[Elecraft] Proper installation of PL 259's

[Edward R Cole]

If you think water proofing a PL 259 is hard at average ham heights 
of 30 to 80 feet try waterproofing a N connector on the end of 7/8 " 
helix at 300 ft plus feet in the air.
Good Luck all

Bill,W0WFH?
--------------------------
Bill,

Yep!  Been there.  When possible, I pre-installed my top-end 
connectors on the ground before raising the hardline.  Of course 
usually there is a flexible jumper to the antenna that needs sealing 
to the hardline.

Yesterday.,I shortened a run of 7/8-inch Heliax for installation on 
my new 6m tower so that required re-installing the N-connector.  What 
is nice about the N-connector for the larger hardlines is that no 
soldering is required (center conductor is hollow copper tubing which 
the center pin assembly screws into with self-cutting thread.  Solid 
copper shield is compression fit, per usual.  Most of the new 
connectors are supplied with heat-shrink tubing to seal the 
connector.  I also use heat-shrink for coax connector junctions and 
sometimes add a wrap of electric tape or Scotch-Kote the seams (or both).

Applying heat shrink on tall towers is problematic since one usually 
can not use an electric heat gun.  Most of my ham towers are short 
enough to haul up an extension cord.  (PS: 6-element 30-foot boom 6m 
yagi is going up, today).

73, Ed - KL7UW
http://www.kl7uw.com
dubususa at gmail.com
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