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Re: xlr cable, long run 100FT

Subject: Re: xlr cable, long run 100FT
From: "Mitch Hill" wa1ykn
Date: Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:06 pm ((PST))
Hi Rob,

At 11:09 PM 2/18/2011 -0600, you wrote:
>Hi Mark--
>
>For outdoor permanent installation?


<Snip>


>Do watch to keep out all possible water penetration in the "Y" needed
>to break out to the two mics. Tight electric tape wasn't enough for
>me. You can cover the splice with a silicone filled wire splice
>available at a pro plumbing supply store that sells well pumps. These
>sleeves are about 2-3" long and are used for sealing splices in wires
>dropped into wells to submersible pumps. Requires a heat gun or
>hairdryer.   Rob D.

There is a much easier, simpler way to do weather proof splices...  The key 
is 3M "Scotch Fil"  insulating putty available at most any electrical 
contractor supply house...

"Scoitch Fil" is incredible stuff, its comes in a 1 1/2" wide tape roll 
form, the material is about 1/8" thick,  you snip a piece off the roll 
about 4" long and split it in half so you have a strip about 3/4" 
wide.  Easier to handle this way...  "Scotch Fil" sticks to itself like 
nothing you have ever seen...

The trick is, once you have your electrical connection made, start about 1" 
to 1 1/2" down the jacket of the cable from the splice, pull and stretch 
the strip of putty to about 20% of its original thickness and about 1/2 the 
width of the piece of "Scotch Fil" you have cut and  wrap it on 
overlapping  about 1/3 each turn streatching it as you go.

If you break the "Scotch Fil" strip mid splice, or get a void, or simply 
run short, just finish the wrap and pull a piece of "Scotch Fil"  and press 
it down over the end or over the void, and it self vulcanizes instantly and 
becomes one with the surrounding putty...  I do Two layers pulled out thin, 
and finish with a couple layers or more of electrical tape to protect the 
putty as it is very soft and cold flows to any other material, especially 
plastics, that may get against it...

This stuff cold flows into one homogenous mass and only way to get it apart 
once it has made contact with itself is to carefully slit it open with a 
knife. You can not unwrap it once it has stuck to itself!!!

No heat guns needed, quick and simple and lasts forever at least as far as 
my lifetime is concerned!!!  Greatest waterproof joints you can 
make...  (And inexpensive)...  I learned this trick going to sea on 
oceanographic ships as a scientist where ships time was big money and the 
longer they had to wait for a cable to be spliced, the hotter the situation 
became!!! I have dropped 10 meter piston cores into the Atlantic Ocean 
bottom at 10,000 to 15,000 feet with cables strapped to the side with 
thermistor probes for sediment temperature measurements and never had one 
leak... (unless we hit a rock and sheared a cable)...  I make all my 
outdoor splices this way since learning this trick and as far as I know, 
never a one has leaked, not a single one...

Works great on radio communications antenna cables too... Another place 
where just a drop of water will destroy a cable.

--

Thanks,
Mitch & Shadow...

http://www.4shared.com/dir/UTASxktL/wildlife.html

Shadow's area: http://www.4shared.com/dir/ecfWjyZb/Shadow.html









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