in. Gray PVC Junction Box E987RR - The Home Depot
The Junction Box is UL listed with a NEMA 6P rating per Section 314.29, Exception of the NEC. The box is made with a thermoplastic material and features a gasket lid attached with stainless-steel screws.
www.homedepot.com
You can get these in bigger sizes. I've used some 12x12 size for terminal cabinet.
Getting the cable in/out needs to be considered. Gland type conduit fittings can be had at Home Depot that will allow you to get the cable in and seal the pass through.
In choosing a junction box, look for something with a NEMA rating of 4 or 6 if it's geared for electrical use or something listed as IP67. These are going to be gasketed and generally fall under the water resistant category. These hold up well to rain and water washdown and if you use the proper sealing bushings, with keep the mini critters out too. They'll also hold up fairly well to UV exposure. In order to use a watertight sealing bushing you'll need to terminate your cables after passing them through the bushings. Here is an example of those connectors:
Arlington Industries 1/2 in. Nylon Connector (1-Pack) LPCG50-1 - The Home Depot
They come in different sizes to accommodate various cable diameters and can had in in both metal and plastic. Some may consider all of this overkill but I don't get a big kick out of re-doing my work. I'm anal that way.
Arlington Industries 1/2 in. Nylon Connector (1-Pack) LPCG50-1 - The Home Depot
They come in different sizes to accommodate various cable diameters and can had in in both metal and plastic. Some may consider all of this overkill but I don't get a big kick out of re-doing my work. I'm anal that way.
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What is Gland type conduit fittings?Carlon 6 in. x 6 in. x 4 in. Gray PVC Junction Box E987RR - The Home Depot
The Junction Box is UL listed with a NEMA 6P rating per Section 314.29, Exception of the NEC. The box is made with a thermoplastic material and features a gasket lid attached with stainless-steel screws.www.homedepot.com
You can get these in bigger sizes. I've used some 12x12 size for terminal cabinet.
Getting the cable in/out needs to be considered. Gland type conduit fittings can be had at Home Depot that will allow you to get the cable in and seal the pass through.
The fittings I linked to above are gland type fittings. They are designed to either thread into threaded hubs formed into a box during manufacturing or through drilled holes that correspond to specific conduits sized holes such as 1/2", 3/4", etc. Note that these conduit holes aren't the actual diameter but relate to industry standards for conduit. e.g 1/2" conduit uses a 7/8" diameter hole, 3/4" conduits uses a 1 1/8" diameter hole, etc. If a hole is drilled or punched into a box in the field (during installation) then a lock nut is used on the inside of the box to hold it in place.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
ASI M20 x 1.5 Threaded Plastic Cable Gland with Locknut 7 mm to 13 mm Clamping Range (10-Pack) 3001316 - The Home Depot
A cable gland is used to keep dust and liquids from entering a panel or box for wire entry. This cable gland can be threaded onto matching M20 x 1.5 threads or used with the included locknut on panels
www.homedepot.com
There are tons of different versions, these are just two examples that were easy to get.
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Thank you. What size for LMR-400?ASI M20 x 1.5 Threaded Plastic Cable Gland with Locknut 7 mm to 13 mm Clamping Range (10-Pack) 3001316 - The Home Depot
A cable gland is used to keep dust and liquids from entering a panel or box for wire entry. This cable gland can be threaded onto matching M20 x 1.5 threads or used with the included locknut on panelswww.homedepot.com
There are tons of different versions, these are just two examples that were easy to get.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Times Microwave LMR-400 is 0.405" diameter. Or, 10.29mm.
I’ve often wanted to find a traffic light controller box to mount on the side of the house, but no one ever wants to give one up.
mmckenna
I ♥ Ø
Railroad signal cabinets are a good choice, if you can find them.
We have some traffic light controller style boxes at work for phone/network service in locations where a larger installation isn't possible. They've worked really well, but they are not cheap.
I think for hobby use, the plastic 4R NEMA boxes are a good start.
Yeah or even a smaller cable company Dmarc box as well along with a ground block and some rg-6 would be a great proper bond prior to entry into the house. For anyone who reads through this thread , IF you use rg6 and a ground block outside , MAKE SURE YOU LABEL IT ACCORDINGLY, because if you get some jackass cable guy ( I work with a few) they will cut and wonder why their meters aren't picking up any signal except ingress on the antenna feed side .............................
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Can I drill a hole in back of the box and align the hole to the hole going into the house?
That can be done but you could end up with a water leak into either the box or the house or both. You might get by with a decent seal if the two surfaces mate fairly well before applying sealant.
How important is it really to be watertight? All the cable connections are designed for outdoor installation. While I am aware it is indeed a "help", but then there is also the fact that any intrusion will now result in a high humidity condition that may never dry.
FWIW - I have all my wall intrusions behind some vinyl siding that I can remove with a few screws. I designed it primarily for aesthetics, but it also keeps everything pretty dry. I had a pretty ugly 2x3 foot section where cable,antenna, etc. were all entering. I had new siding installed and using J-channel and pieces made a pretty good cover.
I did look at boxes, but anything I found would have been large and intrusive.
FWIW - I have all my wall intrusions behind some vinyl siding that I can remove with a few screws. I designed it primarily for aesthetics, but it also keeps everything pretty dry. I had a pretty ugly 2x3 foot section where cable,antenna, etc. were all entering. I had new siding installed and using J-channel and pieces made a pretty good cover.
I did look at boxes, but anything I found would have been large and intrusive.
I have 1 or maybe 2 holes, all well sealed in and out. Having an unfinished basement helps.
Not just a puddle but a few drops evaporating and condensing, over and over. Heck, the cable co. boxes are far from wx proof. In my area, they don't even use a box anymore. That goes for Spectrum and Dish.
Condensation is to be expected unless you go to pretty elaborate lengths to fight it. (Like sealed and heated boxes) but that just doesn't happen in residential installs. If possible, I try to run any cables through exterior walls where there is some protection in place already like under eaves, etc. so that even if my weathersealing efforts fail, there is some innate protection.
