[Antennas] LMR-400 with Rotators - A Dilemma

[Mike McCarthy, W1NR]

Let's try again...

   LMR-400 will NOT work in any situation that requires it to be flexed.  It 
will kink and short internally in a very short time (you might get away with 
it once).

   Hardline is very difficult to manage.  You must support it as it is being 
raised up a tower or you risk it "folding over" from it's own weight and 
ruining large portions of it.

What I would do it run hardline to the base of the tower.  From there run 
LMR400UF (ultraflex model), LMR600UF or 9913F to the top of the tower and 
the antennas.

Junction to the hardline (at the tower base) should be a male N connector on 
the hardline to a lightning arrestor then to a male N connector on the other 
feed.  Mount the lightning arrestors to a copper plate connected to your 
ground system with 2" strap.  Good quality N connectors are much more water 
tight than UHF types so I wouldn't bother with coax seal.  You might want to 
put liquid electrical tape over the end of the connector where it meets the 
cable.

You are really asking for trouble trying to do it any other way with a crank 
up.  Now, one person can take it down in an emergency storm situation.

Mike, W1NR