[Boatanchors] remote antenna conduit?

[W2HX]

Hello all,

As part of building a new shack, I am taking this opportunity to run some conduit from the shack out to the backyard for a vertical antenna hidden amongst the trees.  In addition to coax, I'll need to run a coupler control cable. I will either run my Mackay tuner out there or my sunair 1KW tuner out there. Both of these tuners have an existing cable with the circular MS-style connectors on the ends.

Here's the question. When you guys run antenna cables out to your antennas, what size conduit do you use? I ask because the antenna coupler connectors are something like 2" in diameter! So I would imagine I would need a 3" diameter conduit which isn't cheap (I am thinking of using flexible PVC).

OR: Do you guys run the cable first, then bring the soldering iron up to the antenna site and solder on the connector there? A lot of work to do in an uncontrolled environment but would allow a 2" conduit to be installed since the connector doesn't need to be fished through it (it would be soldered on after the cable emerges).

What do you guys do?

One other possible idea.  Take the existing cable with connectors on both ends, and cut off say 3 feet from the antenna end. Then I have one long cable with no connector that will end near the antenna. I could then use a weather proof box with a barrier strip inside and connect each of the wires in the control cable to this barrier strip. Then take the 3 foot piece of cable with the other connector and again attached the wires from the cut side to this same barrier strip.

Thoughts?


73 Eugene W2HX