I forgot about Home Depot, but when I was looking for it, they had it mail order** but never in the stores. And so it was twice the price because of shipping. And I'd have to plan a lot further in advance.
Was hoping to find it in a store. I went to a big electrical supply house too. Maybe they had it, but none of the words I used to describe it worked. I'll go back with some new words.
**I used the web and they used the mail.
Lowes iirc allowed someone to ship to a store for free (which makes sense if they have their computer set up to put it on the same truck that is going to a store (It would still cost them something to do this, but not much) ,
Iirc HD charged whether shipping to one's home or a store.
If you are inclined to email me for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)
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Iran tells us what the mainstream media won\'t:
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mainstream media and consider news websites more reliable."
Exactly so. Vaseline certainly isn't going to improve a connection.
However, most connections involving coax and connectors DO involve some degree of dissimilar metals somewhere in the joint. There is always the possibility of corrosion, especially under damp conditions. A coating of something which keeps out the moisture WILL certainly delay this (hopefully indefinitely).
Anything which does not contain or absorb water should work (so I wouldn't choose to use my wife's moisturising cream). Also, it should not wash off of evaporate completely. Vaseline, silicon grease and dozens of other things should be OK. However, WD40 has an advantage as it chases off moisture present when you are making the joint. That's why I spray the connectors and the made-off ends of the cable BEFORE I put the connectors on. As insurance, I then spray again AFTER I have made the joint.
dIan Jackson wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@g3ohx.demon.co.uk:
If evaporation, as the WD40 spray leaves the pressurized can, and as it sits on the connector, lowers the temperature below the dew-point, you could end up introducing moisture rather than driving it out.
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bz 73 de N5BZ k
please pardon my infinite ignorance, the set-of-things-I-do-not-know is an
infinite set.
bz+ser@ch100-5.chem.lsu.edu remove ch100-5 to avoid spam trap
Moisturizing cream is another name for grease or oil. There's nothing in the cosmetic use of the stuff that either absorbs (hygroscopic) or displaces moisture. However, there is some water in the stuff. My favorite variation on this theme is in a restaurant, where you can ask for "dry" toast, which means without any butter or oil.
The "WD" in WD40 means "water displacement". It doesn't chemically do anything to the water. It just shoves it aside or pushes it into the connector. Try spraying or pouring some WD40 into a test tube full of colored water. No reaction. Note the ingredients.
WD-40 and other greases probably make sense in an outdoor, corrosive, and high humidity environments, but for every day use on commodity RF connectors, it's a waste of time. It may keep water out of a clean pair of connectors, but if used in a dirty environment (i.e. the back of my hi-fi) and reconnected, it's highly likely to shove the now greasy dirt into the connector. This is not my idea of an improvement.
In a past life, during the 1960's, I was involved in building and maintaining a recording studio. The place was stuffed full of connectors of all types and denomination. Nobody ever even suggested that we smear them with grease to "improve" anything, despite constant efforts dealing with very low level noise sources. Dissimilar metals between connectors were a problem and generally avoided.
Searching the official list of 2000+ uses for WD-40 at:
the closest approximation is: "Lubricates the threads of coax/antenna connectors on amateur radio antennas" So it is written... so it must be.
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Jeff Liebermann jeffl@cruzio.com
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
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Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558
Some silicone sealant (the cheaper stuff) contains acetic acid, and (naturally) smells like vinegar. Using this as a seal for coax connections is a very good recipe for corrosion, as some of the acid will diffuse into the connector's airspaces as the sealant cures.
"Neutral cure" silicone sealants are a better bet. The best are specifically rated for electronics use (and cost quite a bit). Consumer-type sealants that are stated to be noncorrosive, or advertised for use on metal are probably safe for use on connectors.
Using silicone sealant directly on the connectors pretty much guarantees a semi-permanent, almost-impossible-to-repair-or-change joint. It's a real bear to cut it open and pick all of the bits out of the threads. Overwrapping the joint with tape, first, and then gooping over the tape and out onto the coax itself should be just as secure, and far easier to re-open at a later time. Either self-amalgamating rubber tape, or plumber's Teflon thread-tape could be used.
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Dave Platt AE6EO
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