[HCARC] Ditching and Electrical To Antenna Farm

[Kerry Sandstrom]

Gary,

I would run one conduit for the low voltage DC and the rotator cable.  A 
second conduit for AC power if you are really putting AC power out there, 
and I would put those two conduits in one trench and then I would run one or 
two conduits for the coax and put them in a second trench.  I don't know 
about the new rotators, but the old Ham M and alliance rotators used AC 
power, about 25 volts I think.  They used an 8-conductor cable with 2 of the 
conductors bigger than the other 6.

Its not nearly impossible to weatherproof Pl-259 connectors, it is 
impossible.  Some people wrap them in tape or put epoxy or whatever on them. 
That is only part of the problem.  Most of the PL-259's I've seen have a 
center conductor that is fairly loose in the insulator and often the 
insulator is loose where it meetrs the outer conductor.  I believe that is a 
second route for moisture to get into the conductor.  It was just never 
designed to be weatherproof.

By the way, I've seen a lot of traffic on the reflector about some "easy' 
ways to put PL-259 connectors on coax.  When the various connector s were 
designed in the 1940's, (by Bell Lab and the MIT Radiation Lab) they were 
designed for specific uses and for specific coaxial cables.  The designs 
were such that when installed according to the instructions to the 
appropriate cables, they maintained the mechanical and electrical integrity 
of the cable as best they could.  When you don't use the correct connector 
with the correct cable and you don't follow the instructions regarding 
connector installation, you lose some of that integrity.  If you are serious 
and you buy good cable, it seems to me you should protect that investment by 
using the appropriate connectors and installing them properly.

I'm not sure what connectors are designed for the LMR cables but I bet it 
isn't a PL-259.  They probably have a similar Type UHF connector but I bet 
it has slightly different design and installation instructions.  If nothing 
else, the aluminum foil shield of the LMR cables would make using a PL-259 
difficult.  Most of the new connectors have eliminated soldering all 
together by using a crimp design.  Appropriate crimp dies and tools are 
available.  I've seen BNC, TNC, N, SMA and UHF crimp style connectors so I 
suspect you can get any connector series in a crimp style.  Not only does 
LMR cables probably require a special connector, but all the foam coax does 
also.  RG-8 foam cable, for instance, has a larger diameter center conductor 
that doesn't fit in the center pin of a PL-259.   Anyway, bottom line is to 
make sure you have the correct connectors for your cable and follow 
instructions to put the connectors on the cable.

Kerry