Advanced Marine Electrics and Electronics Troubleshooting A Manual for Boatowners and Marine Technicians

coaxial cable and antennas 173

#702050, Ancor Marine, http://www.ancorproducts.com

Coax Stripmasters, Ideal Tool, http://www.idealindustries.com

CST or LC CST series, Paladin Tools, http://www.paladin-tools.com

COAXIAL CABLE STRIPPERS

There are still many in the field who prefer

the soldered approach but I’ve seen more of

that type messed up than I have the appropri-

ate solderless type. One argument for solder-

ing is that they will be less prone to corrosion.

I contend this is a moot point because when

sealed as described below with 3M Scotch

2228 tape, water will not get to the connector,

eliminating the corrosion issue.

Once you’ve made the cable termination

and joined the male and female ends of the

connectors, it’s important to secure the con-

nections. This is often done with Ty-wraps

equipped with screw mounting brackets to

relieve any potential strain on the connection.

If you’re installing the connection in a loca-

tion exposed to weather, you will also need to

seal it against water intrusion. There are sev-

eral methods for waterproofing; here are two:

1 Heat-shrink tubing. This method entails

dealing with the disparity in the diameters

of the coaxial cable connector and the

cable itself. One way to do this is by slid-

ing two to three^1 / 2 -inch lengths of heat-

shrink tubing (sized to accommodate the

cable diameter) onto the coax before

installing the connector male and female

ends. Once the cable ends are attached,

shrink the lengths down onto each other,

which effectively builds up the outside

diameter of the coaxial cable insulation.

Then, when the connector is assembled

(with a length of heat-shrink tubing sized

Use the smaller-diameter cutter on the other end of the
tool to strip the center conductor insulation.

The stripping process is complete and the cable is ready
for the connector to be installed.

A gold-plated solderless connector made by Shake-
speare (www.shakespeare-marine.com). Another popular
model is available from Centerpin Technologies
(www.centerpin.com). Gold plating greatly reduces atten-
uation due to its superior conductivity.

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