[Milsurplus] Cable construction

[Bob Camp]

Hi,

At least on the ARC-5's and ART-13's that I have had the cables were 
laced with normal black linen lacing cord. I don't seem to remember any 
plastic being used as part of that process. There were so many people 
making them that I'm sure there is a lot of variation.

A long time ago tape used to come in three flavors: Vinyl, cloth and 
rubber. The "proper" way to do things usually finished out with cloth 
tape. If you were going nuts the rubber and vinyl both got used under 
the cloth tape. Just to make things confusing sometimes the rubber 
wound up as the top layer.  All there still were available from 3M last 
time I checked. There are still procedures (from the good old days ...) 
that mandate the use of all three tapes. The cloth and rubber both came 
in a flavor without adhesive. I don't remember seeing vinyl without 
adhesive thought ...

If the tape you have is a bit yellow that may be from age so you 
probably are looking for a clear tape. If it started out yellow then 
I'd bet on Mylar. Again available from 3M and a lot of others.

If you find a large electrical supply outfit they should at least have 
a sample you can look at. Finding anything on the 3M web site is a pain 
.... The other other option is to look for an outfit that deals with 
plastic film. They are not that hard to find in larger cities and 
probably have something in stock that's close enough to do the trick.

	Enjoy!

		Bob Camp
		KB8TQ

On May 22, 2004, at 12:48 AM, J. Forster wrote:

> Does anyone know what kind of tape was used to wrap cables in radio
> installations, such as ARC-5 and ART-13. It is apparently clear to 
> pale yellow
> vinyl, without adhesive. More important, are there any known sources 
> for it?
>
> Also, some connectors have had their backshells potted with some pink 
> stuff. Is
> this silicone rubber or something else? Again, a source would be 
> appreciated
>
> Thanks,
> -John
>
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