Paul Gates, KD3JF wrote:
What I am trying to do is make up a 44' Dipole and
feed it with coax for portable work when I go to a
park, etc.
It's possibly less of a concern for a portable antenna, but in general
it's important to make sure the center connection is waterproof.
Although BNCs are supposedly waterproof if assembled correctly, it's a
good idea to cover the connector with liquid electrical tape or similar
waterproofing material.
If you just strip the ends of the coax, it's even more critical. The
problem is that water is pulled into the coax braid by capillary action.
It can go quite far in time! The copper braid then corrodes, greatly
increasing the attenuation.
Personally I wouldn't bother with the connector. It's another possible
failure point and extra weight. I'd just make a center insulator out of
a piece of plastic, drill holes in it to allow the coax to be attached
with cable ties, solder all the connections and waterproof the heck out
of everything.
--
73,
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco
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