Eddy,
As a long-time re-modeling contractor in South Texas,
I've seen silicone fail as a sealant more times than it
was successful!
Silicone makes a great gasket if firmly sandwiched between
solid surfaces,but in the extreme heat and humidity here,
it loses adhesion, and wicks water if left exposed.
Best tip I've used is to apply black electrical tape upside-
down over just the connection, follow up with coax-seal, etc.
Cover with self-vulcanizing rubber tape, and spray paint.
The up-side-down tape helps keep goo out of the threads,
and the paint stops all UV.
Also, never liked the thought of Acetic acid around
coax braid.hi
73 es GL
de AD5HR
Jon
--- On Sun, 10/18/09, Edward Swynar <gswy...@durham.net> wrote:
> From: Edward Swynar <gswy...@durham.net>
> Subject: Re: [AMRadio] antennas
> To: "Discussion of AM Radio in the Amateur Service" <amradio@mailman.qth.net>
> Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009, 10:49 AM
> Hi Bob,
>
> I have never, ever seen silicone decomponse / deteriorate
> in
> sunlight---ever. I believe it's because there's no plastic
> in it, per se,
> which is affected (in time) by UV rays...
>
> Anyway, it works---AND it's cheap, AND it's readily
> available! Hi Hi.
>
> ~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ
>
>
> *********************************
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Rob Atkinson" <ranchoro...@gmail.com>
> To: "Discussion of AM Radio in the Amateur Service"
> <amradio@mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Sunday, October 18, 2009 10:57 AM
> Subject: Re: [AMRadio] antennas
>
>
> > Eddy,
> >
> > I had wondered why no one had mentioned a simple tube
> of silicone from
> > the hardware store and was about to but you took the
> words out of my
> > mouth. I was starting to think there was some
> gotcha associated with
> > it that I didn't know about, but I've been using it
> outside with no
> > problems. Maybe it breaks down in sunlight?
> >
> > 73
> >
> > Rob
> > K5UJ
> >
> > On Sun, Oct 18, 2009 at 7:26 AM, Edward Swynar <gswy...@durham.net>
> wrote:
> > > Hi Guys,
> > >
> > > Contrary to "...tribal knowledge", I insist that
> clear silicone
> > > sealant---G.E. brand, whatever---still can't be
> beat on applications
> that
> > > are out-of-doors & in the open...!
> > >
> > > I smear it all over my PL-259 connectors---and
> then some---that I use to
> > > hook-up my feeders to the bases / tuning networks
> of my extended
> inverted
> > > "L" arrays for 160-meters here: in the open air,
> there are no noxious /
> > > corrosive fumes to contend with...
> > >
> > > In the Spring, when it's time to roll-up the
> radials & store away the
> tuning
> > > networks, I simply get an X-acto knife & make
> a slit into the silicone
> the
> > > length of the connector, then peel the whole
> thing off in one piece.
> > >
> > > It's cheap, effective, and never allows water
> entry into the
> "works"---even
> > > when buried for (literally) months at a time
> under a foot & more of
> snow!
> > >
> > > I concur, however, with the "dangerous" potential
> side-effects of
> > > silicone...case in point: one Field Day, many
> moons ago, I used silicone
> as
> > > an adhesive to anchor a small air-variable
> capacitor down securely
> inside a
> > > Tupperware enclosure, used to tune a delta loop
> on 40. It was a dewey
> damp
> > > Sunday morning when we opened-up the Tupperware
> lid to se why the tuning
> of
> > > our antenna had gone awry...to our surprise, the
> rotor blades of the
> > > capacitor were completely coated in rust!
> > >
> > > Our only conclusion was that the noxious,
> vinegar-like smell of the
> > > silicone, in a sealed environment, had somehow
> "attacked" the steel
> > > capacitor, & aged it by a quantum leap!
> > >
> > > Used outdoors & in the open, however, I've
> never had that problem...
> > >
> > > ~73~ de Eddy VE3CUI - VE3XZ
> > >
> >
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